National Suicide Prevention weeks brings up the topic of death.
I'm postponing the August 2023 progress report to discuss something I saw in a library bathroom. No, not that, you filthy-minded individual (I'm looking at you, Aunt Clara). Instead, something that triggered an idea for this week's topic.
That's how writers work. One word connects to something similar they see or hear and generates an idea. Next, sentences and paragraphs form in the writer's mind. Soon enough, they have a completed piece before the first letter is typed.
My idea came from a flyer I saw in a library bathroom. The location is on a community college campus, so even non-students can view upcoming events while reliving themselves of several coffees.
One event caught my attention. National Suicide Prevention Week starts on September 10th.
The notice triggered a tangential reference. Did you know the theme to TV's M*A*S*H has a title? It's "Suicide is Painless." Did you know it has words sung by the Ron Hicklin Singers for the 1970 M*A*S*H movie, which spawned the immensely successful TV series?
The song's chorus says this:
That suicide is painless
It brings on many changes
And I can take or leave it
If I please
Here's where the death talk occurs. I call bull feces on the song's main point.
Yeah, There's Pain
Oh, the way someone kills themselves might be quick. However, what about the pain and darkness that cause them to commit suicide? What about the pain and utter despair their friends and family face once they learn of someone's demise?
Suicide is painful regardless of the person's age, sex, or ethnicity. As the song says, it brings on many changes. Families are destroyed when someone commits suicide. So, why have only one week to prevent the condition?
We should have Suicide Prevention Hour, Day, Year, Decade, or Century. It should be on our minds whenever we see someone we care about in pain. Prevention should be something we do instead of binge-watching Suite Life on Deck or seeing how many likes you have on Instagram. We should listen instead of speak, feel instead of lecture, and help instead of raising our hands in frustration.
Yes, there are those who we can't help. Perhaps their minds are already set or muddled by drugs or alcohol that nothing gets through. Still, we can at least try to move them away from the last action on this mortal plane.
If anything, you have to catch someone at the start of their mental distress. Thoughts of suicide aren't immediate. For many, it isn't until the darkness, sadness, and Dissociative Disorder get so bad that their brain says, Yep, time to go into that Beyond.
Notice I didn't say their soul delivers the message. On the contrary, it's screaming at the top of its lungs not to take a step across the spiritual threshold. Unfortunately, when things seem so desperate, the brain takes over the conversation, spewing illogical poop until it sounds like the right thing to do.
Pay It Forward Through Caring
Suicide is never painless. Hell, mental illness is never painless. That's why you should be vigilant when you see changes in your friends and family.
I know you have your own stuff to deal with. That being said, don’t you want to sit down and spill your guts to someone when you think every chance of hope and light is gone? If that's the case, why don't you want to do the same thing for others?
It's time to pay your blessings forward beyond purchasing someone else's Starbucks. Be vigilant, listen, and talk to someone knowledgeable about mental illness if you notice changes in a friend or family member. Not only professionals at the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline but also those dealing with mental illness.
What Did We Learn Today, Rich?
If we can pay it forward with caring across the globe, the scourge of this mental illness pandemic can be eased. After all, it takes one person to get the ball rolling.
All the best.
Rich Scott Keller
Email: wpantscreations@gmail.com
ClearVoice Portfolio: https://clearvoice.com/cv/RichardKeller
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rskellerwpp/
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