"Something He Taught You" → Part of the Stefán Karl 50th Celebration Prompt List
This was one of the prompts I struggled with the most.
I wanted to create an edit to go with my thoughts, and after some time, I was finally satisfied with how it turned out. But that still didn’t make it any easier to figure out what I wanted to write.
The truth is, I’ve learned so much from Stefán Karl that it feels impossible to sum it all up in one post... So maybe I should start with the first thing he helped me through.
I first learned about him toward the end of 2016. I was around 16 or 17 at the time, going through the kind of things any depressed and socially anxious teenager might face, especially one who had been bullied throughout school.
But something shifted the day I learned about Stefán Karl’s illness. It was the first time I felt a strong, immediate need to help someone I didn’t even know. I couldn’t fully explain why, but I remember begging my parents to donate to him.
From that point on, I kept up with him. I read everything he posted. I watched everything I could find. I wanted to learn more about who he was. It was the first time I ever truly "idolized" a real person.
Over time, I realized that idolizing him wouldn’t be right. He was a human being, it would be wrong to put him up on a pedestal if I truly cared about him as a person.
Still, he became a massive role model for me. He brought me joy, encouragement, and inspiration. He made me want to be better.
At the end of the day, I’m human, and so was he. We make mistakes. We say things we don’t mean. We let emotions get the better of us. But despite all that, I try to follow the guidance he left behind. His thoughts, his feelings, his words... they continue to touch me deeply.
It’s his humanity that made me respect and admire him even more.
He will never know who I am, but I learned so much from him. My life changed because of him. Thank you, Stefán Karl. 💜🌱
About the edited image, photographs were by Hörður Sveinsson, the quote was from Stefán Karl's Twitter and the assets were from Onlygfx.
Interested in joining the celebration? Check out the prompt list here and tag your posts in July with #CelebrateStefanKarl ~✨💜
origamiaround
prguitarman
dededos
janainaart
romaincrisis
turnnoffyourmind
areudirty