ROBIN WILLIAMS AND SUICIDE

Robin Williams

Warning: If you are offended by an open and honest discussion about suicide then please don't read this post. Political correctness dies a violent death here and I am not afraid of controversy. Those of you that know me, know that suicide has touched me and my family in a personal way and members of my wife's family have been affected by suicide. So it is a subject that I am familiar with and have given a lot of thought to over the years. The subject is much in the news right now because of the death of Robin Williams. Now I am not suicidal and have no suicidal thoughts. So don't send out the rescue squad or perform an intervention on me but I have thought about suicide many times over the years. Not in a serious way. I have never been suicidal. There are, however; scenarios where I might give it serious thought. For example if I were blinded, facing a hopeless medical condition, paralyzed, or surrounded by a bunch of Muslim terrorists who were intent on making me their sex slave or wanting to cut my head off with a dull knife. 

 I am scared of heights so jumping off of a bridge, or a high building is out of the question. Shooting myself is out of the question since I met a survivor of a failed suicide attempt. He shot himself in the right temple and nearly died but when he woke up in ICU he was permanently blind. If he thought he had a reason to kill himself before I can only imagine the struggle he is facing now. Besides, I know from personal experience that kind of suicide can leave a bloody mess and I would not want to impose that on my family or friends. Hanging doesn't appeal to me because those few seconds before losing consciousness would be pretty scary. No I have decided on something quick like sitting down on a railroad track or a powerful explosive. Of course it would be where no one else could be hurt. I will let the other guys have the 72 virgins. 

  In basic training, after a few failed suicide attempts, I will never forget the night that my TI as we called them in the Air Force jumped up on a table and demonstrated the proper ways to commit a successful suicide. I can only imagine that happening today in our politically correct world. Seriously, the bottom line is this. The most selfish and cowardly act in the world is suicide. The person only focuses on their own pain. They never consider or even care how it will affect their loved ones. Loved ones go through the rest of their lives traumatized by the event. They feel guilt, because they are always asking themselves what they could have done differently to prevent the death of a loved one. If they were not at the death scene they constantly try to imagine what their loved ones were thinking just before killing themselves or if they witness it they are scarred for the rest of their lives. The one thing that will always haunt them is why? Why? Why? Why? 

 I am already tired of hearing about Robin Williams. He is not worth the attention. Yes it is tragic and Williams was a brilliant comedian but enough already. What praise he should receive is diminished in my opinion by the ridiculous angles taken by the media. I heard today that they are wondering whether or not he was trying to send a message because he was dressing in black just before he died. These people that we put on pedestals are not deserving of the attention. Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley, Kurt Kobain, and Robin Williams were poor role models that are not worthy of the attention. It is the people who quietly go about their lives and overcome their own demons. Family members that are left to bravely pick up the pieces left by the people like Robin Williams and my father. Yes depression is a terrible thing but a whole lot of people suffer with depression and are overcomers. That is where our focus should be.