Stop romanticizing suicide.

In today's society, mental illnesses and suicide are heavily romanticized. A series on Netflix, "13 Reasons Why" helps to depict a horrifyingly accurate depiction of suicide and the thought process behind it for one adolescent girl. Hannah Baker ended her life and made cassette tapes about each reason that led to her suicide. The rumors and lies spread about her from boys who couldn't get with her, friends who were jealous of her, and people who turned their backs on her when she needed them most.

There is nothing pretty about suicide. Read that again. There is nothing pretty about suicide. There is nothing pretty about someone feeling so broken and so unloved that they believe that suicide is the answer. There is nothing pretty about your best friend telling you that she can't do it anymore because she can no longer take the abuse from her step-mother. Or staying up night after night just praying that you don't get the call that your worst fear has come true and she has ended her life. There is nothing pretty about a young boy stealing his father's gun and hiding in a bathroom stall at school contemplating ending it all right then and there because he can't handle the bullying anymore. There is nothing pretty about a girl having her stomach pumped from consuming too much alcohol because she just wanted to forget that she was raped the night before.

Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Death is permanent. There is no coming back to life. Suicide not only affects one person, but it also affects everyone around them. Parents having to have their worst fear come to life and having to lay their child to rest. No parent should have to plan their child's funeral. They won't see their baby grow up, graduate from college, get married, or see them have kids. Friends begin hating themselves because they will always wonder if there was something more that they could do. If there was somehow some way that they could have prevented all of this. Family members feeling absolutely lost and not knowing what to do or what to think.

There are 7 billion people on this earth. That means there are 7 billion worlds simultaneously happening at once. Each one you know nothing about. Every word, every action has a consequence. Be kind. Be loving. If you or someone you know is suicidal or has suicidal thoughts, please don't stay silent. Speak up. Tell someone. Keep saying it until someone listens. Someone cares about you. Someone loves you. They love you more than you know.

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." - Psalm 147:3

Suicide Prevention National Hotline: 1-800-273-8255