It was High Demand Movements I had in mind. Anyway, all very sad. Thanks so much for your responses.
The first time I came across suicide was some years ago. I called on a lady, she said, if I tell you something, will you promise not to tell anyone else, having known her for some time, I thought she was going to tell me some gossip, and agreed.
She said she was in the process of ending her life, she was gradually overdosing on some tablets every day. (I don’t want to mention the name of the tablets.) She knew this would eventually destroy her organs, the damage would be irreversible; and she would suffer a slow and painful death. This seemed like a carefully planned and determined attempt to end her life, but she still chose to tell me about it…
She told me her story, some of which I already knew, she said that everyone who was important to her in her life had used her. Her husband ran of with another woman, her business partner bankrupted her, and her children only came to see her when they wanted something. Then another man did a terrible thing, there was no chance of getting justice, so she decided to end her life.
My response was to say that dying is not the problem, we all die, but leaving this world a bitter twisted and angry woman is not the way to leave this Earth. I talked about finding some way to forgive this person, because it was not in her nature to be bitter and angry. I said, even if you continue taking the tablets, try and forgive, you are a kind and caring person and it is not in your nature to leave this world angry and bitter.
There came a point when she had said all she could, and there was no more I could say, other than its pointless coming back next month to see you. She said come back.
I did phone later, and came back the following month, she’d had her kitchen decorated and was planning to landscape her garden. She never mentioned about ending her life again.
I had left her with a terrible burden, every day she would have to live with the memory of the hurt, and strive to overcome her loss.
Letting go of anger, and striving to forgive, helped this lady find a purpose in life.
I have come across two people in the process of ending their lives, and have encountered a number of others in very dark places. Every time, it was the need to forgive or be forgiven, that was leading them to despair.
