Last weekend the news told of yet another family killed by the father and husband, seems the fellow had a fair amount of debt and rather then deal with it he decided to take not only his life but that of his wife and three kids. Sadly these stories are becoming the norm, I would like to think these are folks battling with mental health issues and not just cold-blooded killers. Though truth be told does it really matter? Debt sucks without a doubt, shit I am so far in the hole I don’t know if I will ever come up for air but taking my life is just not an option. Shit, that’s what bankruptcy is for…yeah your credit is jacked for years but you can get a fresh start.
Today though brought the news that the CFOof Fannie Mae decided to take his own life, thankfully he left the family behind and while my heart goes out to his family since the loss of a loved one is never good, I am once again wondering why are folks snapping like Rice Krispies?
Excuse me for beating my drum again, but what is it about the current hard times that is causing folks to lose their ever-loving minds? In some cases, its debt, mental illness…in the case of the CFO it sounds like he was under an lot of stress with his job. Hello, its called quitting the job! No need to quit life, just walk in and say I am out of here, go the route of Kevin Spacey’s character is American Beauty but don’t end your life.
Maybe its because I was raised on the edge of poverty but I really don’t get why folks let such superficial shit bring them to their knees in such a way, again I wonder if its the lack of community and support that has so many people choosing early death over a less than perfect life? Too many of us feel the need to keep up an image that is all is well even when its not and I am sorry but I truly believe its killing us. Its no wonder that despite the fact that the economy is in the toilet services such as yoga and massage therapy are doing well, services that force us to relax if only for that hour.
What many of us including yours truly needs is time spent with folks who we care for and who care for us, time spent breaking bread and laughing and if we have mental health issues we need the appropriate treatment too.
It’s Earth Day and while we should take a moment to reflect on Mother Earth lets also take some time to reflect on the inhabitants of this planet. Let’s take some time to care for one another as well as this planet.
