When a person comes to a crossroads where the choice is suicide or life, to view
that as cowardly would be an inhumane statement. If you had a loved one that was
so depressed that the only alternative they could see is suicide. Would you not have
some compassion? Sure you would.
For someone to have reached the depths of depression that suicide seems the only
alternative truly states a need for intervention. Chances are that the only reason a
person is contemplating suicide is they can find no other alternative. Which means
they just simply need help finding a way to overcome that which haunts them,
remember the old adage “can’t see the forest for the trees� People in crisis can’t
see beyond the problem at hand. They need a professional to guide them out of the
depression.
There is nothing cowardly about suicide or depression associated with it, far from it. It’s a sense of hopelessness that people consider suicide. For those that act upon it have not perpetrated a cowardly act, they are acting on emotions out of control. If you could label suicide as a cowardly act, perhaps some instances could be so.
Murder suicide where the taking of another’s life before the suicide occurs. Suicide
bombers who kill others with themselves in the same horrific instant destroying and
killing with no regard at all. Someone who has done a horrific act and kills
themselves to avoid punishment and consequences of there acts. These could all be
labeled cowardly acts against humanity.
Another terrible thing to consider is terminally ill. Those that are not sick and in
extreme constant pain can not presume to understand. Until you have truly walked
in someone’s shoes how can judge another? Those family members that are
hanging on to the loved one have to examine how much of this is about them and
not the person dying? In other words are you hanging on for you when there is no
hope of recovery to ease your own suffering? When you simply can not take
anymore how do you cope? What is the answer? Religious folks will say no, it’s a
mortal sin. Others say it’s humane. When animals suffer we put them out of pain
with euthanasia. Again this is an instance where coward would be a hugely unjust
statement. But in no way do I condone the taking of a life. There are simply different
ways to view this subject.
Suicide has ugly faces. In the wake of a suicide families are left to wonder why. For
the victim a life cut short without the hope of recovery in the mind of the deceased.
To call someone in real need a coward would be inhumane. Acts of suicide to
perpetuate violence, absolutely a cowardly act and deserve that word in every
sense of its meaning.
Those contemplating suicide you have hope. You may not see that now but you
have hope. Find help in the face of all this despair. Simply tell a professional or
priest you can’t take anymore. Someone will stop and try and help you.
