Quote:
Originally Posted by Angela  It's lovely that you are willing to generously allow people to make their own choices, Joely, and I would like to do that, too. And - I have a very strong preference for an environment in which suicide, and even the contemplation of suicide, would be very, very rare. |
I do too. One of the reasons I chose to work where I did was the benefit gained by seeking help. As Jaamkie mentioned, much of that very severe depressive thinking involves feeling a dreadful guilt that you feel sad and depressed all the time and that you're burdening friends with your feelings. It's often hard to get through to people that they aren't, and that if they took the simple step of allowing themselves to feel their pain, rather than beat themselves up for feeling it, they would be released. I think that's why at the moment I seem to be focusing on writing to help people see different alternatives. I've been there, but then I've always had something that had greater meaning in my life to pull me back. And I have a bloody-minded will to live as well!
I think it's just the way I've been raised, to be honest. My parents have living wills; I and my brother become responsible for the decision whether or not to end their lives should they be in a position where they can no longer make that decision whether to live or die themselves. I don't think there's any tougher call than being asked to decide whether somebody else lives or dies, but I do respect their choice. I'm sorry if this is going off-topic, but I see it as one of the ways that I take responsibility for what happens in the world. In my little way, I make an effort to help people feel better about themselves and alleviate some of the pain others suffer in life, whatever the cause.