Bullying is something that many people still regard as harmless childhood teasing. But the sad truth is that it’s a behavior that has caused school shootings, suicides, and untold mental damage in the lives of millions of people. And while everyone has a choice regarding how they respond to being bullied, many children simply don’t have the self-confidence or resolve to endure the extreme degree of bullying we see these days. Back when I was in school, we didn’t have things like the internet or cell phones with cameras that bullies could use to humiliate kids. There used to be a time when once a kid was in his or her home, the bullying was over, at least until the next day at school.
However, the internet has changed all of that as now kids can be bullied and harassed 24/7 not only by their classmates, but by thousands of complete strangers who enjoy engaging in vicarious, and completely anonymous bullying. In 2008, a brave 13-year-old boy named Andrew Johnston decided to pursue his dream of becoming an Opera singer on Britain’s Got Talent. In the video, Johnston explains how he had been bullied at school and in his neighborhood since the age of six. When Simon Cowell asked how he dealt with the bullying, the young man quietly but firmly replied, “Carry on singing.”
Image via YouTube
From the moment Andrew opened his mouth and began to sing, the voice that emanated from him seemed like that of some heavenly being, not that of a shy 13-year-old schoolboy. It didn’t take long before people were moved to tears by the sheer beauty of Andrew’s voice, and from that moment, his life would change forever. Later in life, Johnston also became a black belt in Jujitsu, and by 2012 became the youngest person in the world granted a license to teach the sport.
Image via YouTube
You can watch Andrew’s transcendental moment in the video below.
