SUICIDE IS NOT AN EPIDEMIC

Two in less than a month, barely two weeks apart.
That’s how fast I’ve lost people through the same means: suicide.

Two people I see in my neighborhood almost every day, greeting them with nothing more than just a nod to acknowledge each other’s presence. Not total strangers but almost nothing more than a familiar face I see every once in a while.
The first one was a father of three beautiful kids. He used to be the neighborhood’s coolest guy; he was strong, loud, funny and reliable. He was a brother to us when we were younger, always watching us play and making us laugh. People in the neighborhood trusts him deeply and had never failed to set the mood of the whole neighborhood.
But he made one mistake. After which, people around judged him and told him off. But he was still the same old strong, funny and reliable guy of the place. Until one afternoon he decides to hang himself in the bathroom.
No one expected it. It was the talk of the whole neighborhood for about a week.
The news of his passing had me speechless. But unlike me, people around had a lot to say.

“His conscience had him good,” they said.

“He’s stupid for killing himself,” they said.
“Crazy bastard,” they called him.

The other one was a happy-go-lucky gay teenager. He was younger than me for maybe two years or so and lived in the same neighborhood. A friend of my cousin, someone she used to play with when she was younger. I don’t recall much about him besides how good he is at singing and how open he is to his orientation.
Then he fell in love. Nothing is wrong with it but apparently, it didn’t end up the way he wanted it to be. So, one broken night, after a few drinks with friends, he decides to hang himself like the first one.
And just like the first one, people had a lot to say.

“What a copycat,” they said.
“This is stupid,” they said.
“He probably got the idea from (insert first one’s name),” they said.

Not only does the news of these people’s passing have me speechless but also how people view their deaths had me dumbfounded. Is this how they think about suicide? They make it seem like committing such act is so petty.
Suicide is not petty. It is not something you copy from someone who did it. It is not a disease that you can get contaminated with. It is not a trend that “stupid” people follow. Suicide is caused by different things, by depression in most and that is something so big some people can’t control and just get over with.
Issues of the mind are deep matters that would take long to discuss. But what I want people to get from this is to have respect for all subjects of life, or in this case, even for the dead. Talking shit about how the deceased passed isn’t something you should be talking about at the wake or funeral. Respect should be given to all, whether alive or not. People should be reminiscing how they lived, not how they died.








This article is written solely based on my opinion that although based on no true fact, seeks understanding from others who may share the same view in this issue.