I came across the series at a time of my life when I had just awakened to reality and battling with questions and thoughts around existentialism. I came across it around the time that I probably needed it, and watching it felt like a mirror than just a series.
At that time, I could clearly see how my own reality was shaped by patterns caused by experiences I didn't choose.
What deeply resonated includes:
Inherited trauma as fate: The show explored destiny in the psychological sense. It shows how parents pass down wounds, not because they chose to but because they're unconscious. This reflected my own life, a pattern.
The illusion of free will: Dark asked questions that I was already battling. If my own thoughts, emotional patterns and desires were shaped by things I didn't choose, how free am I really?
Time as a metaphor for the psyche:Past, present, and future aren't separate in Dark, just like trauma isn't. What happened long ago still lives in the body now.
The show taught me a number of things.
1. Awareness alone doesn't break cycles
Many characters know what's happening, but still can't stop it. Seeing the pattern is the beginning, not the end. It taught me to have patience with myself for not knowing how to fix it yet.
2. Trying to erase pain often recreates it
Dark shows that the obsession with undoing suffering become another form of suffering. Healing isn't about deleting the past, but understanding it.
3. Acceptance is not surrender
Acceptance doesn't mean approving what happened. It means stopping the internal war with reality so you can finally work towards making conscious choices.