Yes, there is much talk about the death of Robin Williams. Here is some more talk:

Let's say a counselor and another with a doctorate degree ...among many others in the room, with various degrees of emotion.

Doctor: It's a violent crime, not only to yourself, but especially to all those around you ...be it family, friends, or even acquaintances.

Counselor: No one knows how the person feels.  They actually believe that everyone would be better off without them.

Doctor: I never thought of it that way.

Other: I believe the counselor is correct.

Another: No one knows the way a person feels.

Some other: That's right.

Me: I know what's right ...and I know what's wrong, according to God.  As far as the points the counselor and the doctor made ...both are correct to a degree.  The counselor is incorrect in stating no one knows how they feel ...unless, they are excluding God, and then they are accurate in stating no one aside from God knows exactly how they feel.

Other: Well, I felt really down before, where I didn't know if I could go on.  That's the problem with you Christians ...it's all about right and wrong, and you don't even consider how a person feels.

Me: If you were family, or a personal friend of Robin Williams, I would not be attempting to reason this out with you.  I don't think it is right either ...to insist upon correctness when a person is emotional desperate.

Other: There you go with that right stuff again.  You don't understand how it feels.

Me: It seems you are not listening to what I just said.  I am not disputing what the counselor said about the person's feelings ..that the person believes no one knows how they feel, and that they believe everyone would be better off without them.  I'm not saying that's not how they feel, I'm saying that for any number of reasons, they've bought into one of the biggest lies.  And it is violent, & it does have a tremendously negative impact on those around them.

Other: Yes, it's violent ...but only against themselves.

Another: A car crash is violent ...but life has to go on.

Some other: If a son or daughter dies in military service, we say they died with honor, but if someone dies another way ...it is still difficult to deal with.  Every death is difficult to deal with.

Me: I totally agree. I think it's no less difficult ...and perhaps more difficult when we choose the death.

Other: But, that doesn't affect anyone else ...that's their decision.

Me: How can you say that?  That is so insanely false to say it doesn't affect anyone else.

Other: I meant, what if you don't have anyone ...what if no one cares??

Me: That's a wrong impression.

Other: There you go with that right & wrong talk again.

Me: Okay, that's a false impression ...and what do you mean by not having anyone?  It's not like not having a dog or something.

Other: It's not like that ...you're being ridiculous.  I mean, if you don't have anyone who cares.  There are people in situations like that.

Me : And do you believe most people like that are in our country ...or in impoverished nations around the globe?

Other: You're just being insensitive.

Me: Insensitive towards impoverished nations?  My point is that there are so many around the world who are fighting for life, not death.

Other: You're living in another world.

Me: No, I'm just not insensitive, as you claim I am.

Other: Those other nations are not choosing death, so when you say choosing death, I'm not talking about terrorists in other countries ransacking a village and choosing death for them ...I'm talking about something you don't seem to understand.  Of course, we all understand that choosing death for another is wrong.

Me: Do we?  How do we have so many people supporting abortion?

Other: We're not talking about abortion ...please, stay on topic.

Me: I don't think we can rationally discuss the topic, unless we also look at how we've placed a value on life.  I sincerely hope no one here is thinking about taking their own life.  If there is, we will cease this discussion now, right here, immediately, and listen to your concerns.

Other: That's ridiculous ...if anyone here wanted to end their life, they'd be out pursuing it, not here talking about it.  And if anyone does feel on the edge, your insensitivity certainly wouldn't be a vote for life. 

Another: Well, that's not quite true either.  Some people do talk about it, and if they don't hear what they need to hear ...then that sometimes seals their hopelessness.

Me: I'm sorry, I was assuming too much in discussing this ...and I was just disturbed by the dialogue we may have with others. Have any of you ever heard of group suicide?

Other: No, I haven't.

Another: I have, but it's rare.

Me: It's no less tragic ...just because it's rare.  Have you ever heard of a suicide pact?

Other: No. 

Some other: I have.

Me: I prevented one when I was working in a mental institution, and thankfully, because it was a pact ...when I stopped one, I was told about the other also, so we could prevent that one too.  Later, they became part of a Bible study.

Other: You have all the answers, don't you?

Me: I'm sorry that I come across that way ...it's just that I've dealt with this sort of thing, and it disturbs me greatly.  I am not trying to come across as having all the answers.  It just disturbs me that the main focus seems to be on the wrong emotions, and the wrong path.

Other: There is that right & wrong talk again.  Since when are anyone's emotions wrong?  How can you say how a person feels is actually wrong?  It's how they feel!

Some other: It would help if you'd understand the feelings of others a little more.

Me: I admit that I'm not relating too well to a couple of you, please tell me if I'm agitating you.

Other: I guess it's obvious that I've been agitated ...it's just a bit unnerving, your arrogance.  But, nothing to kill myself over.

Some other: It was my first impression too ...you don't make very good first impressions, but it seems that you've helped people. And aside from my first impression of you ...you do seem to care.  I do believe you are passionate about this subject. And I don't know what it's like to catch someone in the act of killing themselves ...it must have had an impact upon you.

Another: I'm sorry, I guess I've judged you rather harshly too. I've known of a few people who've committed suicide, though I've not known them personally.  I also heard of a mass suicide, but I don't know anything about what that is. 

Me: Well, I don't want to come across again as having all the answers, so first of all, can anyone else answers that question?

Everyone remains silent.

Me:  Okay, without getting into any unnecessary details ...in 1978, there was a mass suicide led by a leader named Jim Jones. Somehow persuaded, all of them seemed to feel they could trust this one leader and relate to how each other felt ...and they all died together.  I know most suicides are private cases, and and each of us may know people who are suffering from depression. Yes, that deeply concerns me ...yet, I would hope that discussions would go beyond telling each other how depressed we all are.  Being able to relate to how each other feels does not often provide a way out of destructive feelings ...and that scares me.

Other: Why is that?

Me: I once saw a TV program that interviewed people who had attempted or contemplated suicide ...and after the show was over, it almost made me feel like anyone who didn't feel the way those in the program did, well, it was like they were missing something, or they couldn't quite rate with the other people if they didn't have an equal sad or depressing story.  I imagined attending an AA meeting, listening to everyone's hard luck stories and their struggles of coping with it through alcohol addiction.  I imagine listening to all their heart-wrenching stories, then they get to me ...and I say, "I've never had a drink in my life, and I'm happy!!"  I imagine them angrily throwing me out, and telling me never to come back ...that I have no place with them. So, if I say I've never felt like killing myself, I guess some people may feel I have nothing to offer.

Other: I guess we often do act like that.

Me: You may still say no one understands, but Jesus understands.  Yet, so many look at that as a different type of personal relationship, saying, "God understands how I am, and still loves me."  And then they continue to feel no one else loves them, and sadly, they often don't like who they are themselves.

Other: But, besides God, who has an idea how we feel?  It does help when we feel others on earth know how we feel.

Me: Someone else has an idea.

Other: Who is that?

Me: Satan ...and he tries to exploit to the nth degree any knowledge that he does have, getting you to believe a lie, as he is the father of lies.  Who else would look at you during the lowest point in your life ...and seek to take advantage of you at that moment??

I am so sorry if you have just lost a loved one. In dealing with your tremendous loss, don't believe the abundance of lies.

Try not to let yourself feel only the negative.  If you feel the only person who knows how you feel is now dead ...that's not true. The only One who understands is not dead, but was resurrected three days after His death nearly 2,000 years ago.

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