Me Before You is a film-adaptation of the book of the same name authored by Jojo Moyes. Now, I knew before going into the movie that will be sad and there would be many tears shed. After? This movie actually left what felt like a gaping hole in my heart and some food for thought.
The movie follows Will Traynor, a man turned into a sarcastically blunt and bitter quadriplegic after being hit by a vehicle, and 20-something, chatty woman, Louisa Clarke, with a quirky sense of style. Louisa is hired to essentially cheer him up and tries to do until she accidentally overhears the news that Will gave his parents six more months, then he wanted to end his painful life through assisted suicide. She is momentarily set back but her sister inspires her to make his last months filled with bucket-list-like activities. Along the way, in my thoughts, the two opposites attract and fall in love. A part of me thinks she hoped that her efforts could help him change his mind about the assisted suicide. In the end, his mind couldn't be changed.
This is the food for thought. I am not well-researched on the topic of assisted suicide, but here are my thoughts and opinions on this. In the story of Will, his day-to-day life was a painful uphill battle and even the slightest hitch caused an enormous amount of problems. It comes back to the quality versus quantity/quantitative debate. What it comes down to is choice. It's the choice of the person and the quality of life they want for themselves. It's their choice. The loved ones of the person? It's not up to them to make it. Loved ones might want to try and save them from themselves, and they likely believe they are doing just that. But they just might be trying to control them.
What they can do is support the said person, cherish them, love them. While the loved ones might disapprove and try to convince them to change their mind, it still comes down the choice of the person. The only person who has control over your body is YOU and (should) only be you. I'm not sure if this is something someone has said before or not, so, if it is, I apologize for my ignorance. Love isn't about control. And to love someone means not controlling or trying to control them, make decisions for them. Love is appreciation, not control. Appreciate the time you have left with them. Appreciate the time you've had with them. Appreciate them as a human being, a friend, a sister, a brother, a cousin, a mother, a father, or a grandparent, a lover. Appreciate them. For once, we need to stop trying to control them and just appreciate everything about them.
