The dark side of Suicide?

I was reading an article this morning titled ‘The dark side of suicide” and it made me wonder.. Is there a bright side? Is there a side that we should elevate and call ‘light’, ‘bright’, ‘good’.
In my opinion, I think not. I have long thought of suicide to be a selfish act which often-times cause so much anguish on the part of those left behind, it could be akin to the murder of the deceased. To me suicide is ‘dark’ because;
  1. The dead person seems to get off ‘easy’ compared to the life of pain and regret experienced by loved ones left behind.
  2. There is a ‘I should have seen the signs’ left on the minds of those loved ones left behind.
  3. Those left behind torment themselves to think that they weren't enough to make the deceased want to live.
  4. There is the financial burden of providing for a funeral, because even though the surviving family may be angry at the the deceased they are more inclined to throw their all in saying a ‘proper’ farewell.
  5. Suicide is a trigger which often illicit similar feelings in other persons. Suicidal thoughts are ‘catching’.
Even though many people ponder the act as a way out from trying situations, most persons do not actually go through with it. You can guarantee that many persons you come in contact with on a daily basis have encountered that feeling, and have gone a dark place where they may have thought death was the better option. We should be careful to encourage others as much as we can and be optimistic in our conversations with others. We may not be shadowed by the suicide demon, but by helping someone else have a good day you may make them want to live another day. It is difficult see the signs in a suicidal person and most persons will not tell you how they feel because they will feel ‘ashamed’. We sometimes feel like we are prying when we ask someone ‘what’s wrong?’, yet we lament, after the fact, that we should have tried harder to make an impact. People don’t show a sad face for no reason at all. Try and cheer up the next sad faced person you encounter. Share a smile. :-)