Deception, murder, and abuse are just a few components of the real-life tragedy told through Hulu's hit series, "The Act." If you've seen this series or have read articles about this horrifying situation, you may be thinking that there is nothing positive that resulted from this tragedy. While this is somewhat true in unfortunate cases like these, we can't fail to recognize the lessons to be learned (besides the most obvious being don't abuse your child) and to appreciate our own lives.
These are the top six life lessons that the case of Dee Dee Blanchard and Gypsy Rose provide us.
1. Having integrity, even when no one's looking, shows character.
The never-expiring cliche, "honesty is the best policy," only grows even truer with age. Although being honest can sometimes be especially challenging, we are making ourselves and society better for exemplifying this trait. In my opinion, integrity is one of the most respected qualities a person can have. Whether or not you believe in God or the concept of karma, being honest will always result in fewer complications and leave you feeling better about yourself. There's no question that viewers cannot respect or even like Dee Dee in "The Act," and this is because she severely lacks the strength or courage to be honest with anyone.
2. Education is arguably crucial to our mental growth.
Dee Dee chose not to enroll Gypsy in school past second grade, probably because she recognized that an education would encourage Gypsy's maturity and mental capacity. "The Act" shows viewers how imperative an education at home -as well as at school- is to human development. I'm often guilty of skipping class or zoning out during a lecture, but this situation reminds me to be grateful that I have the privilege to receive a higher education, not to mention having one an education at all. Dee Dee's horrendous decision to not educate her child serves as a reminder to us all how powerful an education is and what it can allow us to accomplish.
3. As much as we think we know a person, we never know their entire story.
Dee Dee did an impeccable job of fooling her neighbors into thinking that she was the perfect mother, with a perfect life- while this was far from the truth. When her neighbors later learned the truth, their immense shock emphasizes that we truly do not know everything that others are going through and that we all have our own struggles- whether we display them or not. It's easy to assume that our own lives are more difficult or we have worse struggles, but we really cannot judge this until we've lived a day in someone else's life. Despite how honest your friends and family are, or how often you talk, you don't know their entire story or what goes through their mind each day. Be kind to one another.
4. Revenge is satisfying, but it's not helpful.
Although Gypsy's mother severely abused her in every way possible, her decision to seek revenge didn't really help the situation. She may have escaped her mother's abuse, but now she's living with the guilt of taking her life and serving time in prison. Some may argue that this was her only option, or that it was self-defense, but this choice did not result in a solely positive outcome. Revenge may solve your problems temporarily and leave you feeling satisfied, but this behavior is a detriment to your character and will likely cause more conflicts.
5. It's good to be trusting, but be weary.
Gypsy's not at fault for trusting the woman who gave birth to her, but this unfortunate case reminds us to be hesitant to trust others. Trust is crucial to building relationships and allowing others to be close to you, but it doesn't hurt to be sure of someone's intentions first. Dee Dee reminds us in a very awful way that not everyone has good intentions for you. There's plenty of people who do possess pure motives, but unfortunately, this is not always the case- so it doesn't hurt to be slow in trusting others.
6. Appreciate your mother- because she isn't Dee Dee Blanchard.
One of the largest takeaways I found after watching "The Act," was that I'm grateful that I actually can trust my mom and that she doesn't have a single thing in common with Dee Dee. It can be easy to criticize your mom, or wish that something was different in your childhood- but at the end of the day, we're all human and make mistakes. If your mom isn't Dee Dee, there's a good chance that she encourages, loves, supports, and cares for you to the best of her ability. Moms are often under-appreciated for the immense amount of hard work, sacrifices, patience, and unconditional love (to name a few) that come with raising a child. If you haven't told your mother how grateful you are for her, hopefully, this encourages you to vocalize it.
Although Hulu's "The Act" is filled with a horrendous and heart-breaking story, this tv series and real-life case teach us valuable life lessons and reminds us to appreciate our own lives. This tragedy serves as a reminder to everyone to go back to our roots, and remember that the simplest, most cliche lessons are those which are the most important. "The Act" should motivate us to be kinder to others, appreciate education, have integrity, and most importantly, to be appreciative of our mothers.
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