True wisdom doesn't lie in never making mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes, even the best of us. True wisdom actually lies in learning from mistakes. Ideally, from others' mistakes, but you can and should learn from your own mistakes, too. Especially if you realize you were wrong.
For example, the author of our story today, despite being a notorious school bully in his teens, did a 180 after coming of age. When he learned that one of his former victims was now dating his sister, he tried to offer the guy a sincere apology. However, as I've already said, not everyone can learn from the mistakes of others...
More info: Reddit
We all make mistakes, especially in our teens, but a truly mature person can realize their mistakes and find the right way for their life
Image credits: rawpixel.com / Magnific (not the actual photo)
The author of the post is 25 now, and around a decade ago, he was a true h**h school bully
Image credits: freepik / Magnific (not the actual photo)
Among his victims was a guy named "Stuart," on whom the author used to play various mean pranks and tricks
Image credits: satura86 / Magnific (not the actual photo)
After coming of age, however, the author realized how wrong he was and did a 180 in his behavior
Image credits: bristekjegor / Magnific (not the actual photo)
When he recently returned to his hometown, he found out that Stuart was now dating his younger sister
Image credits: freepik/ Magnific (not the actual photo)
The author tried to apologize to Stuart, but the guy rejected him first, and then jumped him in the pub, with his friends
Image credits: Direct-Caterpillar77
It all ended with a major drama, and the author's sister, after learning the truth, dumped her boyfriend
So, the original poster (OP) is now 25 years old, and in his teens, suffering from a toxic and rude stepdad, he went to the gym and became actively involved in boxing. As a result, he grew big and strong but, unfortunately, got involved with one of the local teen gangs. However, by his own admission, by adulthood, he realized how wrong he’d been and radically changed his behavior.
A decade later, returning to his hometown, our hero learned that his sister, who had attended a different school, had now started dating his former school victim, "Stuart." No, the OP never resorted to physical violence against this guy, but he did constantly play mean pranks on him. The author deeply regretted this and decided to apologize to Stuart.
Well, Stuart responded by saying he’d never forgive the author, and then he blocked him. Our hero figured he got what he deserved and decided not to be pushy with his apologies. But then Stuart tried to turn his girlfriend against him, and the sis called the OP out for being so rude to Stuart years ago. The climax of this story went down in a local pub.
One evening, when they bumped into each other with friends around, Stuart threw more insults at the OP and said he wanted to punch him. The author honestly admitted that if it would make the guy feel better, then why not... But Stuart obviously wanted more, so he and his friends jumped the author... The OP held his own for a bit until his friends stepped in, and that was the end of the fight.
But the whole story didn't end there. Apparently, Stuart told his girlfriend that her bro had attacked him, which is why she called the author shortly after and yelled at him again. But when she learned the truth from her brother and his friends (and Stuart later admitted he lied and actually wanted the OP hospitalized), she dumped him – rightfully worried about her own safety.
Image credits: pvproductions / Freepik (not the actual photo)
School bullying has become a huge problem in many countries over the past few decades, and the stats don’t lie. According to the CDC's YRBS 2023 data, about 19% of h**h school students in the USA have been bullied at school. While bullying used to be seen as just 'part of growing up,' it’s now rightly taken as a serious social issue.
Many experts – for example, the authors of this dedicated article in The Lancet Psychiatry – argue that children bullied by peers face serious mental health risks in young adulthood. Plus, some comparisons in the study show bullying’s effects can be just as bad as heavy mistreatment by adults.
But what do you actually do when a former bully wants to apologize years later? Some psychologists point out that this seemingly nice gesture might just drag the adult victim back to their teenage years. So, Stuart’s reaction to the apology might have felt like rubbing salt in an old wound.
On the flip side, some commenters on the original post wrote that Stuart might’ve started dating his former bully’s sis just to get back at him through her. And even though the author’s teenage behavior was totally inexcusable, this story’s outcome might actually be the best for his family now. So, what do you, our dear readers, think about it?
The netizens were very divided at first, but after the update about the a*****t in the pub, they mostly sided with the author
