Thank You Chester Bennington For Getting Me Through High School.

Dear Chester Bennington,
At present day while sitting with friends in a cottage we played Linkin Park and sang along. It was such an odd choice of music at the time and for a second I forgot why I listened to your band to begin with in high school. A lot of these songs expressed sadness and anger, things I no longer felt as a grown adult. And then after reciting every single lyric (all the words came back to me after having a bit to drink), I then took a minute to listen to your voice…
Your band was a unit, but your voice was my solace. Through crappy friendships, through bad break ups, through my battle with conformity, depression, and anxiety, and through any bit of rejection I may have felt. Your voice was in my head, questioning it all along with me. Whether it was a silent whisper, a melodic pondering, or a demanding scream. And when you screamed I could hear and feel that you meant it — so I screamed like I meant it. I let out every ounce of sadness I may have felt, or I would let you scream for me when I couldn’t speak my anger anymore. And when you sang your feelings, I could feel your emotions through EVERY. SINGLE. WORD. I could feel the pain in your voice, from singing about all these unwanted feelings crawling through your skin, to feeling absolutely numb to everything and everyone around you. And I remember how after at least an hour of listening to your voice on repeat, I would see the light at the end of the tunnel. I would see the hope to go back through the blue doors of my high school, back into a place where I never felt I belonged. Unwanted. Invisible.

You were our voice, Chester. You were the voice for every single teenager who couldn’t express themselves. You gave us the courage and push to get out of bed, to get off the bathroom floor, and to walk away before we got one step closer to the edge… You kept us at bay. You wanted to protect us. But you also wanted us to know that it was absolutely okay to feel the way we felt. That we were justified in not feeling happy. High school was a battlefield, so thank you for being our shield. Thank you for never giving up on us. Thank you for always understanding us. Thank you for loving us enough to sing the type of music that you sang. I only wish that someone could have done that for you…
My heart aches today to have lost someone I didn’t realize played a huge role in my life. I actually had it in mind over the past year that I wanted to go to a concert so that I could quietly thank you for what you’ve done for me. Now I wish I could have done more for you. I wish others could have done more for you just like you did for us. You always think you have time, but it always escapes us. I’m sorry you were in pain, Chester. I hope you have now found your solace. I hope you are now happy, wherever you are. But know that millions of fans, around the world, are probably placing Hybrid Theory, Meteora, or whatever favourite album, into their CD player right now so that we can sing to you, too.
We will continue to fight the stigma against mental health. You built an army of us, and we’ve all come out triumphant before. So we will keep fighting the good fight for you, and for every other misunderstood individual who needs to get through it. You have my word.

