Bullying

When I was first asked the question: "Have you ever been the target of bullies? Bullied others?" I thought that  I wouldn't have anything to relate to. I was thinking about high school and elementary school and I wasn't really bullied. Teased, sure, but not bullied.
Then they asked me being bullied outside of school.   My ex-husband was very verbally abusive. I asked "Do you think verbal abuse is bullying?" I got a yes. They said "yes I think verbal abuse is bullying. Words hurt and lower a person's self worth."  This blew my mind a little bit.  What I thought was normal was actually abuse.
I never thought I could relate to being bullied even tho I lived for years and years with a bully. He used to call me names, tell me I am worthless and lazy, make me feel like I did not deserved everything he did. He was, thankfully, rarely physically abusive, so I really did not think that I was being abused. Now I see that I was. It took years, but I can see that now.
Honestly, and we are being honest here, I sometimes wished he was more physically abusive. Then I would have had a good reason to leave. I felt like the verbal abuse was not a good enough reason. Physical abuse is something you can see. Something that leaves marks and scars. Something that I can point to and say "That is wrong."
After this small revelation,  I was  very sad. I was sad for all the people being bullied, all the bullies, and me. Why can't we just treat everyone else with respect?