I started school before I was 5 years old, in 1975. I can't recall my first day but know it was unpleasant. I know because virtually every other day was a terrible experience and I hated it. I'd found myself in an environment that was the complete antithesis of what my home life had been to date; It was brutally *and often painfully* judgmental and lacked any similarity to the world I knew. 

I learned very quickly how malicious, spiteful and abusive people could be towards each other and gained a lot of wisdom at the same time.

I grew up in a small town, son of a mixed-race marriage, the first of its kind in the town, and was glaringly different from everyone else at school. 

I was called many things, none of which I'll write here because you have imaginations...I was none of those things of course, but that didn't stop the other kids from calling me those names, excluding me from every opportunity for social interaction and beating on me because I was different.

<div class="pull-right">https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/galenkp/YopSSgyj-P1010869201.jpg</div>

I was shunned for being different, had no friends at school and hated every moment I was there. It taught me many things about myself, life and people, about fortitude, perseverance, self-esteem, fear, loathing, forgiveness, hate...How to absorb emotional and physical pain, and how to hand out the same.

As my school years moved on I became more *tolerated*, or maybe it all just affected me less. However, I can't recall many moments in which I was made to feel an accepted, valued and equal member of the school. It was quite painful at the time, but I pushed on.

High school changed things somewhat; Society had changed to some degree. The mid-late 1970's saw an influx of Vietnamese people from the war and the haters had fresh targets to assault. By 1985 Australia had become significantly more multicultural and some of the issues went away, or went underground. As I grew bigger and stronger I began to take a little *affirmative action* of my own too, actions which sent quite clear messages at the time. 

All of those years and those incidents of racial vilification, cruel pranks, punches, kicks, shoves, name-calling and myriad of other acts of cruelty became like armour to me. Through necessity I turned it into a positive; I became a stronger person. I became resilient and found the ability to endure. Sure it was a very terrible time for me but it didn't kill me, it made me stronger, emotionally and mentally.

It also set me up for the harsh reality that is the world in which we live; A world full of bullies, trolls and insecure people who seek to find some vestige of self-esteem through the denigration of others; Which never really works.

I don't know if I'd change the past even if I could; It is, after all, the major contributing factor to who I am right now. I guess the 5-14 year-old me might digress however life has coalesced to create the person I am now; It's often the bad things, hard times, failures and harsh lessons that help us grow and develop, isn't it.

What *I would change* is some of the ways in which I have responded to a few of those incidents; I handed out some hard-lessons of my own at times and as an adult I wish I could change that, *some of them* at least. 

The funny thing is that being different isn't just about being mocha-coloured in a white world like I was. 

Being tall, fat, thin or short is different too. Having red hair, curly, straight or none, is as well. Living here instead of there, being rich, poor, or speaking a particular language is different. Not being good at sports, being good at sports, liking Donald Trump, eating ants, drinking beer, being vegan or wearing glasses is different. Do you get my point? We're *all different*, but all the same. Human. Is it naive of me to think the world would be better if we all remembered that?

Growing up *different* can be hard on a kid; For me it was, but it was also a very important and valuable part of my life and I am better for it. Can I be hard, or harsh, now because of it? Yes, certainly; But mostly I take away the positives, understand that I have gained great wisdom through adversity and learned much about myself as a man, a human and a member of Earths'community. 

I like who I am, the patience I display, understanding that no one is perfect and also my ability to crush those who seek to harm women, children, the weak, elderly, disabled and infirm. As adults we all need to make choices based around what we know, understand or surmise; I feel I make reasonable decisions and all due to the process that began back when I first hit school.

Thanks for reading y'all...Now get out there and embrace your differentness. (Not a word probably, but I don't care...I'm different.)

<sub>This post was inspired by a conversation I had with a friend whose early-teenage daughter has recently been vilified, and assaulted, in a similar way I was myself. The parent, a military guy, called me for a chat and has decided on a different course of action to what he'd first decided. I am pleased I was able to make his see some reason.</sub>
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Tomorrow isn't promised - **_Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default_** 
<sub>An original post written by a human</sub> 
<sub>Discord: galenkp#9209</sub> 🇦🇺

<sub>Image taken by me at *Gardens by the Bay*, Singapore.</sub>