I've been getting into watching live concert videos on YouTube in the background while I read, and lemme tell you: 21 Pilots to this series with "Dragpath" at the ocean scene? Absolutely fucking devastating.
As much as the 'teacher-student' trope is still very cringe to read in any form for me; the larger focus about how an older-single-living-alone-man VS a young-family-oriented-woman cope with their limited time and impending end is quite beautiful and moving. To honestly see (not justifying it) that towards the end there is this sort of reckless abandon from both of them and how facing such a reality does in fact make you both manic and strangely clear headed. In that way, for the different perspectives and varried character archetypes, I understand why the author wrote the age difference and psychology dynamic so then it could be explained why it had to be a 'teacher-student' relationship.
Like the other comments point out, it's hard to connect and truly understand how it feels to be terminally ill until you are exactly that. To have a piece of media so succinctly describe that in an interesting and respectful way feels incredibly human and rare. As someone who hasn't been sick, but has had an inner family member go through all stages of this and then witness their passing, it is incredibly impacting and amazing to read some of the same situations and scenarios that the main characters' family also went through. To reach that level of peace takes time a lot of people dont have at the end, so I'd like to remind anyone reading my ridiculously long post this:
Treasure every day, every second, every moment you have. Never leave a last encounter unresolved. Live kindly, passionately, and most importantly: Completely free and without inhibition. May you experience all forms of emotion deeply and purposefully with gratitude and humility to your fellow human who is experiencing just as a deep and complex life as you are. "You are something the whole universe is doing in the same way that a wave is something that the whole ocean is doing." - Alan Watts
I've been getting into watching live concert videos on YouTube in the background while I read, and lemme tell you: 21 Pilots to this series with "Dragpath" at the ocean scene? Absolutely fucking devastating.
As much as the 'teacher-student' trope is still very cringe to read in any form for me; the larger focus about how an older-single-living-alone-man VS a young-family-oriented-woman cope with their limited time and impending end is quite beautiful and moving. To honestly see (not justifying it) that towards the end there is this sort of reckless abandon from both of them and how facing such a reality does in fact make you both manic and strangely clear headed. In that way, for the different perspectives and varried character archetypes, I understand why the author wrote the age difference and psychology dynamic so then it could be explained why it had to be a 'teacher-student' relationship.
Like the other comments point out, it's hard to connect and truly understand how it feels to be terminally ill until you are exactly that. To have a piece of media so succinctly describe that in an interesting and respectful way feels incredibly human and rare. As someone who hasn't been sick, but has had an inner family member go through all stages of this and then witness their passing, it is incredibly impacting and amazing to read some of the same situations and scenarios that the main characters' family also went through. To reach that level of peace takes time a lot of people dont have at the end, so I'd like to remind anyone reading my ridiculously long post this:
Treasure every day, every second, every moment you have. Never leave a last encounter unresolved. Live kindly, passionately, and most importantly: Completely free and without inhibition. May you experience all forms of emotion deeply and purposefully with gratitude and humility to your fellow human who is experiencing just as a deep and complex life as you are. "You are something the whole universe is doing in the same way that a wave is something that the whole ocean is doing." - Alan Watts