“The most authentic thing about us is our capacity to create, to overcome, to endure, to transform, to love and to be greater than our suffering.” -Ben Okri
Suicide comes out of desperation, frustration, and lack of motivation. Without the means to go on, why go on? Life will hand you countless problems on a silver platter, should you consume them all, or walk away from the table early? As Okri suggests, suicide is not necessary because of our human capability to overcome our problems, and face them in different ways. Just because life handed you beats for dinner, doesn't mean it won't hand you something incredible for dessert.
Your life is partly what you make it, having a bad attitude or setting yourself up for failure only contributes to existing troubles. Everyone faces this dilemma. "What do I do?" Simple, you put on the combat boots, the helmet and you fight it out, using your strengths. Personally art gets me through almost anything, if I add creativity to my life, my troubles become far more bearable.
Some people however, don't see the light at the end of the tunnel. Even the people who shine. Almost two weeks ago a family friend of mine hung himself from his balcony. All of us were horror stricken. This man was the last person anyone expected to cut his life short. More shocking than that was the way he did it, the image of him dangling from his balcony makes it clear that he didn't just want his life to be over, he wanted to say "screw you, this is for hurting me." I will always remember him as a sweet, friendly, compassionate and downright hilarious guy, he was a pleasure to be around. Since his death I have contemplated on the reasons why he felt nothing he could do would change his circumstances. Marty didn't become greater than his suffering, he became his suffering, and let it comsume him whole.
I guess the point of this post is to emphasize the importance of sticking it out until the end, there's always a way to make a situation better, always a way to raise hopes for the future. The key is to maintain the possibility of a future. Cutting life short is like walking out of a bad movie, there was still the possiblity of a good ending.
Beautiful post. I'm so sorry t hear about your friend. It is quite disappointing to hear that people commit suicide because they feel as if they are consumed with their problems. Many need to realize that there is always someone wanting to help them, whether it's their parents, their peers, their teachers. Any hand extending out to help is a hand worth grabbing. The introduction to your blog was captivating and it rhymed which grabbed my attention. You have a great way with words, I love this!
ReplyDeleteEm, this is such an amazing post. It addresses an issue too many people go through. It also delivers an important and optimistic attitude to have when we're faced with the difficulties life hands us from time to time. Being able to 'keep on keeping on' can sometimes seem like an impossible feat, but it's something we all should do when we experience bumps in the road. I'm terribly sorry about Marty, i know that he was a great friend to both you and your mom. I love you Emily<3
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Emily; inputting the details about your friend made it all the more intimate and touching. And I really appreciate your choice of topic. Many people don't realize that by cutting their lives short, they eliminate any possible chance for a bright future, so they blindly rush forward and make an irreversible mistake thinking that it fixes their problems. Whilst "becoming their suffering," people who commit suicide also spread their suffering to their loved ones; their friends and family are just left pondering what they could have done to prevent the death. My condolences about your friend.
ReplyDeleteThis post was breath-taking. I give my sympathies to you concerning your friend Marty. This post took on a topic that for most of us is challenging to discuss. Suicide is never something to laugh about and lately has become increasingly common. For many they have yet to recognize how much they are loved and appreciated or much they would be missed. Most likely their only focus is on quickly ending their suffering rather than to climb out of it inch by inch. With your personal experiences and ideas this post has come to life. Again, I value your beautiful and sentimental writing, this post was exceptional.
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