By Aimee Teplitskiy |
The play A View From the Back, by
Yi Shi, really exposes how dependent we are on others be they someone we love,
or a complete stranger. This play reflects on the different ways that we rely
on others, and the different ways that we can be there for and support others.
Supporting someone can be interpreted in
the literal sense:
helping someone sustain themselves by providing them with
food, clothing, shelter, and anything else they would need to survive. It can
also be something like providing services for someone, like a waiter or a taxi
driver. To me, the most significant form of support is emotional support. Every
single one of us knows what it is like to have an awful day, or a secret that
you really want to share, but know you cannot. I know that when I have those
days, the thing I need the most is company. I need to share my thoughts and
feelings with someone and have them sympathize without any judgments.
Shi, Yi |
But sometimes, I am not completely
comfortable sharing with my friends or family. Sometimes I am worried they
might judge or be condescending of me, and I know I am not the only one that
feels this way. There are so many people out in the world who need to confide
their feelings and secrets in someone - so they go to the Whisper app. The
Whisper app is an app where people anonymously upload the things they need to
share most with someone, but are not comfortable sharing with the close people
in their life. People can comment on the things others post, showing sympathy
or suggesting ways to improve a situation.
Some of the confessions I find on
Whisper are truly touching. They make me really empathize and connect with the
person that wrote them. Others are hilarious and embarrassing stories that make
me laugh. And of course, there are those that make me angry or uncomfortable
because of their language or their content, but it is nonetheless fascinating
to see how many secrets people have, and how comfortable they are with putting
them out on the internet.
Even for people who do not feel
comfortable posting their secrets online, Whisper really helps make you feel
like you are not alone. Though I myself have never posted on Whisper, I have
come across countless posts that I really related to. It amazes me how two
people at entirely different points in their lives, and in two entirely
different locations in the world, can be experiencing the same things as one
another. But though Whisper is a great way to simply share how you are feeling
and find others that feel the same way as you do, receiving support from random
strangers is not as fullfilling and meaningful as receiving support from the people who love you.
It is important to keep in mind that the
people behind the screen do not know you. They do not care for you and your
well-being the same way your loved ones do. Even though the internet is a great
place to find someone who can relate to our problems, and it is helpful to know
that we are not alone in our struggle, the only way to really help ourselves is
too confide in those closest to us. Though they may not completely understand
what we are going through, they will try their hardest and do everything in
their power to make us feel better in a way that nobody else can.
A View From the Back recognizes
this human need for sympathy and support from strangers, and shows how
imperative it is for us to try and be there for others. It demonstrates how we
never really know what is going on in the lives of the people around us, and that
we need to be sympathetic towards the problems of others because pain is
relative. Yi Shi uses a seemingly every day and mundane aspect of life, like a
taxi driver, to reflect one of the most fundamental pieces of human interaction.
Sharing personal thoughts is easy when
it is done anonymously through the internet. It is easy to connect with a post
on a Whisper page, or to get sympathetic comments on posts of your own. But how
does this anonymous sharing of information help us learn to deal with the
problems we face? If we cannot confront the people closest to us about our
problems, we are not ready to deal with these problems ourselves. I can only
hope that sites on the internet like Whisper can give us the courage and the
drive to confront our issues and allow our loved ones to help us through the
hardships of life.
What are some ways that we can become
more comfortable opening up to our loved ones? What are some of your
experiences with opening up to friends and family?
Let us
know below!!!
A View From the Back will be
playing in the
Strawberry One-Act Festival on
July 16 (Saturday) at 5pm,
July 17 (Sunday) at 3pm,
July 20 (Wednesday) at 9pm.
The performance will take place at the Theatre at St. Clement’s at 423 West 46th Street, NYC, between 9th and 10th avenue. Tickets can be purchased online at www.therianttheatre.com.
Strawberry One-Act Festival on
July 16 (Saturday) at 5pm,
July 17 (Sunday) at 3pm,
July 20 (Wednesday) at 9pm.
The performance will take place at the Theatre at St. Clement’s at 423 West 46th Street, NYC, between 9th and 10th avenue. Tickets can be purchased online at www.therianttheatre.com.
A VIEW FROM THE BACK by Yi
Shi
Who contemplates the questions of love and death in a taxi? A
mosquito.
Saturday, July 16th at 5pm, Sunday, July 17th at 3pm &
Wednesday, July 20th at 9pm
Wednesday, July 20th at 9pm
For
tickets go to https://www.therianttheatre.com/item.php?id=283
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