This is going to sound bad...
But I think that suicide is one of the most selfish things that a person can do.
It makes me sad to think about what a person must be going through in order to feel that the only way out is to take their own life. Don't get me wrong, I am not a completely heartless bitch. By taking your own life though, think about the effect that there is on others.
Lets start with the basics. Family and friends. Now I know all situations are different. Maybe not everyone has family and friends. But for arguments sake let's say that if there are no family and friends to speak of, there is someone who will care more about a person that he or she could know. Anyway, dealing with a death in the family due to sickness or old age is already incredibly heard to deal with. I can only imagine that suicide would be even more difficult. Imagine the feelings of guilt that there was someone that close to you that there was absolutely nothing you could do to help. Disclaimer - I have never had a close friend or family member commit suicide, so I don't really know how it would make me feel... It is a situation I hope to never have to be in. But as someone who does not fall into this category... This takes me to point #2.
#2. Other affected people. One person never really has a grasp of how much they can and do affect others. I think at this point it may be appropriate to insert a story, which will give some background on why I am going on this particular rant today. Tonight, I was on my way home from work at 9pm. It had been a very long day after getting to the office at 8:30 this morning and after work we had an event that we were hosting. By the time I got to leave, I was really just looking forward to getting on the subway, getting home, and crawling into bed. Instead, we walk to the subway only to find out that the subway is closed. "An accident or something" is what we are told and we proceed to cram our way into a shuttle bus that made me think that it was rush hour as opposed to 9 pm. Talking to the bus driver, we find out that the subway has been closed south of Bloor because someone jumped in front of a train. This supposedly happens 3 times a week according to the driver and normally causes closures on the subway for anywhere between 1 and 6 hours. Think about the number of people that ride a subway in 6 hours in that downtown loop? Do you think that the guy that just jumped in front of a train thought about them? Because he has just changed their lives. Not only that, but worst of all, how do you think the driver of that train feels? I can only imagine him going home at the end of the day to his wife and kids and telling them about his day at work. Maybe I am overly emotional (okay, I know I am, the guy that read my palm the other day even told me I was, but that story is for another time) but I know if I was driving that train I would never be able to go back to work again, probably wouldn't be able to sleep at night, and would most likely be ruining relationships with friends and family as I would be a very changed person. How does something like that not change you?
It is amazing how such a small act can impact so many people. Speaking to the people crammed on to a shuttle bus and trying to deal with their own knowledge of what had just happened is quite enlightening. I guess the good thing that comes out of it is the realization that one person really can change the world. Not always in a negative way. The small things that we do in life really can take a life of their own with the ripple effect that they cause.
Let's think of a positive for this one. If the train had not been closed today... I would have not had the chance to explain the subway system to a co-worker who just moved to Toronto and been able to help her get around the trains more than just from her house to the office. How is that for a positive?
Lame I know.
It makes me sad to think about what a person must be going through in order to feel that the only way out is to take their own life. Don't get me wrong, I am not a completely heartless bitch. By taking your own life though, think about the effect that there is on others.
Lets start with the basics. Family and friends. Now I know all situations are different. Maybe not everyone has family and friends. But for arguments sake let's say that if there are no family and friends to speak of, there is someone who will care more about a person that he or she could know. Anyway, dealing with a death in the family due to sickness or old age is already incredibly heard to deal with. I can only imagine that suicide would be even more difficult. Imagine the feelings of guilt that there was someone that close to you that there was absolutely nothing you could do to help. Disclaimer - I have never had a close friend or family member commit suicide, so I don't really know how it would make me feel... It is a situation I hope to never have to be in. But as someone who does not fall into this category... This takes me to point #2.
#2. Other affected people. One person never really has a grasp of how much they can and do affect others. I think at this point it may be appropriate to insert a story, which will give some background on why I am going on this particular rant today. Tonight, I was on my way home from work at 9pm. It had been a very long day after getting to the office at 8:30 this morning and after work we had an event that we were hosting. By the time I got to leave, I was really just looking forward to getting on the subway, getting home, and crawling into bed. Instead, we walk to the subway only to find out that the subway is closed. "An accident or something" is what we are told and we proceed to cram our way into a shuttle bus that made me think that it was rush hour as opposed to 9 pm. Talking to the bus driver, we find out that the subway has been closed south of Bloor because someone jumped in front of a train. This supposedly happens 3 times a week according to the driver and normally causes closures on the subway for anywhere between 1 and 6 hours. Think about the number of people that ride a subway in 6 hours in that downtown loop? Do you think that the guy that just jumped in front of a train thought about them? Because he has just changed their lives. Not only that, but worst of all, how do you think the driver of that train feels? I can only imagine him going home at the end of the day to his wife and kids and telling them about his day at work. Maybe I am overly emotional (okay, I know I am, the guy that read my palm the other day even told me I was, but that story is for another time) but I know if I was driving that train I would never be able to go back to work again, probably wouldn't be able to sleep at night, and would most likely be ruining relationships with friends and family as I would be a very changed person. How does something like that not change you?
It is amazing how such a small act can impact so many people. Speaking to the people crammed on to a shuttle bus and trying to deal with their own knowledge of what had just happened is quite enlightening. I guess the good thing that comes out of it is the realization that one person really can change the world. Not always in a negative way. The small things that we do in life really can take a life of their own with the ripple effect that they cause.
Let's think of a positive for this one. If the train had not been closed today... I would have not had the chance to explain the subway system to a co-worker who just moved to Toronto and been able to help her get around the trains more than just from her house to the office. How is that for a positive?
Lame I know.
posted by Jodi at
10:03 p.m.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home