by Cherina Jones
Today I read that De’angelo Wilson committed suicide. It hit me personally because De’angelo went to Kent State with me. We met when I worked at the student center and we would hang out 
sometimes. I remember when he told a couple of us that he was going to Hollywood—I didn’t believe him. A friend later told me that he was in the movie 8 mile, and I later saw him in Antwon Fisher. I was happy that he was able to set a goal for himself and achieve it. Personal victories are always sweet and most times catapult us into more successful endeavors, so imagine my surprise to hear he had hung himself.
No doubt everyone will go. As sure as you live, physically you will also die. Most of us don’t think about dying because we are too busy living, but it is always discouraging to know that there are people battling demons, convincing them to die. Suicide can’t be a noble option when life has challenged you so much you cease finding value in yourself. I don’t know what specifically causes depression, and I am sure the triggers are different for each person.
Due to the onset of this economic recession I am sure people are feeling helpless and hopeless. Situations are presenting themselves that can’t seem to be fixed by a “hang in there.” But words of encouragement never hurt. Going forward, it is going to be up to all of us as individuals to encourage each other. It is the power of our interconnectedness that will sustain us in the coming years.
I am always sad when young people commit suicide. Young people hold our futures in the center of their palms, and the more discouraged they are, the more discouraging our future begins to look. You never know what people are going through. We don’t live inside our own private bubbles unfortunately. What we do and say surely affect those around us.
As I mature and learn more, I have grown patience. We all have bad days, but we are not all aware of what others are going through. Sometimes your concern for others can depend on whether or not they feel like fighting another day.
Granted I didn’t know the person De’Angelo had become and it is unfortunate that he decided to end his life so abruptly, but it emphasizes the urgency placed on us to think and feel outside our own bubbles, our own islands. We are entering a moment in time that calls for us to take care of each other, to sift out what we know to be true, and shift into what we thought to be impossible. I am not expecting everyone to hold hands, hug and sing Kumbaya, but then again, it wouldn’t hurt.
sometimes. I remember when he told a couple of us that he was going to Hollywood—I didn’t believe him. A friend later told me that he was in the movie 8 mile, and I later saw him in Antwon Fisher. I was happy that he was able to set a goal for himself and achieve it. Personal victories are always sweet and most times catapult us into more successful endeavors, so imagine my surprise to hear he had hung himself.No doubt everyone will go. As sure as you live, physically you will also die. Most of us don’t think about dying because we are too busy living, but it is always discouraging to know that there are people battling demons, convincing them to die. Suicide can’t be a noble option when life has challenged you so much you cease finding value in yourself. I don’t know what specifically causes depression, and I am sure the triggers are different for each person.
Due to the onset of this economic recession I am sure people are feeling helpless and hopeless. Situations are presenting themselves that can’t seem to be fixed by a “hang in there.” But words of encouragement never hurt. Going forward, it is going to be up to all of us as individuals to encourage each other. It is the power of our interconnectedness that will sustain us in the coming years.
I am always sad when young people commit suicide. Young people hold our futures in the center of their palms, and the more discouraged they are, the more discouraging our future begins to look. You never know what people are going through. We don’t live inside our own private bubbles unfortunately. What we do and say surely affect those around us.
As I mature and learn more, I have grown patience. We all have bad days, but we are not all aware of what others are going through. Sometimes your concern for others can depend on whether or not they feel like fighting another day.
Granted I didn’t know the person De’Angelo had become and it is unfortunate that he decided to end his life so abruptly, but it emphasizes the urgency placed on us to think and feel outside our own bubbles, our own islands. We are entering a moment in time that calls for us to take care of each other, to sift out what we know to be true, and shift into what we thought to be impossible. I am not expecting everyone to hold hands, hug and sing Kumbaya, but then again, it wouldn’t hurt.
1 comments:
Sorry about the loss of your friend. This is why it never hurts to just give a smile. Smiles are free.
Post a Comment