Very important life lessons we’ve learned from ‘Outlander’

Anyone who watches Outlander knows: This show is addictive. It has a little something for everyone: Action, drama, love, torture, time travel, and a healthy dose of feminism. How could you not get hooked? With the season one finale now a thing of the past, we’re taking a little time to reflect on the greatness that was the very first season of this incredibly exciting show. Most of all, we’re thinking back on some of the life lessons that Outlander hammers home. They are lessons about love, and perseverance, and the self. And even if you’ve learned some of these lessons from your own life experiences, a little Outlander-infused reminder can’t hurt.

Lesson #1: You can handle more than you think you can.

When you’re thrown into a situation with few resources and no familiar faces, you’ll surprise yourself with how quickly you adapt. You won’t like every situation you find yourself in, but you will be able to find ways of dealing.

Lesson #2: Love comes in many forms.

Passionate, intellectual, intimate, long-term, temporary, platonic, sensual. Not only do we each define love differently, we each experience different types of love throughout our lives. That is fine. That is great. That is growth.

Lesson #3: Love requires sacrifice.

Sometimes the sacrifice is small, like staying in with your partner instead of going out with your friends, but sometimes it is big, like giving up a life you had in a different time and place for something brand new . . .  and possibly frightening. Whether the sacrifice is big or small, it is still worth noting, and hopefully the love you share with your partner far outweighs any sacrifices you make.

Lesson #4: Sex is meaningful.

Sex can have meaning and can be a way to get closer to someone else, in order to express an emotional connection. It’s not payment for anything. It is not there to serve only one person involved. It can be mutual and intimate, respectful and sizzling, all at the same time. Sex isn’t about using someone, it’s about connecting.

Lesson #5: You can change your mind.

Sometimes you think you were meant for one path and realize later the path you are already on is right where you are supposed to be. There are also those times you state something as truth and realize later you weren’t entirely right. It’s OK to change your mind. Perspectives change and life is so much richer when we allow ourselves to evolve too, even if our ego has to take a hit every now and then.

Lesson #6: It’s important to stand up for yourself.

Your voice deserves to be heard. Standing up for yourself is hard, and it can be easier to keep quiet. But when you refuse to let others trample on your dignity or your opinions, you show yourself just what you’re capable of doing.

Lesson #7: It’s just as important to apologize. 

Sometimes we overstep our boundaries and say and do things that aren’t so nice. The act of apologizing can go a long way in building and mending relationships, and the better we get at the art of apologies, the more likely we are to keep our relationships solid.

Lesson #8: Never rule out the impossible.

Even if it means time travel, or finding a love so unlikely you didn’t even think you could hope for it, you never know — anything is possible.

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