The human condition is tragedy. So observed the ancient Greeks. One solution, especially as we age and hope gets harder to come by, is suicide. However, that turns out to be tricky business.
Former "Seinfeld" star Daniel von Barger, 61, tried it and failed. Distressed that he would have to have his toes amputated because of diabetes, he shot himself in the head. Only that didn't do the job. So, he called 911. He is in critical condition.
Those considering suicide probably can reframe that mindset if they just talk about what's leading to despair. No, the talking doesn't have to happen with a professional in mental health. A good friend or even a compassionate neighbor usually provides that buffer between life and the end of life.
If the decision is to move forward with suicide, then approach that with the realization that the job could be botched. For that reason, those who can justify their decision make the pilgrimage to locations like Switzerland in which assisted suicide is legal and professionally carried out.
In a spiritual organization I was sampling, a member of the group is known - now, that's a tragedy - for becoming disabled when he jumped off a cliff. Before his life went off the rails he had earned a graduate degree in business and had worked in communications in Manhattan. His focus is back in the past, to those days of success. Those of us who bear witness to this the consequences of suicide gone wrong wish he had found someone to talk to before he resorted to desperate measures.
A few months after I moved into the senior citizen complex Bella Vista, New Haven, Connecticut, a man with extreme health problems jumped out the window. He succeeded in his goal. We didn't know whether to rejoice or not.
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