I never thought a show about the zombie apocalypse could grip me so emotionally as AMC's The Walking Dead does. After watching the mid-season finale, I was really moved by the wrap-up of a major plot line. (Won't spoil it for you if you haven't seen it yet but dang, that was sad in a great way.) I think what separates this show from your typical zombie movie is that we get to spend time with the characters over an extended period of time and kinda get to know them. I start to relate to their emotions about surviving in a fallen world, losing loved ones and living in a constant state of fear. What's great about this second season is that we get to see how these characters deal with their own fears and regrets embodied by the "walkers" (zombies) and how that affects a community of people. It got me to thinking while in the shower (that's where all of my greatest ideas and thoughts happen) about my own personal zombie apocalypse.
We all deal with fear in our own ways. Sometimes I might choose to run from it, I might slow it down without dealing the eliminating "headshot" and other times I'm still dealing with the recovery and restoration. A lot of times I try to handle these things on my own. But we all know the survivors of the zombie apocalypse work together in tandem with each other. The same can be said of humanity right now. We survive and thrive when we work together. Even those we write off as "hopeless" or "useless" can serve to help a community. There is a prime example from the show in a character named Daryl Dixon who starts as an outcast in the series. In this second season, he finds purpose for his life by searching for a missing little girl. The nature of this purpose, noble and righteous, sets him on a path of redemption and breaking free from the label cast upon him. He begins to form a bond with the missing girl's mother and she provides affirmation that there is a magnificent goodness in him.
When we begin to see the goodness in others and celebrate that, we begin to see lives change for the better. Free yourself from labels cast upon you. Then help to free others. Visit the newly launched campaign by People of the Second Chance called Labels Lie. There you can be part of a community and have a conversation about radical grace. We can survive in a fallen world. We can find purpose in the chaos. We are POTSC.
