So I've been following Kain Carter, aka Hotdamnirock, for almost a decade now. I've seen him go from super funny, to super creative and introspective, to now, super broken. How did we get here you're probably wondering? Well lets start from the beginning. This should be a given but try to watch each video as they all contain important information relating to the purpose of this blog post.
https://youtu.be/I1jN3MT8wZE
This probably isn't the very first video from him that I watched but it is one of them. The humorous way in which he delivers his messages is what drew me in. I was hooked.
Then we get to some of the creative stuff.
https://youtu.be/KzeREh_m1Mk
One of his most popular videos to date. Really displaying his creative side here.
Then somewhere along the line, life happened.
https://youtu.be/NEjCSUyfIsI
The above video was naturally the turning point in my journey alongside Kain. I don't know him personally however being that I've been subscribed for almost ten years now it feels like I know him a little better than most would. In the last video posted he states he's been gone for almost a full year from creating on YouTube which we all knew just based on the gap between uploads. He then goes on to describe a series of events in his life that were the cause of him being gone: the death of his cousin (and the grief from not being able to be there in her final moments), his own battle with an unknown illness, his dog's battle with illness, and finally, the death of his best friend.
It's only natural for one to be torn up and struggling to come to terms with any one of those situations on their own but to deal with them all in a relatively short period of time would be crushing to most. He put on his best "i'm dealing with it" face as best he could be there were times he bared his emotion on camera (a full video actually).
https://youtu.be/L0e4-sRMt7U
the above video is very important because it sets the stage for what is to come next. He states in that video that the persona known as hotdamnirock was being shut away for good as he is continuing to evolve and find new ways to inspire people and make an impact on the world. To that end he announces that all of the shirts he's ever made would be available one last time so anyone who wanted one could order one and he'd have it made and shipped to them along with a few other little items that relate to him and a letter he wrote from his soul. And now, we have arrived.
https://youtu.be/TJrFdirpzzY
As you can see. Kain is full on disgruntled, frustrated, disappointed but most of all, tired. From the time he released the end of hotdamnirock video til two days ago he's gotten countless emails regarding the orders of those shirts he promoted in the last video. Everyone was frustrated and angry with how long it was taking their packages to come and it began to take its toll on him as he struggled to complete the sheer number of orders he had received. Much more than one man can do alone (which I'll touch on shortly) .
Now that we've gotten to this point let's get down to the reason for this post. I know his best friend died two years ago but does he have anyone else in his life who cares about him? Who checks in on him to make sure he's good? Because to me, that doesn't seem to be the case. His whole demeanor is different than it was even a few months ago when he posted his last video. He looks like if he hasn't already had a mental breakdown, he's damn close to it.
Which goes back to what I continue to try and preach: CHECK ON YOUR FRIENDS. You never know what they're going through or battling. Sometimes all it takes is a simple "how are you doing" to fix everything. To show that you care. I personally don't have the same luxury unless I repost something on social media about the subject then people come out the wood works because they feel attacked. On the flip side I try to reach out to all my friends as much as possible. I understand we are all adults and have our own families and lives to tend to however it is possible to maintain that relationship with your friends. Even if its someone I don't really have a strong relationship with I'll reach out just to offer some encouragement or positivity. It really does go a long way. So my challenge to you, is to do better. To be better. Thanks for reading.
I'm out
