Jealousy Is The Root Of All Evil

July 29, 2025 | By: Zayne Harbison

As an independent creator, not by choice, I have been left to figure out a lot of things on my own. The main one being bullying. At a certain point it is not bullying anymore. It becomes something far worse. In between pain, suffering, and Hell; is this little thing called “hazing.” What is it? I will explain, briefly, in this article for your reading pleasure.

Photo credits — (Marek Piwnicki on Unsplash) CC-BY-SA

Bullying

Bullying is the act of trying to make someone uncomfortable in their own place. This can be walking down the street, sitting in your own chair, waiting for the bus, or you can even be trying to have a decent conversation with the cabbie driving your taxi. It is wrong, and it is hurtful. Most people have been guilty of it at some point or another. It is not easy being Human.

Hazing

Hazing is something else entirely. Hazing is the act of trying to convince someone that they are crazy when they are not. You have probably heard of some of the following occurrences, but let me know in the comments or on social at my handle “@zayneharbison” if there is anything that sticks out to you! Let us begin.

Networking

Your network is your net worth. It is everything in 21st Century America. The rest of the world is still trying to follow suit building petrol stations on every corner and discovering the raw power of supercomputing technology. It is something out of a Jules Verne novel and we are living it out like it has been all that we have known for ages. There is something afoot, and it is not a ruler stick.

High School

For most, it starts once you get into the adult phase of your K-12 education. This is where we get our first taste of cyberbullying and blatant, racism-induced violence. It is also where we are supposed to learn what life is going to be like once we get out on our own and away from those who we built our most formative relationships with. It is like the test run for real life, except no one really knows if it is working or not. We just play nice and see if everything will work out okay. For many, it will. Others will not be so fortunate. That is when we start the “rat race.”

College

It is a place for hi jinks and scandals. The dean is always watching, and the girls dormitory is that way. Just don’t get caught with the stolen panties or let the professor smell your book bag. That stinky weed will get you kicked out of the program faster than a bowling ball on Friday night. This is not even to mention all of the nasty internships that are going place you on the bottom of every list you try to touch. Some will not have even made it this far.

Government

These wonderful folks make it all happen. At least, they are supposed to. Some of them were sleeping when the professor was trying to tell them just how important Human-rights are. That lesson was probably not that important anyway, right? How can we define this? There are several branches to government and there are countless organizations within its reach. You have the local, state, and federal offices which make up the bureaucratic arm of law. You have the courts and the investigative branches with much more active authority in this world. Last but not least, there is the military. We do not talk about that. These leaders and foot soldiers have made up the largest part of civilization since the inception of Caesars army in the early days of history. What may seem less obvious is that the ghettoes harboring most of the abusive behavior we see in the news play no significant role in any of it. For as long as this continues, social hazing will be more than a forgotten ritual.

Multimedia

In other news, we have the big stuff. The print, the microphones and speakers, the cameras, and the largest network providers of “reliable” information out there. It makes up all of modern history, and it looks cool when you show it to your friends. That is true when you are not on the receiving end of it. If you break the law, get into a fight, change your mind about current politics, or do anything that looks remotely stupid; then there is a good chance that millions of people will be laughing at your story by dawn. The rate at which this occurs has only increased since the invention of the World Wide Web and what is often referred to as the modern internet. With Web3 continuing its journey to the mainstream, and countless unpaid interns trying to make it look legitimate, there are bound to be some new contenders in the arena soon enough. Artificial intelligence chatbots being in the number one spot right now.

Recovery

For myself, I have recently found that writing is a great way to express my own hand in all of this. I do believe that there are quite a few people out there who will have to find another outlet. The arthritis and C.T.S. (carpel tunnel syndrome) do not fare well with athletes or the elderly. Some people just hate reading. It is old-fashioned. In no way, shape, or form is it cool with the kids. That is okay. I enjoy it! I hope that you have enjoyed learning a little bit about the difference between bullying and hazing, and I hope that you will get a chance to read some of the other articles mentioned above. If you or someone you know is struggling with this, help is available. In the case of a life-threatening emergency, always call 911 or other available emergency services in your area. If you are in a dangerous situation, and you do not know what to do or you feel like you are going to hurt yourself or someone else, you can call the sexual assault crisis hotline at +1 (800) 656-HOPE (4673). Thank you for reading!

[embed]Zayne Harbison is Writer & Graphic Designer I am a volunteer beta-tester, student, blogger, and aspiring founder. My life experiences are retail, technology…www.buymeacoffee.com

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