Is suicide is really a choice?

When I was in high school, people whom I knew, people my age, died by suicide. Two of them was my friend. Even after all these years, I still don’t know why. Maybe they were tired of this world. Maybe they lost someone they never thought they could lose. Maybe they were fighting something nobody knew about. Or maybe they had simply lost themselves somewhere along the way. I still don’t know. But I remember how people talked about it. “What did they lack?” “Why didn’t they think about their family?” “How could they do something like that?” We are often so quick to judge the person who is gone, without knowing what they were going through when they were still here. From a religious perspective, suicide is considered a grave sin. In some beliefs, there is also the idea that by taking their own life, a person has gone against God’s will, and this can affect how their death and funeral are viewed. I have heard people talk about it this way too. But I often wonder when someone reaches that point, are they really thinking about going against God, their family, or anyone else? Or are they simply in so much pain that they cannot see another way out? We may never know what was happening inside their mind. And that is why I find it difficult when people blame or insult someone who has already died, asking, “What did they lack?” or “How could they do this to their family?”

Nobody chooses to suffer like that. Nobody happily chooses death. Maybe what looks like a choice from the outside felt like helplessness from the inside. We may never know what those two people were carrying. And perhaps that’s the hardest part. Today, September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day. We can share posts. We can spread awareness. But maybe the most important thing we can do is learn to listen; to listen without immediately judging, fixing or blaming. If you’re at your lowest, please talk to someone. A friend, a family member, or a mental-health professional. I know sometimes it is very hard to open up or talk about what you are going through. The fear of being judged, misunderstood, or having your feelings undermined can make you stay silent. But please don't stay alone with that pain. If talking to family or friends feels difficult, talk to a mental-health professional. You don't have to worry about being judged or made to feel that your thoughts are silly or not important. Your pain deserves to be heard. Your thoughts deserve a safe space. And you deserve help. You dont have to figure everything alone