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Thank you for sharing such an honest piece. Suicide is a tragedy without peer, the result of pain, illness, and some part selfishness. I feel compassion for Pet
by trentnix 5y ago
Thank you for sharing such an honest piece. Suicide is a tragedy without peer, the result of pain, illness, and some part selfishness. I feel compassion for Pete and his fight with mental illness, sadness for the friends and coworkers left behind, and anger on behalf of his wife and children who will now carry an incredible burden.
Suicide is infectious (as strange as that sounds) and I've found it tough to reconcile that showing compassion for the suicidal can actually encourage more suicide. It's an act I’m not able to comprehend and that paralyzes my response.
I was dismayed to read the section Did We Ignore the Signs?, but I understand. Similarly, I feel a sense of personal responsibility for the well-being of those I've hired. It's common for those left behind due to suicide to carry guilt, but it's neither healthy nor constructive to think that way. Please take the opportunity to be responsible for your own mental health, and that requires you not to feel responsible for the mental health of those around you.
May Pete rest in peace and sincere condolences to the friends and family left behind.
- avgcorrection 5y ago> Suicide is a tragedy without peer, the result of pain, illness, and some part selfishness. Well at least they won’t have to deal with your judging looks.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- starkd 5y agoSadly, it is infectious. That may be why traditions have tended to marginalize it when it happens. The evolutionary psychologist Steven Pinker discussed it in one of his books by noting that when a prominent suicide happens and is televised, there is a corresponding slight uptick of accidents in the area. He suggests that merely the suggestion of suicide can tip the balance in favor of reactionary recklessness for a tiny percentage in response to a bad event. It's important to have empathy for all those left behind, and it is sad for those who take their own life, but there is a danger in elevating their actions to being virtuous or somehow noble. The consequences are indeed quite selfish for all those left behind.