A Day in the life of the Twenty-first century teen: "Don't Stop Believing" Remembering Cory Monteith

July fourteenth at about two in the morning, I found out Cory Monteith had died. This news was both shocking and terrifying to me- Glee's bubble had always seemed so invincible. The idea that our idols can die is a shocking and difficult thing to understand. I have always loved Glee because the show about how oddball high school students join together to create music inspired me. Glee was one of the most important things that got me through most of my own high school experience. I could easily relate to Glee, in high school, I found a group of friends in theater as close-knit and supportive as the Glee group. Yet, I still felt like an outcast throughout high school. In my darkest moments, Glee pushed me to keep going for my dreams. When Finn joined the Glee club, Finn represented a new kind of possibility for me. A jock could join the Glee club and fall for the unpopular girl. As I was an unpopular girl who often felt similar to Rachel, Finn gave me the hope that not all people would turn out to be slushie-throwers. Finn helped me realize that despite “hindrances,” I could chase my dreams. Yet, I realize my experience with Glee isn’t unique at all. Finn and Glee inspired many of its fans to “Don’t Stop Believing.” Despite all the things that went wrong for the characters, everything seemed to pull through by the finale and the Glee club got closer each year as it approached Nationals. I guess this is a reason so many people are so hit by his death. In Glee, they all overcome their problems and emerged together as a group even stronger than before by the end. Everything was okay. Yet, the fact is that in reality everything is not okay. Cory was a surprise star- someone who was not expected to succeed yet ultimately won his dream. His openness about his substance abuse made him relatable, and news of his rehab gave many fans the false security that he was okay. Yet, unfortunately everything was not okay. He was probably battling with demons inside that no one knew of. At this point, it is just a guessing game as to what he was dealing with.

So far I’ve heard many different responses from people about his death- on one hand, people are genuinely mourning him and are remembering him for Glee and pushing off the darker stories of his addictions. On the other hand, some are condemning him for his involvement with drugs. Neither of these views does him justice. Yes, Cory was an amazing person who inspired millions of us to create and believe. Yet, behind him was a troubled life that involved serious substance abuse and tragedy that ultimately overcame his life. So we must see both of these sides as we remember his life.

So, what do we do now? We are mourning as if we have lost a close friend. In many ways, we have lost a close friend, and we will probably be mourning for a long time. And, as most humans do in times of grief, we will try to make sense of Cory’s death as I am now. Yet, Cory’s death serves as an important lesson. Just as we can determine our dreams, we determine how we get to those dreams and who we are. I’ve often heard life referred as a puzzle. Yet, life is not some great puzzle where there’s a piece that fits and people’s life track is pre-cut. If life were a puzzle, most pieces would be missing or would not be able to fit with each other. Life is unpredictable and we must understand this. Although we may be young we are in no way invincible or in the candy coated world of television. We can do what Glee teaches us and not give up on our dreams, but we must understand our impermanence in the world and the implications of our decisions. We must keep up the fight for life not only for Cory but also for ourselves. We can make mistakes, yet must be able to fight back and stand again.

In Jane Lynch’s recent Jay Leno interview, she said Cory lived for each day. We must find ways to live fully and purposely each day without falling for our innermost demons. As I said before, life is unpredictable, and although we can do our best to create the best situations for ourselves we are never invincible or completely secure. So, we must look at each day as a new possibility and life because we never know when our days will end. Hopefully we have good people and love around us, because what the strong and large reaction to his death from fans and his co-stars has shown us is that love is really all we can depend on. As is said in Rent, "measure your life in love."

Cory was a genuine beaming light for Glee. I had not realized it before, but he really was the glue for Glee. Whenever I think about my favorite moments in Glee, Finn somehow was at the center pushing the other characters to be the best they could be and to believe in the impossible. He will be missed, and hopefully we can learn from his death and legacy, and “Don’t Stop Believing” ourselves. Rest in Peace Cory.

I am going to post my music choices below that I have been listening to and thinking about since Cory's death.

"Otherside" by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

Drugs will hinder creativity, and they are an unfortunate part of our culture that kill too many people each day. I also think about the lyric, "We live on the cusp of death thinking it won't be us," as a chilling warning that relates to Cory's death.

2. "Starting Over" by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

Another Macklemore song. Relapse is another beast in itself, and I keep thinking about this song and Cory. Like Cory was, Macklemore has been very open about his drug issues and his recent dedication to sobriety. As Macklemore notes in this song, being in the spotlight and vocal about sobriety is a curse in a way because the pressure to be "perfect" can be overpowering.