MY DAD IS JACK PEARSON
| photo by This Is Us official |
My Dad is Jack from This Is Us. The man we can't stop talking about. The man who everybody relates to in a I wanna be like him kind of way. The strong, the steady, the pleasing. The loving. Jack, is my father.
If you take away the alcoholic part and the he died after the fire part, he is still my Dad. And in realizing this while sobbing through the super bowl episode, followed by last night, I realized why this realization matters. Why this show is so important. And not just to me, but to 40 million viewers.
It's not because Jack Pearson is my Dad. Or that he's a hero. Or that he's entirely the most perfect human being of a human being. It's also that he's not. That he's imperfect too. And that his character represents the most beautiful part of the human experience. He impacted lives, in a positive, persistent and beautiful way. Although he made mistakes, he was driven by his redemption. His monstrous love for his family. His ability to see every situation through to the end. His persistence in every intention. To make life memorable. To make it count. To empathize. To have purpose. And reason. And the love. The real love. The everlasting, the meaningful. The forever.
Yes, I'm talking about a fictional character. I've often done this. Since I was a child. I've been fascinated by stories and characters my whole life. Fiction, the movies, the books, the songs, whether all truth or none, these characters have given me life. And as we navigate this purposed life, and all it's unanswered questions, we look to art to fill us up with hope or wonder. Or sadness. Or nostalgia. Or maybe it's just feeling. Maybe we are all just starving for feeling. For understanding. This is what "This Is Us is" does, for us. This is why we turn it on and don't turn it off. This is why the characters and the relationships and the stories are so compelling. And this is what we yearn for.
I'm not sure I've ever met another person quite like my Jack Pearson. My father. He is still steady, still strong and still willing to sacrifice it all for the ones he loves. And in a day and age where everyone is fighting the good fight for the most of everything, the most success or the most liked or the most right, we're all over here just looking for a Jack. Because maybe that kind of fierce love, dedication and commitment is worth looking up to. And I'm 100 percent behind that notion.
