On Twitter I’ve met a number of individuals who are thoughtful, smart, and are a lot more prolific at writing than I am. They are a source of humor and often bring up things to think about.
One of the people I follow wrote this, and it really resounded with me. Suicide, as a topic, very rarely gets broached, with a number of faiths condemning it as a sin punishable by eternal damnation. But what actually makes someone actually think of suicide as an option, much less DO it?
What CBK (the author) does in this article is to examine what would happen to warrant such an act, and I think her summations are meritorious. To even consider suicide is be acknowledge an utter lack of hope, the demise of a sense that things can get better. She speaks of hope, and how one can really keep that in the face of occurrences that would manifest themselves as insurmountable. Spurred by the actions of a friend, she wonders out loud how despair can lead to suicide being an action that is even seen as viable.
I read with interest because I was suicidal for quite a while. And I recognize why now, but CBK put it into words, as well as strategies that could have helped me those years ago.
Odd, but I remember reading something a while ago that said, in part, that “no creative has ever NOT been suicidal.” And it makes sense. Someone who is preoccupied with bringing something new and creative into being likely thinks they’re going it alone, and alone is the worst feeling, but unavoidable when you’re concerned with being the next Gwendolyn Brooks, Toni Morrison, or (in my case) Basquiat.
So thank you for putting down in words what I wish I could have known. Cheers to you, Mrs. CBK.