Life Lessons from Walking Dead

I heard a concept from the podcast "Catholic Stuff You Should Know" about "baptizing truth" and recognizing what is good in today's world. Well, I feel like quite a few of these posts are going to be doing that--baptizing truths as I find them.

Here we go:


Characters from "The Walking Dead"

Yes, I watch The Walking Dead. Now, I know what you all are saying: "Isn't this show about zombies?" "Isn't there a lot of killing on this show?" "Is this show okay to watch?" 

Yes there are zombies. Yes there is death. However, I don't recommend the show for just anyone, and I think you need to watch it with a proper lens and outlook (ie, don't watch to enjoy killing and violence when it does come). I do think (like with The Hunger Games and other dystopian stories) there are some good truths and ethical questions to ponder that do come from this show, and that is exactly why I watch it. Here are some reasons why I love this show:

The Human Person

I can't even begin to tell you how much I love shows that show the growth and story of human persons. Love. It. My good friend Sam (#shoutout), who also introduced me to this show, describes Walking Dead in this way:

"It's really an exploration of what it means to be human. Put realistic characters in extreme conditions and let it play out. We are who we are at our worst." 

Truth bomb. Since Sam described the show to me like this, it has totally changed my perspective in watching it. Some of the characters have a continuous struggle with good and bad (sounds like life). Some of the "weaker" characters are actually strong in their morals and continue to be optimistic or hopeful. Some of the "strong" fall--VERY hard. 

What I love about this show is that you walk with these characters and see why they are the way the are, why the choose the things they do...I then like to place myself in their shoes and ask, "What would I do? What would I hope I would do? Would I remain true to myself and be the person I hope I am?"

Community
Community is tricky in Walking Dead. You come across a stranger, and (somewhat naturally) they're often treated with suspicion. If they seem good, they're often allowed to join the main characters and their community. If they're bad, often times they end up dead (eventually). However, a general theme in this show is that no one can survive by themselves. 

Walking Dead shows some situations where people are left alone and who they turn out to be. One woman goes absolutely bonkers, and another guy is happy-go-lucky in a zombie-infested forest because he DOESN'T have to be by himself anymore.  Pretty much, if you end up alone at any point in this show, most of the time you're screwed. 

It's a harsh way to learn this lesson, but there's a huge emphasis on not splitting up the group. Sure, you're stronger physically in numbers, but community is something we all need, zombie apocalypse or not. If we are all by ourselves, we become "I"-obsessed. What do I want, what am I going to do, what's going to make me happy (okay, the last phrase has "me" and not "I", I'll admit it). Having a companion and friends moves us out of ourselves and prevents us from becoming selfish. We are more willing to give up ourselves for the other, as the group in Walking Dead often save each other's lives rather than their own skin.

Living
Now, I know what y'all might be thinking (aside from how weird it is for a Midwesterner to be picking up Texas lingo): Duh. They're trying to stay alive and not be eaten by zombies. However, I think there's a key difference between surviving and living. Surviving is based on instinct and your generic needs (food, water, sleep, etc.). But truly living--falling in love, being able to work, having leisure time...all of these things are important to being human. 

You see the group on the run constantly at the beginning of season...2? 3? Something like that...either way, they're exhausted. They readily admit that it's no way to live. In one of the first seasons, you see Carl in awe of the beauty of seeing a deer.  A few seasons later, you see Beth (one of the characters) saying and teaching that you have to believe there is good in the world and enjoy life. You see when they are truly living, and not running for their lives, a huge difference in their demeanor. 

While we're not running from the undead, we can fall into a sense of "non-living". We may not fall into mere survival, but we can go about our day just breathing. Going through our routine. Eating. Sleeping. Aimlessly surfing social media. But is this living? Nope. What are you doing to find beauty in today's world? What are you hopeful for? And what are you going to do about it?