Today was a beautiful day. I stood out on the balcony in the morning, feeling the salty sea breeze. What a beautiful day, I thought.
I looked down, 20 floors beneath me. And I thought of people who felt so empty and hopeless that they would jump off. I tried to imagine their torment, their despair. Thinking that death was their only relief.
I don’t know if today is World Suicide Awareness Day, but I think everyday should be one.
I’m trying to put together a powerpoint talk on suicide prevention for teenagers - as I’m doing research, I stumbled upon a pretty gruesome website that documents photos of suicides and freak accidents. A man who’s head was split open and his body turned almost inside out and his organs were lying one feet away from him - suicide by jumping off a building. A young man sitting in a tub with only half of his head remaining and the other half splattered over the bathroom tiles nestling a shotgun in his laps - suicide by shooting himself.
I am not a fan of anything gruesome and I absolutely dislike gore and blood. But it really pains me that these people felt they had no choice but to commit suicide.
Suicide is preventable. So, whoever is reading this, be kind today. Be kind to strangers, be kind to your colleagues, to your children, to your spouse, to your parents, to anonymous people on the internet. And maybe, someone may find hope again.
