"Suicidal" Thoughts

Age, like cricket is a great leveler  As you travel - down the years- your perspective, your outlook changes and you can view everything from different elevations giving different dimensions. I have seen and heard of few suicides in my life. Some of the souls I remember who decided to cut short their lives were many Tamil Actress like Shobha, Viji, Smitha recently a comedian, Director GV, Son of my Bro's friend who killed his near and dear ones and shot himself in U.S, a relative of mine and recently that of the husband of the popular carnatic musician in Tamilnadu.

Much is being said about the departed souls as cowards, irresponsible and fleeing from reality etc., As mentioned every attempt brings out a different feeling from the onlookers and I feel it depends on one's maturity  It is true that fleeing from reality is very close to irresponsibility but then one also has to get into other's shoes (coffins?)  to undergo the extreme pain of ending one's life. There could be some who were maintaining carefully a certain facade, which they might have felt that, if unveiled could expose their real face! There are some who could not digest the transformation of their near and dear ones. There are some due to unmanageable commitments. Some with marital discards……. In short depression, loneliness, failure, impulsiveness or mistakes seem to be some of the major causes driving to suicide.

The attempter must also ponder about the consequences of a failed attempt.There are various methods used such as fire, electricity, drowning, jumping, Gunshot and hanging which when fail leaves a  debilitating effect on your body and a more frustrating and angered relatives around you.

More than anything the trauma that one leaves behind for the family is pathetic and excruciating for the family members. Imagine a kid returning home from school to find that a parent has gone without leaving any clue for the child to understand!! Writer Sujatha used to quote often that suicide is a momentary lapse of confidence, moment of anger, moment of tit-for-tat and in all a 'momentary madness'. People who have failed or been saved from suicides have gone on record that they many not even think of committing such self defeating act ever again. But, being slowly driven to helplessness and orphaned feeling are definite symptoms to watch out. People who have these tendencies normally give out some clue, like the thieves who always leave some clue as there are no perfect crimes.

Theists on the one hand have strong conviction that all acts are from Him but choose to inflict on them this ignominy only by themselves  For long I was never worried about death because I was of the opinion that after death we may not be there to enjoy or suffer. But a browsing of Garuda Puranam dented my comfort area by narrating the harsher punishments meted out to those who choose to take God's allocation upon themselves.

To escape pain, agony, insults and failures one choose this path normally. But then again there are theories propounding that death is also as painful as ever and it also leaves one with the same nothing when he leaves as he arrived. Unfortunately these are all surmises and interpretations that some has made as we have no means of getting a first hand LIVE report from anyone dead!!

I feel it is foolhardy to attempt thwarting this at the last moment. Like cancer, the early symptoms are to be watched and addressed.

After all let us think about so much of happiness, virtues we are blessed with compared to our less fortunate brethren and one will certainly think twice before taking this extreme step. Life has got so much- to learn, to enjoy, to give and to realize. Why then should we take this unusual step of "Self murder" as my friend Bosskey used to say!!