Suicide

“And now, in keeping with Channel 40's policy of always bringing you the latest in blood and guts, in living color, you're about to see another first - an attempted suicide.

These are the last words of Chris Hubbock, a news anchor who shot herself on air in 1970. Suicide is presented and discussed in chapter 12. Suicide is a troubling concept in Western culture. I’m writing on this subject because I found this chapter to be the most informative for me. Before reading this chapter, I basically thought that suicide was suicide. I never imagined that it could be such a multi-faceted issue. There are just so many aspects to this: Elderly suicide, adolescence suicide, ritual suicide, suicide due to mental illness, child suicide, altruistic suicide, and depressive suicide. I think fully understanding this issue will help me tremendously in my career as a counselor.

Two basic classifications of suicide stand out in my mind: suicide as a means of escaping the current conditions of life and sacrificial or martyrdom type suicides. In American culture we are familiar first the first type, as a means to escape life or suffering. Suicide is often looked down upon in our society, especially in certain religions. Most Fundamental Christians believe that those who commit suicide damn themselves to eternal hell because of the act. Others believe it to be an act of cowardice or weakness. The loved ones that are left typically assign blame to themselves, thinking that they were responsible somehow. This sharply contrasts with Eastern Philosophy.

The tragedy of September 11^th has made Americans all to aware of another type of suicide: Suicide Bombers. In some parts of the world this is everyday life. Young men who give their lives in such a manner are revered in Middle Eastern culture. They are labeled as “martyred” and go on to become heroes and legends. This is a disturbing trend considering the increasingly frequent bombings in Israel and Spain. Some Middle Eastern governments have begun paying the families of the suicide bombers for their service to Allah and country. It is estimated that there are many thousands of young men waiting for the chance to take part in such a mission. Through this act suicide crosses a boundary and turns into murder as well. Taking other’s lives while taking your own is quite different from the more honor bound tradition in the Far East. Ancient Samurais would commit seppuku or hara-kiri upon the death of their Lords or when facing disgrace. The custom was widely seen as noble or honorable. Committing ritual suicide could even help your family’s social standing.

An excellent way to understand the motives behind suicide is by examining suicide notes. I typed “suicide notes” into my search engine and came up with several pages of famous notes. You can clearly tell if a person was depressed or angry. Some of the letters weren’t emotional at all like the note left by the late George Eastman, “To my friends: My work is done. Why wait?” This note conveys a lighthearted approach to death. Virginia Wolf’s last words sharply contrast; “I feel certain that I'm going mad again. I feel we can't go thru another of those terrible times. And I shan't recover this time. I begin to hear voices…” I guess there as many reasons for suicide as there are people. However, in the end they all face the same fate which we do not know.