Recently I was asked the question, "if your life was a movie and you had the ability to delete one scene, which one would it be? I thought for a minute and replied "the time I made fun of someone."

When I was 12 or 13, I was at summer camp with my church. I was bunking in a dorm of about five other guys. One kid - a boy about my age - was being called names by the other guys. I remember in that moment knowing that what they were doing was mean-hearted. But being the "outsider" kid that never fit in, something inside me said "join them Isaac - let them know you're one of the guys".

So much to my regret and disappointment in myself, I joined in the name calling.

I knew that what I did was not only wrong - but it wasn't like me.
Being a more reserved nerdy kid as a teen, I knew what it was like to have people pick on me. Normally I was more empathetic towards other kids who got picked on.
I remember that night at camp thinking to myself "Why Isaac?". I felt horrible. I knew I should apologize to the kid.

But unfortunately I never did. And I never saw him again.
I often wonder what happen to him. I think about that moment from time to time. I wish I could reach back in time and take that second back. Maybe if I'd taken the high road and stood up for him, we could have became friends. It's a painful memory I wrestle with to this day, even if for some it seems small. Who knows - maybe this kid was emotionally strong and being made fun of never phased him. He probably doesn't even remember that moment.

I know after that incident, I resolved to never make someone feel unworthy of themselves again. And to the best of my ability, I never have. Instead, I choose to be the advocate I should have been for others who can't stand up for themselves. I try to think of ways to add value to everyone.

We live in a world where it's too easy to bring others down for a cheap laugh or passing moment of feeling accepted. Maybe our kids and teens see this more in school than we do, but we as adults could still use a reminder to lift others up instead of bringing them down.