"Something From the Heart"

It’s a big world out there. Ever-moving. Ever-changing. It’s no small wonder that many of us get caught up in the whirlwind of the media and society. It’s no real surprise that sometimes; you feel that your presence is just another burden on the already-heavy shoulders of the world, that you will never make a difference.
And then you start thinking that it’s just not worth going on.
Life is the most precious thing we hold – why aren’t we hanging on to it?1

We’ve all seen it. Some of us have experienced first hand the sheer despair of hopelessness. I’ve seen myself that many people who have, or are thinking about doing their family, friends and the world “a favour” by ending their own lives.2

The death of a family member is something you couldn’t hope to imagine. It’s something you’d never want to imagine… it’s something nobody should have to. But it happens. Inevitably, of course, it happens. My family knows that…
…We lost him before his time – not to suicide – but that, as you can guess, was a completely insignificant factor compared to the grief we all went through.
Losing someone like that is anything but “a favour” to the world. It doesn’t “alleviate the burden” of looking after you from your parents. Financially, the sting is hard enough – funerals, even with life insurance, still slug your family with thousands in fees – but emotionally?3

If the natural death of a relative brings with it as much sorrow as it has for us, and some of you reading, then imagine if someone knowingly took their own life.4

If the death of an adult is painful…then the death of a child is Hell.
No parent should have to bury their child.5

And most often it is the younger generation. Between the ages of ten and twenty is believed to be the high risk area for depression, and therefore the chances of suicide increases dramatically.
Just think back and remember every time you yourselves have seen the evidence that supports this: the page profile where a teenage girl talks openly of severing her ties with it all. The poems of an anonymous young adult begging for a “worthless death to end a worthless life”; yet not knowing the artistic talent they already have. Even those Godforsaken videos from YouTube that the TV crews pounce on as soon as they are uploaded; the ones depicting the last moments of a young boy’s life before he executes himself in front of a live audience.6

Life is hard. I’ll challenge anyone who says otherwise. But it’s never so hard that it’s not worth it – that you’re not worth it. Doesn’t anyone remember that running from your problems solves nothing?
Killing yourself isn’t taking a stand. It’s not glorifying, it’s not honourable, and it’s not defiant. It’s the easy way out. It’s letting them win. So don't give up. 7

In a cold world beyond any one person’s control, it can feel hopeless: But it never is. You may feel like once it’s gone, you’ve lost your chance forever: But you haven’t.
No event, in this universe and the next, is completely singular. Infinity goes both ways. There will be other chances, and there will be other times; just keep going. Show your courage by not surrendering. Remember that true friends and your family will love you always, in spite of who you are or what you’ve done. 8

Life is something no-one has the right to take away. The value of a life is priceless – so who’s to say that one person’s is better, worth more, or in any way superior to someone else’s?
This gift is something so easily taken – abortions, disease, war – so many people have their lives cut short; some babies don’t even get the chance to live. It makes you realise that life is not a right: It’s a privilege. Don’t abuse that.