So I watched some more Ted Lasso with my family, and this episode got pretty heavy because they deal with the subject of death and go even deeper in Ted’s struggles with his mental health. The episode opens with Sam and Rebecca sleeping together and they wake up and Rebecca’s mom walks in and casually introduces herself to Sam, and Rebecca’s mom breaks the news that her husband died. It is very sad for everyone, but for Rebecca it is challenging to feel any kind of pain or sadness or grief for her father because she reveals to her mom that her dad cheated on her with another woman. But it turns out that Rebecca’s mom knew about the cheating, but she never left him. Rebecca hates her mother for loving her dad even after how poorly he treated her.
The entire team attends the funeral, but one person is missing. When Ted is getting ready to go to the funeral, he suddenly experiences a panic attack and reaches out to Dr. Sharon for help. The entire dialogue where Sharon has Ted open up about his father’s suicide was deeply painful because it really showed how at the beginning I thought Ted was just by nature this super cheery person who was always telling people to turn that frown upside down, but after listening to him open up to Sharon about what he was going through, it just reminded me to not assume that someone is ok just because they seem happy all the time, because a lot of people struggle with their mental health and don’t seek help for it, but I really appreciate that the show let me know that it’s perfectly okay to seek professional help or talk with a close friend or relative about what you are going through, because honestly no one can do it alone. There were many times I felt it was painful to talk about my depression or whenever I had suicidal thoughts I felt ashamed and I would often try to hide that I was suffering so much. But when I saw a therapist at first it was uncomfortable for me to talk about that painful stuff because I just wanted to bury it and be over with it, and frankly for a lot of people bringing up painful past experiences can be triggering so of course I’m sure it’s important to set boundaries even with your therapist. But when I saw a therapist and walked it through with her and joined a support group online, it really helped to know that I wasn’t alone in struggling with this.
The episode also grapples with the reality of life and death. Keeley is annoyed that she has to go to the funeral because she has to appear sad, and her and Roy end up talking about what happens when they die, and Roy makes all these morbid (no pun intended) jokes about death and dying, but later tells Keeley that he was making those jokes because he is terrified of death, and when his grandfather died he prayed and prayed to bring him back but nothing worked but this funeral made him realize that we only have one life and he wants to make the most of it. This reminded me of last month when I was visiting one of my friends in the hospital and she was nearing her death. She was in such high spirits and brought smiles to our faces, and when she passed away it was incredibly painful. No matter how much I prayed, I knew that the reality was that she was gone. And I have always been terrified of dying and death, but I think when I confronted the reality of death, it really forced me to reflect on my own life and what kind of person I wanted to become. I had become jaded, complacent and resigned about life, but as I really saw myself more clearly when I continued practicing Buddhism and studying about the Buddhist philosophy on life and death, I saw myself more clearly and realized that I wanted to change this apathetic attitude I held about life and appreciate this one life that I have. I’m honestly scared to know what taking my final breath will be like, but I hope I at least get to spend time with my loved ones and appreciate the time I have left in my life. I would honestly hate to die knowing I regretted stuff or left stuff unfinished or unsaid. I acted like, I shouldn’t have to think about death, I’m young! But having these conversations with my parents and with other SGI members about these heavy topics on life and death made me realize that yeah, I need to eventually (or soon) put together a will and think about my beneficiaries and what kind of stuff I want to accomplish before I leave this Earth (I’m hoping there will still be an Earth to call home, because global warming is getting worse and the planet is getting hotter.) And that the reality is that as much as I complain about the challenges of being young, my youth is going to go quickly and I will be older and taking on new responsibilities in life, whether that’s kids, career or even without kids, dealing with illness and death in my family and friendships.
Discover more from The Arts Are Life
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
The Arts Are Life 