I would say it's crazy how much of a Netflix show can be true. But it's actually just awful. If you don't know, I am referencing the recent Netflix show, "13 Reasons Why." I'll try not to give away too much, but you should probably watch it first anyway.
I believe you relate to the voice of the story much more as a female. It's hard to imagine how someone feels in a certain situation if you've never been anywhere near that type of situation before. There are a dozen characters to relate to anyway.
The point of the show is to put the topic of teen suicide in the very center of your view. No way to bashfully look away or brush over it in a joking conversation. The show takes suicide head on to push viewers to acknowledge its reality in society. The narrator, Hannah Baker, committed suicide after a series of events she went through revolving around high school.
That brings us to the first emotion. As you sit and just allow yourself to take in episode after episode, you may be familiar with some of the occurrences Hannah goes through and the emotions she depicts through her stories. Nostalgia. You start to picture those days and weeks walking through the halls of your high school and the sh*t you probably had to deal with. While you're reminiscing, don't forget the good. The good times, good friends and good teachers aren't negated by the pressures and bad days. I see all this as a balancing act of life. You can't really feel happiness unless you have something else to compare it to. Watching the show may bring some negative parts of that time in your life. At this stage, you may feel the same the sentiments of Hannah, Clay and many other riveting characters. You may remember each circle of your class just as each character has a place in the hierarchy of high school. Hopefully this stage lets you relate to the notions of the show instead of keeping yourself at a distance.
It’s only natural to start to distance yourself. You think, "There are much bigger problems." Yes, an entire area of this world just had the 'biggest non-nuclear bomb' dropped them. However, feeling the pain of one happening does not diminish the importance of another. When you're at certain ages, some instances seem like the most important in the world. Nothing can top this feeling of disparity. I've felt that. That happens at ages that are not equivalent with maturity. Now more than a few years later and I know I was wrong in that time. But everything I felt, I truly meant. I truly thought some things that don't matter today were the end all and be all of that time. As a full adult now, we may think that our teens are just going through a phase. We may brush off our children or nieces or nephews because "They don't know yet." This feeling is disregard.
Empathy is the next emotion I hope you embrace. What a person is subjectively feeling is medically known as a symptom. Only they know how much or for how long they've been feeling a particular way. This makes it hard to know when someone needs a smile or a hug, but I can tell you disregarding someone that is trying to open up to you should not be your go-to. Learn to have empathy for others and for what they are feeling because you have no true way to know. This stage doesn't mean being passive when that person does wrong, but ‘tough love’ is not always necessary. Many situations and people just require that you try to comprehend the situation from their point of view. Most people that open up or just want to talk don't want advice or your opinion. They just need someone to listen. Don't downplay their thoughts just because you've struggled through them already and know things turn out alright. It's a scary thought, but try putting yourself in their shoes, at their age.
Life doesn't only apply to our youth. People you are around everyday struggles through countless occurrences in a lifetime. The show focuses on the youth experience which is highly important because they are the future. They are what’s coming next. They are, for some of us, the only thing we leave behind. They’re brought into this world and then funneled through school and life for 18 years and then we expect them to be adults. For us to have this expectation, we must give them as much as we can, while we can.
Suicide is an option. It’s not a good one, but it’s there. It won’t go away if we just ignore or avoiding addressing. We all understand it’s not a comfortable subject, but what if you were a little more educated about what leads up to it? What if with that information you could help someone. There are organizations and resources all over willing to address and face suicide head on. I revere this show because it doesn’t shy away from the sad, ugly truths that are actually occurring. It inspires a change. You may not be able to change the world, but you could change someone’s world.
