Suicide

     Over the past few days, I had a friend tell me they were considering killing themselves. I've had another who said she'd already started. This is something I cannot grasp.
     I've always told people, friend or otherwise, that I'm always here to talk or listen whenever I'm needed. I don't always have the best advice, but I'll be there as long as they need me. If someone tells me they're depressed, I want to do all that I can to help them. All they have to do is ask. However, some people seem to not understand how precious the gift of life really is.
     Life is the most precious gift ever given to us by God and Mother Earth. To be able to live and be a part of the grander scheme of God's plan for the world is truly a blessing. All life, no matter how it is lived, is beautiful in its own way. You just have to look at it with open eyes. We wake up in the mornings and complain that we've woken too early, while children are born dead everyday and will never know the joy of the waking world. Each new day we live is a blessing that we all push aside in our minds. Not everyone gets to experience it.
     When God and Mother Earth breathe life into us, it is a gift. For one to take their own life, it's telling God that we don't appreciate the beautiful gift he's given to us. It's taking that gift and throwing it back in his face. The sixth of the ten commandments states "Thou shall not kill". This goes out not only to our neighbors, but also to ourselves. Suicide is an act that not only brings pain to the heart of God, but to those beings who loved the now deceased. To take ones life will not release you from the pain of the world. I do not believe that a person can enjoy their afterlife as much as one should while watching the pain and sorrow they left their loved ones with. You don't realize how much you will be missed until it's too late.

      ^"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." -Romans 8:18, King James Version.

     Every person reaches a point of despair and loneliness in their lives. God allows us to experience such pain to show us that as long as we love and trust in him, it will all be worth it in the end. He allows us to experience bad things in life so that we will grow stronger and learn to be happy through the sadness.
     The thought of anyone taking their own life deeply pains me; however, someone as young as myself or younger ending their lives is an act I cannot fathom. To consider ending your life over the loss of a mate at this age especially. You are young. You have your whole life ahead of you just waiting to be lived to the fullest.
     I've felt the sorrow of losing someone I loved with all my being, and there were many times where death appeared easier to bear than going on living without them. I prayed for a very long time to anyone who would listen, and when I prayed, I felt no pain. Mother Earth was the first to grant me peace. She filled my days with sunshine and warmth, and surrounded me with others who cared for me. She gave me a soft breeze and the birds a pleasant song, and I was closer to happiness. Then God spoke into my heart and showed me that just because that part of my life was over, it did not mean my happiness was. He showed me that it wasn't the end of my story, but the beginning of a new chapter, and I smiled again. Through their love, I was at peace.
     People may say "Oh, my love does not love me in return. I wish I had never been born." Why wish away the gift of life over someone who doesn't return your love? While they go on living their lives happily, you are miserable because you only think of the pain you feel because of their absence. Live your life for yourself, and you will find happiness.
     Others tell me "I have no one to love, I feel so alone. I wish I were dead". One cannot find happiness by going through life searching for love. You will only find misery. Let love find you. That's why it's called falling in love. You don't make yourself fall, you just fall. To be truly happy, we need only ask our Earth Mother and our Heavenly Father and they will fill the void of loneliness. We are never truly alone.
     Another I've heard is "The one that I love wishes I was dead; I want to make them happy. I'm going to end my life". The best way to deal with hate is to love. If they wish you were dead, then living a happy life is the best way to show them that you don't need their approval. Show them that what they want for you doesn't matter. Taking your life over someone who doesn't care whether you live or die is pure ignorance.
     Life is the most beautiful gift we are ever given. If you're unhappy with your life, change it. Don't end it. Change the things that bring you sorrow. Do things differently. If you can't change the larger things, change small things about your daily habits. Get a new hobby. Buy an interesting book. Do a puzzle. Paint a picture. Do things to keep your mind occupied and away from poisoning thoughts. Now mind you when I say to occupy your mind, there are things to avoid. Many things that seem to help at the time are very self destructive. Alcohol abuse can sometimes give a  temporary feeling of happiness, but it will only make you more pained in the end.
     When thoughts of suicide come into your mind, stop and think: Every morning you wake up, there's someone somewhere who will never see their family again because they didn't. Every time you're angry or hurt that your mate left you or doesn't return your love, there's someone somewhere whose loved one has already died. Remember that you will see them again when you join them in the afterlife. When your parents take away the things you enjoy to teach you a lesson, someone somewhere is being beaten daily by their parents. While you complain that you didn't get the food you wanted, someone somewhere in the world is starving to death. As you complain that you can't find find an outfit you like, someone somewhere in the world is freezing to death because they can't afford warm clothes at all.
     Life can always get worse. When we're depressed, we only look at the negatives in our lives. We ignore all the positive things and silver linings. Open your eyes. Look at the world with an open mind and you will see that life is beautiful and you have so many reasons to live. Mother Earth loves you, God loves you, and I love you.
           ~Manda Chanel