What can be learned from Robin Williams?

The gruesome details of Robin Williams suicide is well documented. The suicide now catapults depression onto the front page and the trending topic on Facebook and Twitter. A relative of mine posted an article, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katie-hurley/theres-nothing-selfish-about-suicide_b_5672519.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063, on their Facebook page with the plea of "we need to raise suicide awareness. Hopefully this tragic loss will help to raise the awareness and help our loved ones and have a few less loses." The author, of the link above, writes, "Suicide is a decision made out of desperation, hopelessness, isolation and loneliness."

Suicide being a selfish act was a mantra I carried the banner for. In fact a few of my past blog posts calls out suicide as a selfish act. Since that point, my view on suicide has shifted from it being a selfish act to cowardice act. Life is short enough. Darkness is all around us with the singular goal of dragging us to the depths of despair. Salvation and strength is given us all in the spark that burns within us all. In my response to my relatives posting, I agree that "the author is accurate that many make it out about the survivors as they lay claim to a selfish act."

People, like my relative (bless her soul), want to use Robin Williams suicide as another example to promote suicide awareness. To which I am fully behind and engaged. Allowing the acceptance of suicide as an option in life does a disservice to all those in dark places. Why do we allow this to take place?

Brutally open and honest conversation is avoided with emotional matters which leads to lip service to causes like suicide awareness. Every day time ought to be set aside to reflect. It can be five minutes, a hour or longer. The bottom line is to take inventory of the day and of oneself. Yet, if one holds a view of the cowardice act suicide is, one is labeled an insensitive jerk! Really?

As I posed to those viewing the thread on my relatives page, "You say I am an insensitive jerk, yet I am willing to discuss the topic for what it is. Who is really being insensitive to those with depression? The one that sees suicide as an out or one that recognizes the spark within gives us the strength to come out of the darkness?"

The Light within all contains the strength to pull anyone from the deepest depths of Hades. The climb make take a day, a week, a month or years. The end goal ought to be to give those within the darkness the tools and support to make the climb instead of saying their is another way. The pain will be eternal when suicide is chosen and the Light will not ascend. Allow the Light to shine through and salvation will be obtained.

Suicide is never the Answer!

Yesterday a tragic event took place in the NFL. A linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs took the life of his girlfriend then Jovan Belcher went to the practice facility and took his own life. Now, as I watch the pregame programming on ESPN, CBS and Fox a lot has been said about how tragic it is that former Chiefs linebacker took his own life. The only person that I have heard to this point that actually got the story into perspective was on ESPN when former Denver Bronco Tom Jackson articulated that former Chiefs linebacker killed someone and that due to his murder and death that there will be a little girl without her mom and dad.

Tom Jackson hit the nail on the head of where my frustration has been with the coverage of this event. Apparently, the NFL gave the Chiefs until 9:30 pm last night to decide if they wanted to play this game in light of recent events. Coach Romeo and the Chiefs GM were eye witnesses to the former Chiefs linebacker's cowardly act as he walked away from them and shot himself as the police were rolling up on the scene. The focus of this story shouldn't be on the former Chiefs linebacker; rather it should be focused on Kasandra Perkins, 22 year old, that had her life ended prematurely.

The two, the former Chiefs linebacker and Perkins, had a three month old girl. THREE months old. Imagine the questions this little girl is going to have as she grows up without her parents. I am sure more information will come out in the coming days to soften the suicide of the former Chiefs linebacker as that is the nature of our society. The focus should be on the fact that suicide is never the answer. Take a moment today to do a person inventory and realize that life is short enough. Talk to your kids, your family and your friends today about the importance of life and that suicide doesn't impact the coward that takes their own life as it does those that are left to deal with it. My prayers go out to Perkins family and to Kasandra's three month old daughter.

In full disclosure on why I view suicide in the nature that I do. I once was in Romeo's shoes.

Rutgers Student’s face possible Hate Crime charges after violating roommate’s trust

Last week saw Tyler Clementi jumping off the George Washington Bridge after realizing his tryst with another man was shown on the web. The display on the web was not by accident rather it was the work of Clementi's roommate Dharun Ravi and another fellow Rutgers University student Molly Wei. After ruling Clementi's plunge as a suicide, Ravi and Wei were charged with invasion of privacy. Since that time Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan is considering additional charges, "We will be making every effort to assess whether bias played a role in the incident." The additional charge is to charge the duo with a hate crime.

While the action taken by Ravi and Wei violates the trust of roommates and Clementi's cowardly reaction to it, does it really warrant the label of hate crime? Let's say that Clementi does not take the plunge, is anything done? Probably not! The other charge being levied, invasion of privacy is interesting as well since nothing in the Constitutional gives anyone the right to privacy. The Constitutional protects one from right of property but not privacy. What should be the punishment for Ravi and Wei for their violation of trust? Does the punishment increase because Clementi committed suicide? Does it rate as a hate crime?

Suicide: Self-centered, cowardly, selfish act

MSNBC reported this afternoon that a man, Lai Jiansheng, was detained by Chinese authorities because he pushed another man off a bridge that was trying to commit suicide. The China Daily quoted Lai Jiansheng in response to why he pushed Chen off the bridge, “I pushed him off because jumpers like Chen are very selfish. Their actions violate a lot of public interests.” It was reported that 12 suicide attempts have taken place on the same bridge since April.

The China Daily reported that every time a suicide jumper presents themselves “the city had to send police, firemen, rescue vessels, and an ambulance.” Not to mention backing up traffic. What a waste of resources for a self-centered act. Suicide is cowardly. Suicide solves nothing but alleviating the burden of the selfish. Nothing in this world is so grave that one needs to subject others to the grief, bewilderment, and upheaval left in the wake of a suicide.

Lai Jiansheng was arrested for his actions but he should be applauded to resolving the issue quickly. People looking to kill themselves are feeding only their ego and are not considering the wake of turmoil left when success is gained. Hopefully Lai Jiansheng will be released and given the key to his city. Luckily for Chen an airbag was ready to catch him.