I had a kid once who came up to me when I was about 11yrs old,  and out of nowhere hit me across the jaw…. totally unprovoked…I didn’t know him at all and then he ran away.

I was stunned but I wasn’t mad…I instinctively knew there was something more to the story..

So I approached this kid cautiously and asked him why he hit me… Apparently this kid was new to the school and someone who looked a lot like me had bullied him really bad, and I think, took something from him earlier…

I told him I wasn’t that person and that you should go tell a teacher about it… he apologized and later his younger brother of all things was in the same class as me and we became friends.

I think he was scared, angry and lashing out… They had just moved from another city… they were at a strange school …didn’t have any friends… it was a more urban school (rougher) than they were used to and I think they were just trying to figure it all out…

I could have chosen to escalate the incident but I didn’t …and that means everything sometimes in life in regards to trying to relate and get along with your fellow man.

by Philip Wardlow 2018