ISSA Push Up Challenge
By James Randall Chumbley
Palm Springs, CA (The Hollywood Times) 9/1/20 – My heart goes out to the millions of individuals that get pulled into darkness for a number of reasons, including mental illness afflictions, unexpected life situations that seem will not get better, bullying, addictions, and others. Certainly, the isolation—and the resulting financial strains—so many people are feeling and dealing with due to COVID-19, has pushed people—precious and cherish lives—to suicide. Many times, well-known celebrities who commit suicide opens that deadly door for others to follow as do family members and friends.
The numbers are staggering. Some 40,000 individuals in the United States and 800,000 globally end their lives every year. That’s not including the numbers that attempt suicide. Still, too many of us shy away for the word suicide and even mental health. Too many people believe it won’t happen to them—that they will not find themselves standing at the threshold between life and death but the numbers don’t lie. We don’t talk enough to our family and friends. We don’t do enough collectively in our schools, colleges, our workplaces, and in our communities.There are many false stigmas associated with mental illness and suicide that are ludicrous. Those false stigmas and judgments prevent many individuals from reaching out for help in fear of being perceived as weak. I assure you: If you have been so fortunate to never have had to deal with the feelings of being so broken that life feels pointless, then you don’t know the strength it takes to make it through the day, much less from minute-to-minute—hour-to-hour.
As I’ve tried to stress, many of our social media postings of live-quotes that we fail to personalize to our individual lives, because they cannot apply to each of the some-seven-billion people in the world can be a trigger, and by your posting such, again, without personalizing them, you are the one behind the gun. You are the one—your un-personalized quote—that pulls that trigger and someone dies. Plus, most life-quotes are a lie. Be a hero. Educate yourself about good mental health and suicide. And, don’t be afraid to talk about them. Reach your hand into that darkness and help pull someone out.
If you are suffering, please reach out. There are people that care deeply about you. And remember, the person you may think you know so well—the one standing beside you—that puts on a convincing face, could very well be breaking in half inside.There is hope, and with the right care, many people live productive and full lives. They can get past the things that mentally cripple them. But, we have to care enough to let them know: We are here for them wherever they may be in the world.
Compassion. Kindness. No judgment.
