Have you ever watched a show you became so emotionally attached to? Yeah, me too! For me, this show is “The Walking Dead” (TWD). I first watched “The Walking Dead” during the COVID-19 pandemic and would binge the show any moment I could when I wasn’t busy doing online school. I became immersed in the TWD universe and its characters — TWD was my escape from the reality we all lived through. As I lost friends and opportunities to connect throughout quarantine, TWD characters quickly became my replacements. I saw the characters completely transform in strength and ability as they fought to survive and protect those they loved. Throughout the 11 seasons, I felt every emotion imaginable.

I believe TWD is more than just a story about zombies. Truly, TWD is a story about heartache, loss, grief, resilience and most importantly the power of human connection. For the longest time, I’ve really only had my brother (shoutout Nathan), to talk about TWD with, so I am excited to share my thoughts here. You don’t have to like zombies or be familiar with TWD at all in order to hopefully gain something from the lessons I’ve learned since watching it.

Don’t let the cruel world change who you are

It’s only natural to be in survival mode. TWD is a zombie apocalypse, for goodness sake! However, some characters become ruthless, going to extreme attempts to protect themselves. For example, although Dale suffered a painful death, he was always the wise and reasonable one of the group. While Rick and his group debated killing a young man ​​out of fear that he could be a threat, Dale reminded the group that he is a human being worth more than a five-minute conversation. He stood firm in his morals and values, showing that sometimes our circumstances can cause us to lose our sense of self, but we must not let the darkness of the world change us. As Dale said in season two, episode six, “At least I can say when the world goes to [crap], I didn’t let it take me down with it.” Even in a world that feels like it is collapsing before our eyes, we must choose to preserve our hope and compassion, especially towards one another. We must keep our humanity intact, doing the right thing even if it means being the unpopular one.

Forgiveness 

Nobody comes prepared for a zombie apocalypse, so characters in TWD were bound to make mistakes. Thus, forgiveness will always be a recurring theme in TWD. One of the most heart wrenching plot lines is when Negan kills Maggie’s husband Glenn, leaving her to raise their unborn child on her own. Although Negan regrets killing Glenn and apologizes to Maggie for the pain he caused her, Maggie is unable to forgive him. In turn, she has pent-up resentment toward him that makes living in the apocalyptic world so much more challenging. In the same vein, we might find ourselves in a position where we are unwilling to forgive those who have wronged us, but I’ve learned that being unwilling to forgive others makes things harder. Don’t get me wrong, forgiveness is not easy. There may be times when we think we have forgiven someone, only for it all to come back. Forgiveness is a process and a commitment to letting something go. Maggie may not have forgiven or become friends with Negan, but she reaches a point where she can work alongside Negan for the common good. Forgiveness takes work, but ultimately it is for you and your peace.

Family doesn’t always have to be blood 

Most of the people in “The Walking Dead” who become best friends, siblings at heart or even lovers never knew each other before the apocalypse. Had the world never ended, they would have probably passed each other on the street without thinking twice or batting an eye, completely oblivious that in another world they would end up inseparable. How crazy is that? What allowed them to go from strangers and eventually family was all of the time that they spent together trying to figure out how they were going to live and all the instances when they had each other’s backs without having to ask for loyalty. My understanding of this is that family is the people who are with you when your world is in complete shambles. They are the ones who fight for you and with you.

Hard times make you stronger 

Something my brother and I are constantly raving about everytime we rewatch “The Walking Dead” is the immense character development. Carol, for instance, went from a dependable and defenseless person to one of the strongest warriors in Rick’s group. She completely wipes out the Wolves when they try to invade their home in Alexandria by disguising as one of them. From losing her 12-year-old daughter Sophia to losing her son Henry at the hands of the Whisperers, she suffered unbearable losses. Yet, despite every obstacle, she continued to develop, hunt for resources and fight toward a future. It’s beautiful to witness such remarkable growth from every character who contributed their unique skills to the group. They understood that in order to make it, they would need to step out of their comfort zones, whether that meant learning how to use a gun or simply overcoming their fear of zombies (*cough* Eugene *cough*). While it wasn’t always easy, their circumstances forced them to become the fearless leaders that all TWD fans know and love. I see this as a reminder to honor our growth. It also demonstrates that sometimes hard things can push us to do things we wouldn’t have ever thought we could do. Overall, their resilience inspires me to keep moving forward no matter what happens in my life.

There is so much more to take away from “The Walking Dead,” but the biggest lesson it has taught me is that even in the midst of chaos, loss and uncertainty, we must cling on to one another. We must also cling to love and a hope for a future.