I watched 13 Reasons Why this weekend, yes yes, only now.
This show, which looks at the issue of bullying, really got me thinking about bout how so many of the issues depicted reach beyond the school and are actually challenges faced by people older and out of school.
It broke my heart thinking about the many stories I’ve heard of girls being taken advantage of, those with the upper hand treating others like crap for no good reason and poor decisions being mad all round.. especially as a result of peer pressure or wanting to be cool. Having lived in Joburg and personally been apart of some of the above mentioned, it brought back memories that really made me wonder what the effects of something I might have said or done. It may not have lead to an actual death, but it might have affected someone more than I might have thought or intended. It also brought back memories of a time before that, when I was bullied, though strangely didn’t recognise it as that at the time and only put that label on it later in life.
I’ve grown over the years and have become very aware of the fact that we all carry our own loads and need to be mindful of this when interacting and I now make more of an effort.
This show just really highlighted the importance of not just being kind, but also being there for one another.
I feel we often leave things for someone else, who we assume may be closer to the person or situation to help, taking a step back from the situation, often not wanting to get involved cause it’s “none of our business” or better yet “not our problem” …I believe this attitude is what often leaves people isolated and feeling alone and needs to change. We need to choose to rather reach out and be the change, because with all the social networks we have available to bring us closers, somehow I feel it’s resulted in us being more alone than we have ever been.