One More Light

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By Marié-Louise Bellivent

Chester Bennington was the front man of Linkin Park, a nu-metal/alternative band that appeared on the scene in 2000 with their debut album Hybrid Theory. At this point I was 13 and at the start of my journey with depression, which was severe at the beginning.

Linkin Park, along with other bands such as Papa Roach, Korn, and Limp Bizkit provided the soundtrack to my life. The anger, the pain and the shear honesty of their anguish aided me through some of the darkest times in my life. Linkin Park, in particular, touched my soul, they had awesome riffs, some really uplifting lyrics and an awe-inspiring singer whose voice was like liquid gold. As time wore on and my music tastes evolved so did their music. Chester’s lyrics were perfectly balanced between light and dark, he spoke to you in the depths of despair and then lifted you up to be a stronger person.

I am devastated that Chester has passed, I am upset at how he left us, I am crying with everyone who has ever felt that low to consider suicide. I have been in that empty blank space when you have no feelings left to feel, no energy to tell yourself things will be ok anymore and you just want to sleep and never wake up. I don’t want a single person to feel that way again, I wish there was a miracle cure.

For now, with every story of suicide, with every story of any mental illness I hope that it at least brings awareness, support and help to those that are silently screaming. That way, we can make light out of this darkness, we can bring strength in the deepest pits of despair and we can make sure that tragedy’s like Chester’s happen less and less.

Pay attention to those around you, it doesn’t matter how many friends they have, what their income is, where they live… depression does not discriminate. People may try to reach out to you in tentative ways, they may push you away, they may turn their back completely, but if you care about them just make sure they know that you are listening. Listen to their unspoken words, the sentences that they don’t quite finish, notice their anxious body language, the nails that are so badly bitten they bleed, pay attention when they are constantly ‘joking’ about how much they hate themselves… support, love unconditionally and never judge.

Chester Bennington inspired a generation and that is something we will never forget. His name is written in all our hearts and souls. Forever.

Reproduced with permission, originally posted here