Over the last two weeks, all I’ve been hearing about has been 13 Reasons Why. I’ve been hearing the characters’ names and the story line. No I haven’t watched it, and I honestly don’t think I ever will but I’m getting ahead of myself. This show is telling the main character, Hannah’s, story. It’s the 13 reasons why she committed suicide. It brings to light that what people say and the things that they do really do affect others. It hurts when they say little things that, in their minds may not be important but to someone who is in that place, really are the tipping point. Now let me hit pause for a second. What I have also been hearing are the jokes being thrown around like oh someone frustrated me “welcome to your tape” and let me say something right here right now. Suicide is not a joke. Suicide is not something that people should take lightly and the fact that people are throwing that around is insensitive considering this story is actually her 13 tapes of why she committed. This show is something that our society needed but is also something that we have to be very careful with. There is a very fine line between bringing awareness and glorifying something and that is where we have to watch.

Now the main reason that I’m writing this is because right now what I’m hearing are people talking about the emotional roller-coaster that this show had them go through and that’s great. I’m glad that you felt empathy toward these characters but what are you going to do now? What are you going to do to change things? Gandhi said “Be the change you wish to see in the world” so what do you want to see change? One of the greatest pieces of advice I have ever gotten was from one of my role models, he told me “Remembering things you’re taught in books and in school is important but remember people. Remember what they tell you and remember names because that is what will make a difference. That is what will show that you care and that you are different than everyone else because you will be the one who remembered something no one expected and this will cause respect.” This stuck with me because He meets an abundance of people on a regular basis but he still lives by this.

We have to remember that yes what we say to people matters, what they say to us matters and is worth remembering and on top of this what are you going to be remembered by? Are you just going to be someone in the background that doesn’t stand up to the bully or isn’t a friend to the girl like Hannah? Or are you going to be the one who changes her story.

The musical Hamilton has one line that fits perfectly and its “who lives, who dies, who tells your story” and lets actually think about this for a minute. When Hannah committed, she left her 13 tapes and that was what people learned about her. What will people remember about you? How will people feel about what you did in your life and will it be good or bad? Who will tell your story and is it really something you want to have told? Life is a fragile thing and is not something that we should take for granted. We live in the present and it’s just that—a present.