I'm going to take space on my blog to highlight an epidemic…Suicide. Unfortunately, this epidemic has peripherally touched my life twice in the last two months. A former co-worker died last month and an 11th grade teenage daughter of a friend died this week. Now I don't know the circumstances behind any of these deaths and I will not speculate. But their tragic deaths made me stop and think. Now, I'm no doctor or psychiatrist, but it seems to me depression is not always the root cause. Life's daily pressures seem to be greater today than ever. It may be because I'm older, but it's true.
Responsibility of dealing with rent, mortgage, bills, medical, college tuition, job change, job loss, marriage, divorce and a whole host of other stressors, in a society where civility is a casualty of war and self-righteous indignation is ruler, can take its toll on the most level-headed person. These stressors may cause one to think they are better off not living, that they cannot ever get in front of the wave.
So my answer to combat this is to hug a loved one – not for them—but for you. Don't talk, don't complain – just hug someone. Hold them tight and let the world's stressors melt away for that one moment. Quiet appreciation can fuel the soul and feed the heart.
Then when you are finished hugging them, do me a favor, be civil to strangers. Don't rant about things like you are the master of the universe…listen…debate…talk. Because no human is perfect or has all the answers. So stop the self-righteous indignation. Treat others as you would have them treat you. You may save someone from making that fatal decision. You may even save yourself.
Just one man's opinion
