“You’re watching the fire and you’re thinking, ‘If I don’t do anything…this place will burn down and all my anxiety will go away with it.’” – Carmy, The Bear, Season 1, Episode 5 (“Sheridan”).
This line from The Bear hit me hard. It took me back to a time when I felt utterly overwhelmed, carrying the weight of expectations and responsibilities with no way to set them down.
The thought of just letting everything fall apart felt oddly comforting—a strange escape from the relentless pressure.
Carmy, played by Jeremy Allen White, faces a similar fire. As a brilliant chef, he’s trapped in the mess left by his late brother.
Struggling to keep a failing sandwich shop afloat, he’s burdened not just by the business but by his past, which seems to haunt him relentlessly.
Watching Carmy fidget and constantly need to stay busy, I saw a reflection of myself. I used to believe that staying occupied would shield me from facing what was really going on inside.
Like Carmy, I felt a constant restlessness, unable to find peace between my responsibilities.
No matter how much I gave, it never felt like enough. Carmy’s obsessive work ethic, strained relationships, and emotional shutdowns resonated deeply with me.
His struggles with the weight of his past mirrored my own battles with overwhelming pressures.
But The Bear isn’t just about running a kitchen or saving a business. It’s about survival through chaos.
The episode and that moving line reminded me that even when everything feels like it’s burning down, there’s always something worth fighting for.
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