Death is the ultimate truth of every life. It is a phenomenon that is purely inevitable. We all living beings are mere mortals who live for a certain period, after which we meet our ends. But what matters is what we made of our lives, where we able to make a difference or more bluntly said – did our lives matter, at all?
20th of July, 2017: The day we lost one of the biggest gems of the music industry, Chester Bennington to a silent yet hard-fought depression which ultimately made him end his own life. Surely, this depression shite is for real. Many times, being rich and world-famous doesn’t guarantee happiness or even content for that matter. Somehow we’ve all developed this stereotype that being super-rich is the true path to salvation and happiness, but time and again mishaps like his death, have proven us wrong. As an outsider, we sure don’t know what a person is going through from inside especially when that person is one of the greatest artists of all time.
Anyways, I can go on and on about this philosophical stuff but believe me, I have no intention of lecturing you on these abstract topics. So without further adieu, let’s revert to the first question which was asked in the article – did his life made a difference? Did it matter?
Yes, it sure did.
Bennington’s legacy goes way beyond music — he saved lives.
Not only CB was an artist of utmost caliber and merit, but there was a genuine substance behind what he was putting out in the world.
His songs shaped lives.
His work changed lives.
CB through the medium of his rhymes showed an entire generation of elder people who had this preconceived notion that depression is nothing but a fancy word for sadness and had no real depth to it, he showed them that such a state of mind exists and it was OK to be vulnerable.
We all go through phases in our lives, where everything seems to be falling apart. A phase where we direly lose our self-confidence and thus every setback feels like the end of the world to us. It may be due to parental pressure, toxic romantic relationships, failed career, or loss of someone dear to our hearts.
The problem is that not all of us are vocal about our lives, not all of us have people known as friends to turn to. So we either are afraid to discuss it with others or simply choose to keep it all to us and that only leads to more hurt and pain.
The thing is most of us are silent sufferers who try to fool the world by wearing a smiley mask on our faces but deep down somewhere, we all have an ocean full of insecurities and guilt. Not every guilt is meant to be shared, we ought to keep some within ourselves.
By Chester being as open as he was with the music and the meaning behind the lyrics of his songs, he became a strong advocate for those who felt down, depressed, and most importantly for the ones with suicidal tendencies. He showed an entire generation of young fans that it was OK to express that you feel sad, angry, frustrated, hurt, disaffected or any of the other negative emotions we all feel as human beings at some point in our lives.
What melodious and slow-paced songs of countless musicians couldn’t, ironically it was his high pitched screaming which gave us calm and serenity in solitude and chaos.
The Linkin Park starer CB’s songs are all about pain and suffering.
To name a few:
“Numb” talks about parental pressure. As the lyrics go:-
“I’m tired of being what you want me to be
Feeling so faithless,
lost under the surface
I don’t know what you’re expecting of me
Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes.”
Parental pressure is like a hurricane that never leaves and can take other forms such as pressure on sports, music, drama, and even socialization as well. It takes a severe toll on children’s confidence and approaches towards life. Listening to this song somehow liberates us from that burden.
While songs like “Crawling” and “Faint” talks about romantic betrayal and toxic relationships, we have in our lives.
“So I, let go watching you
turn your back like you always do
You face away and pretend I’m not
But I’ll be here ’cause you’re all that I’ve got.”
“Bleed it out” sheds light on one’s fight against alcohol and drug addiction.
“Can’t contain him;
He knows he works
Fuck this hurts, I won’t lie
Doesn’t matter how hard I try
Half the words don’t mean a thing
And I know that I won’t be satisfied.”
While other songs like “In the End”, “Waiting for the End”, “A light that never comes”, “Given up”, “Nobody can save me” etc throws light on the state of mind of a person who’s done with his life and is thinking of ending it for good.
“I tried so hard
And got so far
But in the end
It doesn’t even matter
I had to fall
To lose it all
But in the end
It doesn’t even matter.”
Bennington had always combined the fury of his voice with a sense of vulnerability — he could shout his guts out yet the pain and emotion behind the lyrics wouldn’t fade. The rage in his voice would not have worked without the soulfulness.
It was in that rage and soulfulness, music fans across the globe connected and made Linkin Park into a juggernaut. The band sure commercially made overwhelming success, but it was its connection with fans and the impact it had in their lives which sets Linkin Park apart from any other musical band, that ever existed. Although the band continues to function, after losing CB it lost the soul.
Linkin Park will always remain a legend and their work will continue to inspire people in generations to come and that’s probably something many fans of Linkin Park, myself included, wish that Chester had realized.
Empowering fans with the attitude and guts to speak up about poor mental health is something that has a real, everlasting positive impact on an individual’s lifetime.
That’s a legacy, right there.
A real, genuine legacy of positive change.
RIP Chester
Your life more than just matter, you inspired billions. We still love you,
we always will.
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