Ugly Truths

"The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places."
I have been meaning to write about this all week, but, life got in the way. A little back ground for those not privy to this before now... I did suffer from suicidal depression. After an attempt, I thank God every day for His grace & mercy in giving me that choice to confess & to seek spiritual guidance. Although, I may not be an expert, I do have experience, not only just with my own situation, but with a few others as well. I have also been an active advocate for the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention. We all have a choice. That is what free will is about. Without it, I would not be here today.
With Robin Williams being in the spotlight, this week, I have read multiple articles & posts about his death/ suicide. There were a few articles, in particular, which I thought to be so very true, that I shared them on Facebook. Come to find out, people have been up in arms about the first article I posted. What takes me by surprise more than anything, is how many people who were bent out of shape, proclaim themselves to be Catholic/ Christian. Now, I say this to explain why I think the way I do. As a Catholic, we are taught & we should know that suicide is a sin. To despair is a sin. That being said, no one knows the final moments one committing this act experiences. No one can judge what their final thoughts are. That is between them & God. We can & should pray that they had a change of heart.
On a much greater scale, I find it sad that this happens at such a regular rate, yet no one takes notice until a celebrity is involved.
I believe what Matt was trying to convey when he was blogging was that there are all those who are still here... all those who are contemplating/ have contemplated suicide. We all have a choice. I believe his intent was to give hope & to let all those still here who may be contemplating suicide know that they do have a choice. To let them know that things can get better. Matt made another comment about depression & suicide being not just mental, but spiritual as well. I don't understand how anyone could not agree with that. A healthy mind will inspire a healthy body & soul. If you aren't nurturing your body properly, the mind can deteriorate. This is not a black & white subject. There are too many gray areas as everyone is a unique individual. It reminds me of a conversation where Marmee told Mike that he was like the retarded child... God would have mercy on his soul because he truly didn't know.
For those Christians saying that we don't have a choice, we always have a choice. That's what life is... it's about choices. That isn't to say that when one has a mental illness, that their choices aren't skewed. It is just showing that we are human & succumb to the temptations of the devil, who wants us to take our life. We are morally obligated to do everything in our power to prevent an evil from occurring. If we didn't have a choice, then what is this life for?

Now, a few stats for you from 2011... Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in America. That means that every 13.3 minutes, someone commits suicide. Is that not a horrific figure? To all those up in arms about Matt Walsh speaking the truth, to all those up in arms saying it was still fresh & he was pouring salt in the wound, there is no time but the present! Waiting to post the truths he did wouldn't have changed the outcome for Robin Williams. He is already gone. His family is already grieving. Not waiting could have potentially prevented someone else from becoming part of that alarming statistic.
I find that even among the Christians, we are losing the notion of an objective truth. We are giving way for the belief that everything is subjective & that how we feel about something is all that matters. There is truth & there is the lie. There is no in between when it comes to that fact. It's kind of like something else I encountered recently. I was recently on a Catholic dating site. It is alarming how many people think they are Catholic, yet reject the Churches teaching on premarital sex/ holy orders/etc... Truth is truth. It will never be subjective. If you don't believe in the churches' teaching about premarital sex, you aren't Catholic. That isn't to say that those who do believe haven't sinned. But, my sin, doesn't change the truth. It simply means I am human. Those who profess to be Catholic, yet reject Church teachings, are no different that Martin Luther or Henry VIII or Calvin, etc...
Now, I find it immensely hypocritical for all those who disagreed with the blog. They are speaking of compassion & saying not to judge, yet are spewing hate to those who have a conviction & stick by it & to those who have read, in it's entirety, Matt's blog. First off, if you aren't going to read the blog in its' entirety, then you have no leg to stand on. Second, don't just read the words, but understand the meaning & motive behind them. As Catholics, why are we fighting among ourselves about something we should all have the same belief on?