What The Walking Dead Teaches Us About Life

By Minta Pavliscsak

Whether you love or hate the show, you can not deny the overwhelming success The Walking Dead (TWD) has gained throughout its over six year television run. Awards and nominations aside, it is the surmountable admiration that comes from the fans that proves The Walking Dead’s true success. As it enters the second half of season six, I began to reflect over past seasons and characters, who have really become more like friends. This led to something deeper than the ability to tap into one’s survival instinct, and muster up the courage to thrust a fork through a rotten corpses head; a true perspective on life.

I give to you my list of “What The Walking Dead Teaches us About Life”. To those who think this is just another silly zombie show, I challenge you to read this list, and give the show a few episodes. Honestly, it took about three, maybe four before I was hooked.

What The Walking Dead Teaches us About Life

• The importance of family and friends.
• Do whatever you have to do to make it another day, or as Enid so perfectly puts it, “JSS: Just Survive Somehow”.
• Sometimes you just have to stop and look at the flowers. (This doesn’t always have to have a tragic ending. It just shows that everyone, no matter how bad their reality, needs an escape from time to time.)
• Life is better when you spend it with others. Bob’s ever smiling face is a reminder of this.
• You keep going because you have to.
• Recycling is important. Anything, when used properly, can be a weapon and used to protect you. Shelter can fall under those same lines.
• We don’t leave our friends behind.
• Try new things.
• Be stronger than your own fear.
• We need each other.
• If you have the opportunity to start over, take it. Make yourself that person you have always wanted to be. Why not? Nobody has to know about your past, what matters is the present.
• There is still good left in the world.
• Things aren’t always what they seem. This can go for both good and not so good. Keep your eyes open.
• Don’t give up.
• Don’t take the little things for granted. Sometimes it’s these little things that keep us going.
• Helping others also helps ourselves.
• No matter how insignificant you think you are, you matter.
• Care about yourself and take care of yourself, because you are needed out there.
• There is no time like the present. After all, you never know if you will make it through the night. Make the most of right now.
• Sometimes you just have to go for it. Regardless of what “it” is, there may come a time when you don’t have time.
• Believe in something.
• Good or lucky, it doesn’t really matter.
• You honor the dead by going on.
• Sometimes you have to pretend to be brave.
• We need to work together to stay alive.
• Perhaps the most important thing The Walking Dead teaches us about life…When life gives you zombies, always go for the brain.

There you have it. If you remember these life lessons, not only will you be prepared for a post-apocalyptic world, but for the world you are living in today. Keep your loved ones close, appreciate every moment you are allowed to have, and let your truly bad-ass self shine through and you can overcome anything thrown your way.