BY: CHRISTIAN HOLMES (@HOLMESYWRITES)
“If they say
Who cares if one more light goes out?
In a sky of a million stars
It flickers, flickers
Who cares when someone's time runs out?
If a moment is all we are
We're quicker, quicker
Who cares if one more light goes out?
Well, I do."
One More Light by Linkin Park
On Friday, October 27, 2017, at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California, Linkin Park - along with a string of ‘friends’ featuring Blink 182, Deryck Whibley from Sum 41, Matt Shadows from Avenged Sevenfold, and many more - paid tribute to the late and great lead singer of Linkin Park, Chester Bennington. The concert was held to cover Bennington’s songs and raise awareness for mental health.
Throughout the show, Chester’s bandmate and close friend, Mike Shinoda, told stories about Chester and constantly reminded the audience that Chester would have loved what they were doing by putting on a tribute concert in memory of him and gathering the greatest musicians that music has to offer to celebrate Bennington’s life would truly #MakeChesterProud. That hashtag, along with the #FuckDepression, was trending on Twitter throughout the night.
The concert itself was raw, emotional, heartwarming, and heartbreaking. In other aspects, it was beautiful. A great example of that would be when the band put out a microphone stand and started playing “Numb”. The crowd at the Hollywood Bowl all joined in to sing the hit song. It was one of those moments where a person’s race, sexual orientation, creed and all the other things that can separate a person from another, was put on the back burner and for a moment in time, everyone could join together in a common cause, and pay homage to their hero, in many cases, their inspiration to keep on keeping on in this thing we call ‘life’, Chester Bennington.
It is abundantly clear that Chester had a major influence on many of the musicians performing on that very stage. It was uttered throughout the show, on stage, and on social media, that Chester will be missed. It’s hard to deny otherwise. Chester was a true class act. He was somebody that preached unity and gave desperate people a reason to keep trying. Not to give up. Even when life throws you curveballs.
If you are not in the know of what happened to Bennington… On July 20, 2017, Chester Bennington tragically took his own life. Bennington has had a troubled past with addictions to drugs and alcohol. Not to mention, Bennington suffered from depression. Two months before Chester ended his own life, in May his close friend, Chris Cornell, best known for being the lead singer of Soundgarden, Audioslave, and Temple of The Dog, tragically took his own life. Leaving many people shocked and speechless. Much like when Chester passed.
…
I know what you’re thinking, “Oh it’s just another sad rockstar that took his own life.” You see, that very thought is the biggest problem with suicide in our society. I know not everyone thinks that way, but for the vast majority of people that have not been to suicide awareness rallies or that have not been educated about mental health problems, it’s their exact thoughts. The biggest problem with saying “Oh it’s just another sad rockstar that took his own life”, is that not only does it further stigmatize the topic of mental health, but it also makes it so people that aren’t rock stars and just average joes hard to get help with the mental health problems they may be suffering from. It’s hard for someone to come out in today’s society and say that they’re suffering from depression or anxiety or bipolar disorder or suicidal thoughts because if they do, they are afraid of being viewed as weak or mentally unfit. They’re afraid that people will just look at them and prematurely judge them. By saying that, people with mental health problems think that they’re alone.
And it doesn’t help that today’s media, in my opinion, seems to glamorize suicide. It’s sad that for people who are suffering from mental health problems and are contemplating taking their own life, that they can turn on the TV or read something on the internet that glamorizes suicide. That says to them, “Hey, people will understand. Your pain will be gone,” because for realists, like myself, we know that the pain will only be transferred onto the loved ones of the victim.
For anyone that is suffering and thinking about taking their own lives or someone who has contemplated that in the past, look at the media reporting on suicide from this perspective. For the press corps, when a person kills themselves, it’s catchy and it’s trendy to say something like, “The deceased felt like this was the only way out. It was the only way they could escape their problems.” It’s easier for the reader to sympathize and it draws the person more emotionally into the story. It sells paper, gets reads, and get views. Lately, as suicide and mental health awareness campaigns have gained traction and more people have been getting educated on these problems, the less and less you see of these stories. Which don’t get me wrong, that’s good, because more publications are encouraging people to get help and saying that they are not alone. That is all great and in the long run, it’ll go a long way in demystifying mental health issues, but the problem that remains is that many people still feel, because of society’s past messages on mental health problems, that suicide is the only way out. When, in reality, it isn’t.
Think about it this way. If you make the choice to escape your problems, to free yourself of your burdens - you may be freeing yourself of these problems, but you’re just passing the burden onto someone else. You’re passing it onto the people that care for and love you. Whether it’s your friends, family, co-workers, peers or acquaintances. That’s why, in my opinion, you owe it not only to yourself but to all the people that care about you and love you, to get help with whatever problems you are facing. I can understand that it is hard to speak about these problems. That it’s hard to come out and say that you’re suffering these problems. I get that but remember that talking about your mental health problems is the best way to relieve them. That is the first step to getting help is opening up to someone, whoever that may be.
If you’re afraid of people viewing you as being weak or unstable because you came out and asked for help, look at it this way: if I broke my arm playing football, what would my first reaction be? Probably to get help, because duh I broke my freaking arm. Would people view me as being weak for asking for help and getting treatment for my broken arm? Hell no, because it’s just common sense that if you break a bone, you go to the hospital and put your Ontario health card to use. If you tried to neglect your broken arm and not go to the hospital, what would your family and friends be doing? They’d be saying, “Bro, what the heck are you waiting for? Get your ass to the hospital!” They wouldn’t stigmatize your injury. And this is the way we have to start treating mental health. We have to create an environment where somebody can come out and talk about their mental health like they talk about their physical health. Until that day comes people will still keep these things to themselves and suffer alone. Which is sad because no one should ever, I say this sincerely, ever have to suffer alone. In a way, we’re all in this together.
I think the biggest thing people who are suffering should know is that they are not alone. There are many resources available to them. Suicide is not the answer. It sucks that many people have ended their lives because they thought that it was, but I think we owe it to those people that are one step from the edge, to show them that we’re there for them and that there are plenty of people who are there to talk to them. They shouldn’t have to suffer alone, nor should they have to project this idea to themselves that they are weak because they suffer from these issues. I think a good way to look at it is you are #SickNotWeak.
Speaking of #SickNotWeak, it is a great resource for people who are suffering. They have people that you can talk to for free on their website, and they are there for you 24/7. It was started by for host of Off The Record on TSN, Michael Landsberg, who suffers from depression. By no means is this a medical institution, but it’s a great resource nonetheless. If you are suffering please check this website out.
To conclude, for the people who are not suffering from any mental health problems, but want to end the stigma to mental health. Just don’t stigmatize it. Make yourself available to the ones that need help. Let them know that they are not alone. Go to the mental health rallies. Raise awareness. Be the bringer of change. For those who are suffering, get help. Talk to someone. Do not suffer alone. You are not weak because you are suffering. You are strong because it takes strength to get help. It takes strength to keep fighting the fight. But in the end, it worth the while to stay the course and fight the fight because life is truly beautiful. Life is worth living. Don’t ever think differently.
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