I applaud when the bullfighter gets seriously hurt by the bull. I snicker when a bully gets beaten. I will back the underdog no matter what. Call it a legacy of being the underdog myself one time too many. They say being bullied builds character. It does, but you can't build without clearing away the rubble first, you get me?

It's an interesting question, the one about sending a letter back to your teenage self. What would I say? I could tell him that it all gets better and that the hurt stops but what consolation is that? Better to be honest and tell him there's a lot more hurt on the way... and each hurt is bigger and uglier than the one before it.

Tell him that trying to care for someone who puts a but or an if on their love for you will leave a permanent, ragged wound in your heart.

Life is little more than a steady accumulation of scars and wounds that refuse to heal. Some are always visible and some are like fault lines waiting to open up again.

Tell him that in spite of all this advice, he's going to do it all anyway one way or the other.

Tell him that the only person who stands up for you is you. Sooner or later, everyone else winks out like sparks off a fire.

Tell him to hold on to memories. Hold on to them as hard as you can, because no hurt is like the hurt of a loved one whose face you can't remember.

Tell him that one day you might be lucky enough to see those loved ones again.

And tell him to stand and fight for the right thing. Backing down is not what we do.