Is Suicide a sign of Weakness

Is Suicide a sign of weakness? Can it be Justified?

“The bravest thing I ever did was continuing my life when I wanted to die.”
― Juliette Lewis

why will a person contemplate suicide? is suicide a sign of weakness or is it justified? This is one of the questions that will attract different answers depending on the emotional intelligence of the individual being asked. I have engaged in various conversations where I always had to argue that suicide is not for the weak, Why do I say this? It is because I have contemplated suicide at least twice (a story for another day) and I have also lost a friend to suicide that saw me embark on the journey of creating mental health and depression awareness. Would anyone say that dying from cancer is an act of weakness? and that individuals dying from Cancer are weak? I don't think so. It would be idiotic to say that dying from a stroke or cancer is an act of weakness. such words would show the level of insensitivity and ignorance.

However, there are individuals who will say suicide is an act of cowardice and the people who commit suicide are weak; I tend to disagree as this statement is insensitive and incorrect. Most of the people who die of suicide have mental issues at their time of death, therefore, they are usually not thinking clearly because of the emotional pain they may be going through. They are not weak, they are ill just like those with heart disease. Take for instance Robin Williams, one of the most well-known and successful comedians of his time. According to his Daughter, Williams was always warm, even in his darkest moments. But he committed suicide due to depression and his death shocked the world. The tragedy is that how could a man who spent most of his life making people laugh commit suicide? Therefore the word cowardice or weakness should not be associated with suicide. Bipolar disorders, Clinical depression, and other related mental illnesses can cause a person to do many things they would never have done including death by suicide. Therefore cowardice and weakness have NOTHING to do with Suicide and using these insensitive words fuels the stigma associated with mental illness and Suicide. Such kinds of words are extremely disrespectful and hurtful to the victims of suicide including survivors.

On this journey, I have met individuals who will swear by the Name of God ( the religious ones), that they can never commit suicide no matter what life throws at them. And yes they could be right depending on their emotional strength. But sometimes we just lose it, it reaches the point where all we want is to end the pain, in this situation, committing suicide becomes a cry of help that takes a lot of strength to ask which the mind doesn't want to do. we feel that committing suicide may be the only way we can escape the suffering, sometimes it is the only conclusion that our brain can make. We are living in a society where taking one’s own life is not received well and considered as a cowardice act. But what if one is suffering, why can’t we just stop the chapter and end the suffering. For instance, when we have a bad job, we can always quit. For those in marriage, we can file for divorce, and some may seek love somewhere else. But when it comes do eternal suffering, the pain brought by emotional trauma, terminal disease, don’t we have the right to shut down that suffering stage. Is suicide the best solution for the pain we may be going through?

When things are going as planned, we will always crave the continuity of life, however, when we hit obstacles or things fall back, suicidal thoughts set in. We feel like ending our lives will end the suffering. This is never the case because ending our lives only transfers the pain to those we love. Think of your Mum when you are gone, That lovely little girl who just turned two years old, who will be there to hold her hand through this harsh world. Who will teach your son to be a gentleman and be strong so as to prevail through the hardship that comes along with life? Suffering should never be a reason to end our life. You shouldn’t commit suicide because the love of your life rejected you. We can always find love somewhere. The idea that there is only one person out there for us is a toxic mindset that you need to let go of.

Suicide is not a sign of weakness nor cowardice but rather an act that originates from serious mental health issues, and the words used to associate suicide should reflect that fact. Although Suicide is not a sign of weakness it cannot be Justified.