I think people miss the point in Obi-wan

Hear me out, before you throw tomatoes at me. I don't really post but I need somewhere to post my thoughts on this series. Long post ahead.I just did a second viewing of the finale and on my first viewing, there was something that didn't sit right with me during their battle, and it's the part where Vader buries Obi-wan alive with a ton of rocks. I had the same question as everyone else, why the frick didn't Vader just stab him instead of this roundabout way of killing him?Then it hit me: Obi-wan is literally, physically and metaphorically being crushed by his guilt and past.During this scene, what replays in his head is the voices of Anakin and Vader overlaying with each other. In the past episodes, Obi-wan seems to have lost hope in anything and is wracked by guilt, regrets, and grief. It's why he turned away that Jedi in the first episode, why he didn't fight for the man with a family and why he rejected Bail in rescuing Leia. He has also lost faith in people (not trusting Haja) and just a generally downtrodden person. He even lost faith in the force and has not used it in ten years. It's like being an artist and not painting, or a violinist and not playing the violin. Heck, you can say it's like not using your arms because the Force has always been there as an extension of himself. He buried his lightsaber in the sand, which he always said is "his life", which means he himself has buried HIM in the sand. He doesn't like the name Obi-wan, he uses Ben (it's why it was so important for Leia to use the name Obi-wan during the finale, but correct me if I'm wrong here). For him, the "war is over" and the "fight is done". He tells Nari to bury his lightsaber in the sand which is to turn his back on everything they've fought for because that's exactly what he did. This is not Obi-wan Kenobi, the Jedi. This is Ben, who is no one. There is no hope in the future, and certainly no hope for himself, because "he's not the man he used to be".Anyone who has ever experienced mental health issues and depression, these words sound very familiar.Depression, PTSD, grief and trauma warps you to the point you lose yourself and your life. Considering what Obi-wan has been through, can we really blame him? Every part of the galaxy is just another living reminder of what he lost and why it's his fault and how he failed. When he wakes up, the ache is renewed. He's not just grieving Anakin, the Jedi, Padme, his life - he's also grieving himself, who he used to be. Because when he we see him at Episode 1, he's but a shell of a broken man.Aside from depression and hopelessness, avoidance is another symptom of PTSD. He makes Luke as his excuse, but there is no reason for him to just sit in the sand for 10 years, let himself rot away except to atone for his supposed sins. He disavowed his name, his lightsaber, his clothes, and his Jedi principles, the fricking Force. He's been avoiding everything and anything because it just hurts him, until the past literally hits him in the face. When Obi-wan faces Darth Vader for the first time (special shoutout to him having an almost heart attack for simply feeling the presence of someone you thought dead for ten years), it's laughable how he just runs. He just keeps running from Vader, until the ghost of his past literally catches up to him.The reason why he loses this fight is because he has nothing to fight for; not even Leia, not even Tala, not even the Path. Because people cannot save you, you yourself have to choose to save yourself.I agree some parts feel lackluster, but people just don't get it.This show is not about us, it's about Obi-wan and his emotional journey. It's about healing and how one can move on from such unimaginable loss.In a way, its also about how one can fight trauma, PTSD, depression and grief.On his own, Obi-wan failed. He thought by locking himself away in some tower he can heal, or he doesn't deserve to have a life after everything he did. It's only through his emotional growth with Leia, Tala, Roken, the Path people and even Reva did he finally heal from the loss of Anakin, the Jedi, and his perceived failures. Leia showed him love and hope. Tala showed him that even if we did terrible things in the past, we can still and must do something to make that right. The Path showed him that the Jedi spiritually and the fight is alive and well, and all of these people showed him that he is not alone nor powerless or helpless, unlike what his mind has been telling him (The disconnect between the mind and reality is important in mental health).Heck, say all you want about Reva, but she is the perfect foil for Obi-wan. Reva carried herself from the gutter to killing Vader, because she thought revenge and vengeance will what make everything better, will what make her heal from her traumatic past. But when she finally had Luke in her hands, it didn't. She realized she will not heal by killing Luke. She is only killing herself. She can only heal by honoring them, and living for herself. That's the only way to move on.So let's go back to this scene:​*crushed by rocks obito style*This time, he is not just in a metaphorical hole, he IS in a hole. Everyone who's ever been depressed or been through something traumatic, a common metaphor would be like you're trapped in a hole you cannot ever climb out of, endlessly falling and crushed. So what does Obi-wan do in this scenario?Instead of Anakin, he hears Luke and Leia. This moment is important, because he chooses to save himself and fight for the future. If we put Episode 1 Obi-wan here, he would have just let himself be crushed, but because of his six episodic journey, this Obi-wan fights and saves himself. The next shot we see him literally crawl out this depression and confront the living manifestation of his deepest fears, regret and guilt; the phantom of his past - Vader.And WINS.More to this, is that he overcomes his crushing (heh) guilt and past because of his love for Luke and Leia, because now, he has hope on the future. He believes in them. He fights for them. The past, Anakin, no longer matters. Luke and Leia is his new hope. At the end of the day, after devastating loss, we find something and someone new to fight for. That's how you heal.Let's also talk about Vader for a sec. Vader literally wants to bury Obi-wan, also a living manifestation of his past, because that's what he wants to do in his mind. He wants to bury all traces of Anakin Skywalker. But of course it doesn't work. The Dark Side isn't exactly known for mental health seminars.It's arguable whether this is Vader or Anakin, but I think it's Anakin that absolves him of his guilt. Vader at the end of the day, is Anakin. For me, this is Anakin, because Anakin is essentially saying, "you didn't fail me, I failed myself. You were the best Master ever 10/10 I simply made my own choices" in Vader style. He's comforting him in his own way.Only through Obi-wan confronting himself and Vader was he able to help Reva, and now, they are "both free" of the past. Later, we see Obi-wan smiling, laughing, hugging, reclaiming both Ben and Obi-wan, remembering Anakin and Padme without hurting and regaining his sense of self. It's beautiful to see. One of my favorite shots is this:​sorry for the qualityBecause it's just so dang hopeful. Obi-wan finally mentally and physically leaves this dark place so he can finally move on in the new stage of his life. That's why he was only now able to commune with Qui-Gon, because he's finally healing. And we love that for him. If Obi-wan can do it, after literally losing everything, we can too.TLDR; Obi-wan Kenobi series is about mental health and connects depressed Obi-wan with sagely Obi-wan in New HopeIf you've reached this far, thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. via /r/StarWars https://ift.tt/gnNzUvd