IN a revealing Instagram post on Friday, actor Xian Lim opened up about a torturous time being bullied when he was a student – memories which he said were triggered by the viral bullying incident incident involving Ateneo junior high school students.
Lim, 29, recounted his experience as the target of bullies with photos of him when he was 12, during middle school in the United States.
“I had no friends. I was called a loser for being an introvert and not knowing how to talk to other kids. I was called a FOB (fresh off the boat) for having a really strong accent. Kids would beat me up and spit on me and my life hell,” he wrote.
Lim went on: “I didn’t want to go to school. I made up excuses and told my mom I felt sick. I did not feel safe. Bullies told me that I would get stabbed I were to snitch on them.
“One time I cried in front of the whole class because people would laugh and quietly say bad things about me. It made me a miserable kid. This made me hate school.”
Lim recalled that he “spoke up one time and snitched which resulted in me getting beat up some more, kicked in the face and have a knife pointed in my neck.”
“So I stayed quiet,” he said. “I ate my lunch in the bathroom. I kept my lunch money in my underwear just in case I get ‘pocket checked.’”
Addressing his one million followers on Instagram, Lim wrote: “You do not want this to happen to your kids, trust me. You do not want this to happen to your brothers and sisters. You do not want this to happen to anyone. It has to stop.”
Pointing out his “huge mistake” of not telling his parents nor the authorities, Lim advised bullying victims to “please speak up,” and went on to offer encouragement.
“We are here for you. There are others like you who feel scared and defeated. Life is precious. Life is short. Our time in this world given to us is not enough. Do whatever means necessary to have a happy, balanced life,” he said. (ABS-CBN News)
