What The White Lotus Taught Me About Myself

The Illusion of the Constructed Self

Spoilers for season three of the The White Lotus ahead, plus writing that engages with SA, suicide, and trauma.

This season of The White Lotus wasn’t my favorite. Not because I didn’t love it, but because I’ve loved each season without comparison to the others. But this season continues to resonate. Maybe because I’m Buddhist. Maybe because it’s the kind of show that asks its viewers to move beyond superficial assessments and look at their own reflections. Maybe because the characters are so fully human.

Out of all the characters, I most identified with Rick– the yang to Chelsea’s yin. No, I don’t dabble in this and that (though one could argue I have in the past), but I understand the inclination. Rick refuses pleasure. Refuses love. He clings to an idea of himself he’s constructed.

As someone who’s had a difficult, traumatic upbringing– someone who lost a parent to gun violence– I understand this. I have my own attachments to the stories I told (and tell) myself in order to live.

Rick…