Since the apparently sudden suicide of Chester Bennington (front-man for Linkin Park), I've been thinking about the statement made by so many of his friends and fans; "I didn't see it coming...". It is a refrain made by many of the closest confidants of people who finally lost that last shred of hope.
I don't subscribe to the belief that a personal non-aggressive* suicide results in eternal damnation in the way that the various Faithful claim. No. What I *do* believe is that whatever your Faith, you will suffer in the hereafter for eternity, but not from an external source. Rather, you have to face eternity with the knowledge of the pain you caused to those who loved and needed you.
(*ie: "non-aggressive suicide" is to end your own life only, and not intentionally kill anyone else with you. Euthanasia is whole other ball of wax, and well beyond the scope of this post...)
How arrogant are we that believe that we can stand Judge over the ending of the life of another ? (Not to get preachy, but look it up...)
Rather my personal view is that non-aggressive suicide is not the act of a sane or mentally balanced person.
I have been part of the crowd who called suicide the coward's way out; that it takes courage to face life. I no longer believe that. Intentional non-aggressive suicide is the act of a person who believes there is no hope to be found in this universe... ie: a state of absolute despair and desolation.
Dante Alighieri's view of Hell depicted the worst of humanity, but I believe the punishment of of those who commit suicide is not accurate. Eternal emotional and psychological pain derived from knowing how your suicide impacted others would be far worse than any physical assault.
And so we return to the trigger, despair, and the question, why? (asked by those left behind).
They do not know why because they missed the signs and did not ask; "R U OK?".
Look up the campaign or talk to any of a host of counselling services globally for help in knowing the signs and when and how to ask.
Do not let another "One More Light" moment (see LP's album of the same name) occur if you could have prevented it.
RIP Chester.
Footnote: For me, the saddest part of the story of Chester is that the signs were there, but very few realised how bad it was, or if they did then they did not know what to do.... There is a reason that "suicide watch" is a thing folks... (and no, I am most definitely NOT blaming anyone for how Chester's last days played out.)
Disclaimer: I have no association with LP beyond being a fan. I have no association with RUOK? Limited, nor any other organisation or charity. . No endorsements should be inferred from the information presented. I am not making any implied statement of support for or criticism of suicide in any form. The information is presented for educational purposes only. It should be noted that both suicide and euthanasia are listed as "illegal" acts in many jurisdictions, and may have consequences for both the deceased and those left behind.... (but remember, I'm not a lawyer...)
