I can understand how desperation can grab you and smother you, feeling as real as if a 300-pound gorilla were sitting on your chest. I've been there. It's probably safe to say that we all have. Small issues can look really big if that's all you dwell on from day to day.
I've known a few people who have committed suicide killed themselves, though none have been close friends. In my work, I see it all to frequently. I see the wreckage left in the wake of a suicide. People who kill themselves either aren't thinking about what it will do to their families, or they know what it will do and proceed anyway. Whatever the case, it's a selfish act.
Before you fly into a fit of sanctimonious rage, hear this: I am well aware of people out there who, because of their depression, aren't seeing things realistically. "The world would be better off without me" is something most self-killers have probably thought or said, and this observation is always untrue. Self murder is still murder, just without a separate victim, and murder is clearly prohibited in the Big Ten. I offer sympathy for the condition, but no quarter for the act.
People who kill themselves would probably stand down from that last desperate act if they spent some of their energy on other people. Look at somone else's problems for a change. Whether they are bigger or smaller than ours doesn't matter. The obvious truth is this: It's tough all over, Bub. We all have problems, and some of them are bigger than yours. Just dig in and keep moving.
In this spirit, I offer the following, a cure for suicidal thoughts. Go volunteer at a soup kitchen or a children's cancer ward. Go visit those old, lonely people at a nursing home, forgotten by their families. Love someone other than yourself. Doing for others is what makes life worth the living.
All of us get lost in the darkness
Rush - "The Pass"
Dreamers learn to steer by the stars
All of us do time in the gutter
Dreamers turn to look at the cars
Turn around and turn around and turn around
Turn around and walk the razor's edge
Dont turn your back
And slam the door on me.
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