Essay: Suicide is selfish In this age of selfies, certain writers claim suicide caused by depression is not selfish. Of course, it is. And if one were to opt for a permanent solution to a temporary problem, at least make a selfless statement. Some years ago, a friend of mine jumped off the Golden Gate bridge. People who knew him wanted to cover up the suicide, and I disagreed. Had he done it in private, yes, but my friend wanted to make a public statement. Celebrities like Robin Williams (I loved him in Good Will Hunting and for his best supporting actor Oscar acceptance speech) and Philip Seymour Hoffman (Gracie and I recently saw A Most Wanted Man, which I highly recommend for the ensemble cast led by the consummate actor) who had the public eating out of the palm of their hand squandered the chance to make a final statement that matters. Descriptions such as addicted, depressed, and suicidal are added to their hyphenated notoriety. And, now, we discuss whether suicide [literally from the Latin sui (of oneself) and caedere (kill)] is selfish or not? This is NOT to say depression does not qualify as a debilitating disease. This is to say when one is still functional, one must take advantage of lucid thoughts translated to unequivocal action. Such as making a stand on key issues of the day. For example: The war on civilization sugarcoated as terrorism or some other euphemistic term; genocide of Jews, Ukrainians, and other minorities; homogenizing the world by region and then by continent; imposition of morality by a fundamentally immoral minority; infringement or outright denial of basic human rights and freedoms. Speaking of the last item: We have 30 basic human rights, according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, created by the United Nations in 1948 to provide a global understanding of how to treat individuals. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: 1. We are all free and equal. We are all born free. We all have our own thoughts and ideas. We should all be treated in the same way. 2. Don’t discriminate. These rights belong to everybody, whatever our differences. 3. The right to life. We all have the right to life, and to live in freedom and safety. 4. No slavery – past and present. Nobody has any right to make us a slave. We cannot make anyone our slave. 5. No Torture. Nobody has any right to hurt us or to torture us. 6. We all have the same right to use the law. I am a person just like you! 7. We are all protected by the law. The law is the same for everyone. It must treat us all fairly. 8. Fair treatment by fair courts. We can all ask for the law to help us when we are not treated fairly. 9. No unfair detainment. Nobody has the right to put us in prison without a good reason and keep us there, or to send us away from our country. 10. The right to trial. If we are put on trial this should be in public. The people who try us should not let anyone tell them what to do. 11. Innocent until proven guilty. Nobody should be blamed for doing something until it is proven. When people say we did a bad thing we have the right to show it is not true. 12. The right to privacy. Nobody should try to harm our good name. Nobody has the right to come into our home, open our letters or bother us, or our family without a good reason. 13. Freedom to move. We all have the right to go where we want in our own country and to travel as we wish. 14. The right to asylum. If we are frightened of being badly treated in our own country, we all have the right to run away to another country to be safe. 15. The right to a nationality. We all have the right to belong to a country. 16. Marriage and family. Every grown-up has the right to marry and have a family if they want to. Men and women have the same rights when they are married, and when they are separated. 17. Your own things. Everyone has the right to own things or share them. Nobody should take our things from us without a good reason. 18. Freedom of thought. We all have the right to believe in what we want to believe, to have a religion, or to change it if we want. 19. Free to say what you want. We all have the right to make up our own minds, to think what we like, to say what we think, and to share our ideas with other people. 20. Meet where you like. We all have the right to meet our friends and to work together in peace to defend our rights. Nobody can make us join a group if we don’t want to. 21. The right to democracy. We all have the right to take part in the government of our country. Every grown-up should be allowed to choose their own leaders. 22. The right to social security. We all have the right to affordable housing, medicine, education, and child care, enough money to live on and medical help if we are ill or old. 23. Workers’ rights. Every grown-up has the right to do a job, to a fair wage for their work, and to join a trade union. 24. The right to play. We all have the right to rest from work and to relax. 25. A bed and some food. We all have the right to a good life. Mothers and children, people who are old, unemployed or disabled, and all people have the right to be cared for. 26. The right to education. Education is a right. Primary school should be free. We should learn about the United Nations and how to get on with others. Our parents can choose what we learn. 27. Culture and copyright. Copyright is a special law that protects one’s own artistic creations and writings; others cannot make copies without permission. We all have the right to our own way of life and to enjoy the good things that “art,” science, and learning bring. 28. A free and fair world. There must be proper order so we can all enjoy rights and freedoms in our own country and all over the world. 29. Our responsibilities. We have a duty to other people, and we should protect their rights and freedoms. 30. Nobody can take away these rights and freedoms from us. Listed above are issues that could use a face. Robin and Philip could have stated in no uncertain terms where they stood in the fight for humanity. Instead they are poster boys for Western misbehavior used against the rest of our civilization in an attempt to throw us back to the dark ages. We wouldnt welcome it. Really, we wouldnt be welcome there at all. Yes, suicide is selfish except for the so-called suicide bomber, whos making a statement on behalf of a worldwide movement, while we cry over talented individuals, who, given all the chances derived from their popularity, self-indulged and were self-absorbed to the end. What about ordinary -- read: clueless -- people like us? Well, theres selfie until were photobombed. Please take great care of yourself, everyone, and thank you for all you do. Love, Mel
Posted on: Thu, 02 Oct 2014 16:50:52 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015