2021.12.17 Thank You

I recently read a webtoon titled 내일 (Tomorrow) by 라마 (Llama), which follows a team of “underworld employees” who try to prevent suicides from occurring in the real world. It highlights the unique nature of individual human experience without diluting the significance of everyday stressors that we are so prone to bottle up and endure. To be honest, I teared up multiple times digesting the portrayals of societal, familial, and intrapersonal avenues of mental harm, many of which I did not expect to empathize with at such high degrees.

In 내일, the protagonists rely on conversation to encourage others to step away from the brink of suicide. Many such cases are solved through the acknowledgement and validation of characters’ experience and sentiments, which in turn dissipate the primary mental drivers of extreme ideation. It is a very humanizing read, one that forces you to reevaluate your own cognitive feedback loops and the foundational structure of your self-image. 

To date, I have spent the past six or so years disclosing my own introspections on public platforms, in some ways as an act of self-preservation. I full-heartedly believe that sharing my vulnerabilities has eased self-acceptance and guided me off paths of dangerous, blind empowerment. All in all, I have many of you to thank for taking the time to read my posts and lend an ear to my ramblings. 

That being said, I decided to write this post because I’ve come to a point of wanting more than this unidirectional channel of communication. Although I haven’t technically forced any of you to validate my existence, the benefits I’ve derived from our indirect relationship is undeniable. Therefore, while it may seem a selfish ask, I want to invite you to tell me your story in return. Whoever you are, whether we are close, or strangers, or have transitioned from one to the other, I just want to talk to you, one human to another. How are things? What’s on your mind these days? 

Obviously, I am not a therapist nor can I provide any life-changing wisdom. But I can listen. If you just want to chat and catch up, that’s completely fine too. Just a 30-minute video call, or for however long as you want, really. Comment or message me.