I was supposed to be attending the Blinkin Park concert in Hershey, PA on Sunday July 30th. I was so looking forward to it.
A little over a week before the concert, I was working night shift, so I did not get home until 6 a.m.; I slept until the late afternoon. When I woke up, the first thing I did was of course check my social media. The first thing I read was, "Chester Bennington dead at 41."
I thought it was a cruel joke because unfortunately there are people out there who think joking about death is funny. When I clicked on the article I was shocked. "Chester Bennington is dead after committing suicide." As I read further, I read why people had thought he decided to take his own life. I read he struggled with depression and alcohol abuse. I was not sure if it was the psychology major in me, but I became enraged when I had read the negative comments after his death.
Some of the most hateful people had the most negative and downright ignorant comments. "He is selfish," "He is leaving all his kids behind," "His music sucked anyways. That is one less terrible artist out there now." All I could think after reading those comments was just wow. Depression is not a joke. Depression is not fun. Depression is not a fad. Depression is not made up. Depression is not "all in your head". Depression is a chemical imbalance. It is destructive. It does change your life for the worse.
I do not suffer from depression, but millions of people around the world do. Those people are not weak and they are most definitely not selfish. If you felt the only way to feel better, to make the pain stop, to make the voices telling you how much better off the world would be was to end your life then would you? You are probably saying "No I'm not dumb", but you do not know how depression feels. In fact, when you're depressed you can't feel. Unless you know what it is life to feel depressed you do not have a right to be so hateful about a death that tore a family to pieces.
It is sad a celebrity has to die before anyone takes suicide more seriously. People commit suicide everyday, but no one bats an eye. Fame is not all everyone believes it is cracked up to be and maybe he couldn't handle the pressure. The truth is no one knows what he was going through. That means no one has the right to judge him
Chester Bennington had signs. Millions of people heard his lyrics and did not even notice how heavy they were until he had died. Everyone just enjoyed the songs and some people were able to relate to them. He has helped people without even realizing it all while he was suffering. So no, the world is not better off without him. Depression and alcohol/drug abuse are real disorders. They are psychological and can be helped. If you know someone who is struggling from depression or any disorder take them seriously. For anyone experiencing thoughts of suicide there is light at the end of the tunnel, I promise. You never know what anyone is going through. Be kind, be caring, listen, and be loving because that's what this world needs.
Suicide Hotline: 1-800-273-8255
