Suicide in the West
I like to listen to Jonah Goldberg's podcasts, and he has recently published a book, Suicide of the West. This week I feel like changing the preposition.
Two celebrity suicides in less than a week have a lot of us talking about suicide. From what I understand, celebrity suicides spawn more consideration and thinking about committing suicide by people who might be inclined to that kind of thinking.
Even worse, from all accounts suicide is rather dramatically on the rise over the last 15 or 20 years.
Why? Superficial answers won't do. I think it's atomization and individualization leading to isolation, and loss of hope, meaning, and purpose. And I would add, contentment. Is there something inherent in Western civilization that leads to suicide going up?
The Roman Catholic Church has traditional taught suicide to be a serious sin, one that excludes the deceased from heaven. That is not Protestant teaching, although many people still think that and often have questions about it. Suicide for a believer is possible. It is a complex topic. Sometimes a person's suicide seems to come out of nowhere; other times it is after long illness or great loss and signs were there.
We all have been touched some way by suicide. We all must be knowledgeable about it.
Karl Meninger is quoted as saying that "Hope is the major weapon against the suicide impulse." I like that, but it leads to the most important question, where does hope come from?
The gospel and believing it. Simple, but not simplistic answer. The gospel, I have finally learned, is much more than the I Corinthians 15:1-5 capsule. It is a lived experience. It is deep and wide and touches everything. It is Jesus, all He is and does and did and will do.
If anyone reading this has a suicidal thoughts. please please please call the hotline right now--don't stop. 1-800-273-8255. If you google it, there is an online chat function.
Or write me through this blog. Or see a good friend or loved one. That person may not say all the right things but they can at least tell you you are loved.
Every suicide diminishes us as a people and diminishes many people close to the deceased.
Two celebrity suicides in less than a week have a lot of us talking about suicide. From what I understand, celebrity suicides spawn more consideration and thinking about committing suicide by people who might be inclined to that kind of thinking.
Even worse, from all accounts suicide is rather dramatically on the rise over the last 15 or 20 years.
Why? Superficial answers won't do. I think it's atomization and individualization leading to isolation, and loss of hope, meaning, and purpose. And I would add, contentment. Is there something inherent in Western civilization that leads to suicide going up?
The Roman Catholic Church has traditional taught suicide to be a serious sin, one that excludes the deceased from heaven. That is not Protestant teaching, although many people still think that and often have questions about it. Suicide for a believer is possible. It is a complex topic. Sometimes a person's suicide seems to come out of nowhere; other times it is after long illness or great loss and signs were there.
We all have been touched some way by suicide. We all must be knowledgeable about it.
Karl Meninger is quoted as saying that "Hope is the major weapon against the suicide impulse." I like that, but it leads to the most important question, where does hope come from?
The gospel and believing it. Simple, but not simplistic answer. The gospel, I have finally learned, is much more than the I Corinthians 15:1-5 capsule. It is a lived experience. It is deep and wide and touches everything. It is Jesus, all He is and does and did and will do.
If anyone reading this has a suicidal thoughts. please please please call the hotline right now--don't stop. 1-800-273-8255. If you google it, there is an online chat function.
Or write me through this blog. Or see a good friend or loved one. That person may not say all the right things but they can at least tell you you are loved.
Every suicide diminishes us as a people and diminishes many people close to the deceased.
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