I might participate in New York's Walk to Prevent Suicide

It's going to happen June 7-8, along Central Park West.

An all-night walk. Everyone will be holding candles.

It's an important thing for me. I'm just looking to get a sense of communion.

 

if it is important to you....do it...definitely....

 

My grandfather attempted suicide repeatedly throughout his life.

My great-grandfather and father are depressive, but I don't think they've ever attempted.

I've never attempted, but it used to cross my mind daily during my wild years...in my 20s.

 

Suicide is a terrible thing... I'm happy to see that you want to do something for such a good cause..

my mom's brother committed suicide by jumping off a bridge. it really fucked her up for a long time. they were beyond close... he was super smart, too. unfortunate. i think he was too intelligent to cope with the world correctly...

 

I rocked up to a girlfriend's house a few years ago and interrupted her while she was in the middle of killing herself. that day kind of sucked.

 

Sorry for you loss.

I remember this 14 year old classmate in Brazil...his IQ was in the clouds.

He shot himself with his father's gun after drinking a bottle of whisky in the dark.

It was pretty shocking when the teacher announced it to the class. He tried to be matter-fact about it, which was probably the wrong thing to do.

He didn't even try to ask what the students were feeling, he just went on with class.

My little classmate had a nervous fit and threw up right then and there. He was a delicate, sensitive guy.

Shocking still.

 

Aw man, that's terrible. yeah, i could go on with these sad stories, but I think I won't. But I'm sorry that happened... so sad... whiskey and firearms do not mix (and depression).
my heart does ache for people who are severely depressed. it's a chemical imbalance.. they've lost control.

 

Back when my grandfather started having SEVERE depression, the illness was so misunderstood.

When I was a child I forgot his features for a while. Because he was always in a dark room, laying down. "Go kiss grandpa"...but I couldn't see his face in the dark.

 

it's very common that depression is misunderstood. especially as a child... i think its hard for children to grasp the reasons why someone could be so sad. kids are so innocent and (most) have not been exposed to/ cannot comprehend that there are many deep facets to life, positive and negative.
I'm sure it meant something to your grandfather for you to just be there

 

you sweet

 

I always get yelled at when I talk about suicide in real life. People tend to get aggravated with me a lot though, I'm a very misunderstood person. I see a walk to prevent suicide as an assault on personal freedom. Not to take away from the gravity of the situation. Suicide is terrible and destructive and selfish. But it is also a personal choice, and I'd not take personal choice away from even the 'sickest' of individuals.

 

People are free to kill themselves, sure.

But I think this is a little backwards.

The purpose of the walk, I imagine, is to lend support, not to make decisions for others.

 

Then they should consider a name change. Using the word 'prevent' has some heavy negative connotation. Not to mention definition.

It should be a powerful night. I've missed such a sense of community ever since I stopped with the church thing. Its something that is tough to duplicate so I hope you can find it that night.

 

As someone who's considered suicide, I don't see how to give suicide a neutral connotation.

I also don't know if not stopping people from killing themselves is such an enlightened thing to do.

Unless it's an unusual circumstance...illness, prisoners of war, etc.

What was the church thing and why did you quit?

 

Suicide does suck.

I don't think that a silly walk is going to stop any suicides, but...

I also don't see anything wrong with a walk.

I say go for it.

 

I'm aware it's not going to stop anything.

It's more a chance for a large group of people who had close ones attempt suicide, or who have attempted themselves to lend each other collective emotional support.

I just think it's going to add a layer of experience for me. I'm usually too atomistic in my daily life, and don't share much with others in my immediate environment.

 

i believe this happens far more often than anyone can understand.

too often its more abstract than literal and immediate suicide, too.

i wonder how many minds have been poisoned by excessive drinking and drugs, simply trying to forget about how different one person may be from everyone else?

how many brilliant people have squandered their lives in despair and regret for being born as something far more than is expected of people?

this can be a very heavy weight and can torture a person for their entire life...

only sometimes does it result in so "simple" a resolution as killing oneself...

i suppose its tragic in any incarnation, whether its long, drawn out alcoholism/addiction or a quick death....

but i almost feel worse for the poor souls who cannot cope nor end it...but silently suffer, trying to get by in a world in which they will never feel they belong....at least the dead have no more problems.

not to say i think suicide is good or anything....i have very, very mixed feelings about it.

but death doesnt bother me much at all. suffering does.

suicide is quite selfish....i understand not being able to take the weight of suffering, i understand yearning to end one's own suffering...

but suicide simply takes that suffering and spreads it among those close to the person....all that suffering felt by one person will instead be felt by everyone else.

its a bad situation, but if someone is contemplating suicide it was likely a bad situation for quite a bit before.


genius is a curse, and the highly intelligent or otherwise remarkable or talented individuals should not be envied....only a few are able to truly comprehend it themselves and live a normal life.

 

yeah, i think its just poorly named. it wont stop anything, but it can be a wonderful, healing experience for the victims of suicide (those close to people who have committed or attempted suicide)

i think its a good thing for sure

 

Suicide will never have a neutral connotation, but when viewed as a personal choice, I've found a way to lighten the load.

I was a pretty staunch Roman Catholic for a long time. The reasons for stopping go much deeper than I can type, and much longer than Skip gives us. But it came down to faith. The only reason I mention any of it is because of the impact it had on my life. Not from the loss of God, but from the loss of community, from the connections with strangers that, at least for an hour a week, the Church provided. I was free of all that and now I can't help but find myself, as Eric Fromm famously said, looking to escape from freedom.

I recognize that in you, I reckon. And so I hope you find what you're looking for. If only to know that it can be found.

 

This is actually a touching post. Thanks for sharing.

I understand your loss, though I never had any stable sense of community.

I would think it more rewarding to get that sense of community with people who've experienced similar things.

I try not to join groups based on abstractions and ideals.

P.S. Now you got me real curious at to why you rejected Catholicism. My good friend has always been a Marxist, and now has joined the Church after the loss of his mother. Again, communion.