Netflix just released its newest original series, "13 Reasons Why." I was so excited because it is based on one of my favorite books and I had been waiting for there to be a movie or tv show about it. It's such a powerful story that needs to be heard. There are so many valuable lessons from this Netflix series. Here's what I learned.

1. Don't just walk away or let someone.

This lesson was obviously shown when Clay walked away from Hannah after she told him to and when Mr. Porter let Hannah walk away from the office just hours before her death. Hannah told Clay to walk away and in that moment a part of her did not mean that. A part of her wanted him to refuse, to walk away and maybe turn around. But he didn't. He immediately assumed he had done something wrong- he was a coward. However, he did not know Hannah was hurting, but Mr. Porter did. Hannah didn't explicitly say she wanted to kill herself, but she implied it. And he just let her walk away.

2. Say what you feel.

Throughout the series, I was thoroughly frustrated with Clay. I wanted him to tell Hannah he cared for her. I wanted him to tell her he loved her, and not just imagine he could've when it was already too late. This may sound cliché, but tell people you love them whenever you can because you never know when it may be the last time you will see them. Tell them how you feel. Don't make decisions based on fear or cowardice. I'm sure, in the plot, if Clay told Hannah he loved her, it may have prevented her death. She would've known that at least one person cared for her, and that one person would be enough for her to continue fighting.

3. Everything you say might have a larger effect than you know.

A perfect example of this was the compliment bags discussed in Zach's tape. It is the little things that matter to someone who is hurting. When Zach took away Hannah's compliments, he essentially crushed her spirit; he took away the little things that kept her from breaking down. So be nice- compliment someone randomly just for the heck of it. Because you never know how important those words may be.

4. People deserve to be heard.

I could not stand Bryce throughout the entire series- he was truly a sadistic character. Of course, he's a fictitious character, but there are men like him out there. Hannah didn't speak up, Jessica waited a while to speak up. They were raped and it was hard to confront the truth, but I'm glad that in the last episode Jessica did tell her dad (at least that's what the scene implied).

5. No one can read your mind.

The one thing that frustrated me about Hannah's character was that she kind of just expected people to know what she was going through. She expected that Mr. Porter knew she implied suicide and she expected that Clay knew it was not his fault that she made him leave the room that night. She expected that her anonymous note in Communications class might've helped. Hannah did at various times try to reach out to people, but she did it in subtle ways. Of course, all the people on the tapes were at fault, but Hannah did bear a level of fault when she assumed that people knew what she was going through. Hannah never explicitly said she was depressed or that she was going to kill herself. It is true that not everyone can take subtle hints.

6. Don't expect and be disappointed.

I'm not defending the characters in Hannah's life, but I do think she expected a lot from people. She expected Clay to turn around or Mr. Porter to run after her. She expected Zach to do something about the note or Sheri to go to the police about what really happened. But the problem is that people are selfish. They don't always have the same heart as you. In this case, Hannah expected or at least hoped that people were good at heart. She held on to the hope, and when people didn't deliver, she was even more disappointed. It's difficult to say, but I feel like her hope partly destroyed her. She kept trying and each time someone could not deliver, so she tried less and less.

7. People care more than you think.

You can't just use people or throw them under the bus like they do not matter to you. For example, a destruction to someone's reputation I might not mean much when it is said, but it might keep them up at night hurt about what was said. You do not know how much thought people put into how you treat them. Think about it.

8. What you don't do might matter more.

It is what someone doesn't do that can also have an effect on someone. Clay didn't tell Hannah how he felt, Zach didn't do anything about the letter Hannah gave him, and Mr. Porter didn't run after Hannah or get her any help. It is these decisions where people decide to flee, forget about people, and move on. These instances hurt Hannah. It's this simple: if you feel like you need to do or say something just goddamn follow that intuition- because it's the absence of a decision that can be the most destructive.

9. You don't know what people are going through.

This is probably one of the most important lessons to take away from this Netflix series. You really do not know what happens to people behind closed doors. You do not know what people think about late at night with the lights off. You can't judge based on what you see. Mr. Porter did this when he assumed that Hannah had friends because he saw her talking to people in the hallway. One of the final scenes where Clay asked Skye to hang is significant to this lesson. She had cut herself, and she could have been suicidal for all he knew. So, what better way than to not assume that everything is alright just because it seems to be? Sometimes the truth that we see is not the real truth.

10. Be kind.

It is simple, but people often forget to be kind. Clay asking Skye to hang out is the perfect example of this. He knew no one reached out to Hannah when she walked out of those high school doors for the very last time. Clay's act of kindness when he reached out to Skye, a girl he suspected was hurting could very well change the course of her life. People forget how a little kindness can go a long way.

11. Don't push people away and let it happen.

Hannah pushed people away, most specifically Clay. The worst part is that Clay let it happen because he was afraid to love her. He let it happen without even questioning it. There is nothing good that comes out of pushing good people in your life away and there is certainly nothing good about letting people push you away. That could be a sign that that person is depressed or troubled.

12. Suicide is never the answer.

An obvious, but very important lesson. Hannah Baker's death affected more than she knew. It left scars that would never vanish. Hannah thought the only way to not hurt anymore was to not live anymore. There are many more ways to end pain that does not require someone to end their own life.

13. The snowball effect.

In the book, there was a reference to what was referred to as 'the snowball effect.' In the series, they briefly mentioned it as 'the butterfly effect.' The snowball effect is a metaphor. It suggests a process that starts with something of little significance but builds upon itself. This significance becomes greater, usually more serious and perhaps even dangerous. It's an analogy of a snowball rolling down a hill as it picks up more snow and momentum the further down it goes. This is essentially one of the most important lessons in this series. EVERYTHING matters because soon enough one small snowball will grow to something beyond our control.

Overall, 13 Reasons Why touched on a lot of lessons that everyone should think about. It wasn't just about suicide. I really recommend that you watch it or at least read the book if you haven't already. It is very wonderfully heartbreaking.