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Why Some Choose To End It All

Could this be why one chooses to end it all?
We have all wondered about the whys,
Because life often throws one against a wall
A person can fall no matter how hard s/he tries.

We have all wondered about the whys
Thinking we knew all our loved one’s foils,
A person can fall no matter how hard s/he tries
Or how diligently s/he struggled with toils.

Thinking we knew all our loved one’s foils
We were never privy to what was going on inside
Or, how diligently s/he struggled with toils
When there was no one with whom to confide.

We were never privy to what was going on inside,
The full extent of one’s suffering and pain
When there was no one with whom to confide
They came to feel they had everything to gain.

The full extent of one’s suffering and pain
Finding no solace, life becomes a heartless abyss
They came to feel they had everything to gain
By choosing to leave this life for an eternity of bliss.

Finding no solace, life becomes a heartless abyss
Because life often throws one against a wall,
By choosing to leave this life for an eternity of bliss
Could this be why one chooses to end it all? 

Written November 1, 2022

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Marco Chies

Date: 11/2/2022 7:07:00 PM

One recent winter, my uncle took his pistol at six in the morning and shocked everyone with his sudden departure from life. Something inexplicable, he had everything, a beautiful family, an honorable profession, beautiful grandchildren, money... There is something inside some people that compels them to self-destruct and this extreme act is also an extreme cry for help or a way to say enough to some pain of the soul.

L Milton Hankins
Date: 11/2/2022 8:26:00 PM

Death by self-destruction intrudes on most families at one time or another. I have a similar story when a cousin's wife prepared a Christmas dinner for her extended family and while they all sat down to dinner, she went into the bathroom and shot herself to death. Still a mystery.

Caren Krutsinger

Date: 11/2/2022 2:22:00 PM

We never are "privy to what was going on inside" - I think suicide is happening at a horribly fast rate these days.

L Milton Hankins
Date: 11/2/2022 8:27:00 PM

It is, Caren, and shockingly so as so many people who take their own lives have so much to live for.

Tom Cunningham

Date: 11/1/2022 3:32:00 PM

Sad that some see no way out, often too proud to ask for help and then it's too late and they see taking their own life as an escape from it all. We never know what's going on in people's heads. Tom

L Milton Hankins
Date: 11/1/2022 7:36:00 PM

That is so true, Tom. I do honestly believe that something in their minds absolutely destroys their sense of self-worth, and they see no reason to live any longer. That being said, I believe it is a mental illness that succeeds in destroying its victim.