Written by: Dea Yap
DISCLAIMER: Whatever I wrote here is subjective and is based from personal experience. In case anyone gets offended, I greatly apologize.
Still 17 is a South Korean television series that garnered five outstanding awards during the 2018 SBS Drama Awards held last 2018.
Why “achingly”?
No, this is not a trigger warning. The drama does not solely depict on how the journey of the young orphan underwent a series of emotions while conquering adversities. What I want to highlight is that this drama did not just focus in enlightening and welcoming me into a different perspective, but rather it acknowledged the things I have in life that I was too inattentive and distracted to recognize.
What makes this devastatingly and emotionally beautiful (No, I am not trying to romanticize the lapses) is that it made me appreciate and re-realize the things I thought I did not realize yet. It was an eye-opener. Being personally affected is not a compulsory in becoming empathetic. It also taught me that you are only a spectator in someone else’s life, never the participant.
Moreover, here are a few life-fulfilling things that I would like to emphasize:
1. Life always has its own setbacks and intermission.
This is inclusively pointing out to all kinds of glitches and misfortunes in our lives. May it be about the disturbing past we are trying to conceal, scars we have always been hiding, family, delays, rejections, just to name a few.
The drama does not showcase steps on how you should carry your emotions properly, however it teaches you how to embrace your own pain, by not running away from it and to take things lightly according to your own pace.
2. Leave no stone unturned.
Be capable and competent not because of a rat race. There are plenty of ways to kill a cat. It all boils down to its foundation. You have to balance your hardwork with the status of your dream. It all goes down to see how fully committed you are on what you are trying to achieve. It doesn’t matter how difficult or how long, in one way or another, stay grounded and elevate your persistence.
“Until it is my turn, I will continue to clap for others happily.” Repeat until you make it.
3. Value of family AND individualism.
Here’s to all of you growing up in a traditional Filipino household. I strongly believe that during puberty, we start to develop the sense of responsibility making liberty one of the most concrete things we long to have. We become self-reliant that every so often it goes down to rebellion.
This drama allows you to assess and reframe your thinking that will likely help you learn to indulge in the art of moderation.
4. It does not promote any kind of dishonesty.
As human being as we are, yes, white or heavy lies are undeniably inevitable especially to our parents. Yet, in one way or another, the ends will never justify the means. It may be for the betterment for a short-period of time but practicing it eventually becomes a habit and often leads to a greater crime and objectively, I do not think it qualifies to be reasonable.
5. The damage has been done but repentance wipes the root of the evil.
This is one of the climax of the series that made it very wholesome. We will never heal from things that continuously haunt us unless we learn how to forgive. Our God cannot completely heal what you are hiding. At the end of the day, we are all lost sinners living in a world where forgiveness is infinite.
Still 17 is available on Netflix!