When I was 7 years old, in Iraq, some friends taught me how to say bad things to some of my friends. Sometimes I told them to my teachers also and they hit me on my hands. I saw one day my friends told a student at school some negative things. After they said this to the students, every one of my friends laughed. I thought it was really fun to say bad word to students, looking for attention. I told students at school bad words every day, sometimes in the classroom in front of the teacher. I was so happy to tell everyone in the classroom or out of school how to say these things. I thought it was more fun to tell people stupid things, but when I grew up, everything changed and I realized I should not use those words anymore. I saw that people felt unhappy and sad when I told them wrong things. I felt so sad for them. I began to change my friends to people who did not use wrong words or tell negative things to other people.

When I was 12 years old in Syria, I stopped telling anybody wrong words. I did that because I had some friends who were, older than me and they told me not to say bad words to everyone. I said, “Like what?” My friends told me words like stupid, crazy! s*1x? and others. I asked, “Why can’t I say those words?” My friends told me it is not a good idea all the time to say nasty things because some people feel really unhappy from hearing wrong things. I said I didn’t care when people felt sad before because I was a child; I didn’t realize what I was saying.

My friends called me bad names and, after that, I was so sad and angry at them. I just wanted to fight with them because they told me not nice things. It was an example that they did to teach me. My friends told me, “Do you see now how really bad someone feels when someone else says bad, profane things?” I decided I would stop saying bad words to my friends and a lot of people at school. I thought then that is was really a bad thing and I didn’t want others to be feeling sad or bad. I wanted to stop saying negative things to people. When I was a child it was just for fun, but when I grew up, I learned it is not moral to tell bad things.

I wish that there were no more wrong words at all on earth and in every nation. I want to change people’s minds to not use ugly language. I sometimes ask myself why people say hurtful things to each other. Some people think it is fun or they want to make people sad or angry at them. Or they think they want people looking at them, saying “I’m a funny person, I say bad things, and make people sad.” They use abusive language for fun. Some people think they are heroes or strong men when they say terrible things. I just need for people to think before saying bad things to people. Think about how you feel when someone says wrong words to you. When you give an answer that you feed sad or angry, ask: “Why am I so sad or angry?” It is because someone sad bad things about your my family or yourself. I hope everyone can understand that it is not good to say bad words to somebody else.