Your Friendly Philosopher & Guide

There is this particular organization called Snehaindia.org, which thinks they help people against committing suicides. Once we had organized a live chat with one of the representatives of ‘Sneha’ at Sify. Neither the person was a smart-looking movie celebrity nor was a skimpily dressed movie heroine. Hence I was made to co-ordinate with him. The chat was on, and questions started pouring like rains in Chennai.

*I don’t have a proper job - I want to commit suicide
*I don’t look good – I want to commit suicide
*My wife isn’t supportive – I want to commit suicide
*There is a dark permanent mark on my elbow – I want to commit suicide

And the poor guy kept repeating the same sentence - just talk to people, friends and relatives around you, and you will feel better. If nothing helps, reach our office for some counseling. After a while he stopped dictating, and I kept typing.

The thought of committing suicide comes to each and every one of us. But who has the guts to do it is a different story altogether. Rajini Kanth wanted to commit suicide once, and even I was hovering around with a strip of sleeping tablets in my pocket when I was 21. I had a good lunch, felt better, and threw the strip – and I am still alive.

I have noticed a strange phenomenon that people who ‘think’ about ending their lives never commit suicide. Suicide happens in a ‘thoughtless’ state of mind, when you indeed are running a very bad period astrologically. It isn’t true that only cowards commit suicides, or depressed people commit suicide – I have seen people with impressive confidence levels ending their lives in spur of a moment.

One of my aunts was a very dominating, aggressive and a confident person. People would have agreed if they she had killed someone, but they could not digest that she ended her life instead. She never had any plans to commit suicide. And there was no reason either. Another aunt of mine had delivered a child just that particular day, and this aunt visited her in the hospital, and came back home with a promise that she will come with the lunch. She went home, had a small fight with her husband, and got herself charred through self-immolation.

In another incident my mother in law (MIL) and her neighbour had planned to go for a movie once. She collected the money from my MIL and went to the theatre to get the tickets. It was getting late, and that lady never came back. My MIL went to her house to check, and she was hanging under the fan with tickets in her hands! My MIL was carrying then, and had a miscarriage at her 6th month of pregnancy.

There is another cadre where in people just try to make someone understand that they are capable of committing suicide, while they really don’t want to. And sometimes they just want to try committing suicide for the heck of it. These are the people who are the dangerous lot, where in they escape few attempts accidentally, and die when they really don’t want to. They get saved when they are running a good time, and their effort backfires mostly the 3rd time, when they least expect it.

So can you save someone from committing suicide? Not really. Statistics say – every 5 minutes, someone, somewhere in India attempts suicide, making suicide, the third major cause of death. And nothing can be done about it.

And the people who torture you with their depression, problems, and their idea of putting an end to their lives – allow them. Don’t waste your time in making them understand the futility of death, instead help them with the best possible way to commit suicide. Take my word – they will never take a step forward. And never ever think that you can save someone from dying. People won’t die when the time hasn’t come, and none can save them when the time has come. It is all in the divine plan!