Thrill Ride
Did you read the article about the sports writer who drove up to a police parking lot, called 911, reported his own suicide and proceeded to put a bullet in his head? On his 60th birthday, he had decided that he had lived long enough, didn't like the way he was aging, wanted no part of any debilitating illness and wanted to exit on his terms. Which he did. Not married, no kids, minimal contact with a sister and a brother. He had no real support system to be there to catch him when he got to falling. For him, I guess, his interpretation was that he had found himself in dire straits at 60. The blogesphere was a piece of the puzzle too. He was an active participant and had been detailing in his blog set to publish a day after his death the who, what, when, where of the gradual process of his death spiral. Yahoo removed the site a few days later. Unfit for public consumption, I guess.
I found his story on the CNN website. It's worth a look. I was pulled in.
What makes us do what we do?
When we're aging, but in good health, what takes us so close to the precipice?
Life's a thrill ride for me, and I like to think the coaster ride is still on the way up!
I share your attitude. Cannot imagine that kind of isolation and despair.
ReplyDeleteSolitude is something very scary.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad when people cut themselves off from other people to the point that life has no meaning. Staying connected to friends, family, and organizations is critical. Don't forget part of the thrill ride is rushing down hill too.
ReplyDeleteYou gotta be young! I think what this person felt was the same as what Ernest Hemingway felt...go out on your own terms without the pain and misery so many have to deal with. It's not my way, but I can understand it better as I get older.
ReplyDeleteRe your comment on Ocala: I was sure you'd say, "Holy Moley" or something akin to that! :)
Sad man.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you!
Cezar
Oi, poor guy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for bringing this to our attention, Birdman. I found Martin's writings via CNN, as you said. I always wonder about the religious prohibitions against suicide. So I jumped first to Martin's chapter "My Religion." He ends that section by saying "I pray that God will forgive me and through his grace via the sacrifice of his Son, I will be saved."
i think about my set of circumstances. 1100 miles from family. no children. i have a few years to think about it.
ReplyDeleteI was just having a similar conversation with friends last night. It is a puzzle. I like your colorful photo.
ReplyDeleteInteresting story. I like thrill ride but not only climing the hill.
ReplyDeleteGreetings,
Filip
Poor guy! I think he checked out just about the time it starts getting good. Once I stopped working I became a great deal more optimistic, had time to pursue interests, be curious, become patient, and gained some flexibility. Drop the classic obligations and there's a lot more room for the good stuff! Stay chained to the grind and it isn't so easy to see a light at the end of the tunnel.
ReplyDeleteSobering post for the day.
ReplyDeleteI hope enjoyed those sixty years.
ReplyDeleteNice articles and fotos in log, greeting from Belgium
ReplyDeleteGee, thanks, Birdman. It was a spectacular late summer/early fall day in Hartford, I went to a country fair and enjoyed the people watching (even though most of my pictures stunk), and I was feeling pretty good. Then you put this downer on your blog. It is my birthday tomorrow and I am already past that guy's expiration date. Where did I leave my poison hemlock? This is one of those times I am grateful for the decline in short term memory.
ReplyDeleteTalk about putting a cherry on your Sundae. I had a friend who did something similar.
ReplyDeleteThe photo and your story make a good parable. I think it's awful that Yahoo pulled his post. There may have been a lot of meaning and many lessons in it.
ReplyDeleteThere may be hard ups, downs and twists on a roller coaster, but not in life. We have no idea where the track goes.
I'm with Bob Crowe. If the man cared enough to leave a message, I want to read it.
ReplyDeleteI've known people who have committed suicide; two in high school. My thought on the matter, since we're going to die anyway, I'd like to see as much as possible.
Sobering . . .
ReplyDelete