When suicide becomes a viable option
What's shocking is more people die in the US from suicide than homicide.
Statistically, men are three times more likely to commit suicide than women. The high-risk group being middle-aged white males.
When stress gets to this heartbreaking level, it’s not one thing, but a relentless chain of smaller things that have built up over time. It’s the constant drip, drip, drip that pushes good people over the edge.
In 2016 there were a staggering 44,965 recorded suicides in the US alone. To be clear, people who commit suicide aren’t looking to end their lives; they are looking for a way to end their suffering.
Stress can cause a person to become withdrawn, anxious, or display emotional outbursts. Men may find it harder to talk openly to their peers for fear of being judged. If this is you, please note that suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.
It doesn’t help that men are constantly bombarded with idiotic statements like “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.” Or from luxury car manufacturers like Porsche whose catchy slogan claims that “there is no substitute” (for owning a $250,000 car), really?
If we aren’t careful, those luxury brands we aspire to own, begin to owns us. Perhaps what men are really saying is they would like to be shown more respect.
We live in a world where we are encouraged to relate success with owning objects, hence just about every billboard out there is designed to make a person feel like he or she is not enough. If people only knew, ownership is an expensive illusion and inner peace doesn’t come from what we buy; it comes from the things we can live without. Very few will find themselves on their death beds wishing they had spent more time in the office.
And while there is nothing wrong with ambition there needs to be a healthy balance. Without balance, we run the risk of owning so many things that the only solution is to rent a storage container.
We all get the same amount of allotted time in a day. Some spend it chasing a better wardrobe or perhaps the latest electronic gadget. These are short-term rewards for having too much money. But these rewards cannot compete with having the freedom to do what we want when we want.
A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to
bed at night, and in between, he does what he wants to do.
– Bob Dylan
In today’s fast-paced world we have become quick to measure ourselves by the quality of the car we drive, the size of our house or the number of electronic digits representing our net worth.
Perhaps it would be better to judge by the way we treat ourselves when nobody is watching. Bottom line: Be kind to yourself today, you were not made for defeat, you have a value, you ARE enough.
Thank you
