Suicide....Can YOU Make a Difference?

Tuesday June 11, 2013

Been thinking about this one for a while, then today my friend in spook who I call "Hat Boy" dropped by as we were talking about his Mum; one of his favourite subjects next to his sister and anything with petrol in it, except lawn mowers of course! The thing about him is he was a young suicide or as he puts it "an accidental suicide.". When I was much younger I had a very close friend who took his own life and for some reason suicides seem to be able to communicate with me easily, I can sense them.  Is it a blessing or a curse...? If I can stop them..a blessing. If I can't I often agonise "why warn me in the first place if I can't do anything." 

I have heard a lot of religious and spiritual tripe about suicide, dark places, God never forgiving you and all that and to be honest in my spiritual experience it's all a load of crap. You don't get punished by the universe for being frightened, vulnerable and afraid to go on! People who preach that sort of hype are too judgmental for their own good. Sure if you take your own life there are spiritual lessons, but I assure you they don't involve being ejected onto the slippery dip of fire any more than they get a welcome party to honour a foolhardy decision.

Something Hat Boy and my beloved Greg (name changed) both agree on is many suicides are accidents or impulsive decisions that we can't take back. Hat Boy also wishes me to clarify that drink driving is also a form of suicide, which is confirmed by another of my young friends who died at the wheel of a car after refusing to let his mates drive him home. He and Hat Boy actually have the same given name and were the same age so I won't confuse things!

Whether the moment in time such a choice is made is through illness, mental or otherwise, peer pressure, chemical influence or whatever, at that time, the exact moment, that split second, it is seen as the only solution. I have NEVER 'met a suicide' in spirit who actually says they don't regret that decision. I often thought how could you show someone that suicide is not the answer without actually demonstrating that. This is what the three of us came up with;

• Hat Boy - Lock them in a room with no windows, no doors and no phone for a week. Then when they come out ask them if they would like to talk to or see anyone. Most will realise they are loved and there are people to support them through this, because whilst in 'the den' as he calls it they missed someone and someone missed them. 
• Greg - Ask them to about tell you the happiest time in their life and then ask them how they could do it again in the current time.  If they can find something that they can say would make them happy, then life is worth living because that possibility is still out there.
• Me - Never be ashamed to say you aren't doing so well. If a total stranger can come up to me at a tram stop and ask "are you alright lovely," then there is someone out there who cares for everyone and we in turn all have someone we can care for.

All the three of us are saying is, rather than sensationalising the death of someone by their own hand, how about doing your bit to help prevent it. It doesn't hurt to spend an extra five minutes here and there with people you think might not be doing well, or to let someone else know that they might want to keep an eye out. Depression can't be left up to medication alone and not everyone can afford or have access to counsellors. TALK to them and more so....NEVER ever judge someone who needs drug therapy to get through the tough times. Make the effort if you are lucky enough to be going through a good part of your own life, you never know when you might be reaching out for the same reason.

Todays Daily Spook was with much love and help from my three Musketeers who assure me we are going to be doing much more work in this area and I say....bring it on boys and thank you.