Tragically, earlier this month Robin Williams chose to end his life. However large the Gift of Laughter he gave us (and it was huge) I believe he gave us an even greater gift—the chance to start a SERIOUS discussion about Depression & Suicide.
BECAUSE WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT!
As Christians we need to come up with ANSWERS that Lead to Life—for ourselves, our families, our friends and for people like Robin Williams who though they seem to “have it all”—SO very desperately need a Savior.
Ah! But therein lies The Challenge. Historically as a Church and as a Culture our so-called “solutions” to the problem of Depression and Suicide range wildly (and fail miserably).
On the harsher end of the Spectrum of Solutions, in a white paper I found entitled “Suicide and Christian Moral Judgment” (a little light reading) author James T. Clemons admitted that there is confusion on the topic, citing this “solution” from John Wesley who felt that the 6th commandment of “Thou Shalt Not Murder” included “self-murder” or suicide and offered up this “easy” solution:
“But how can this vile abuse of the law be prevented, and this execrable crime effectually discouraged?
By a very easy method. We read in ancient history, that at a certain period, many of the women of Sparta murdered themselves. This fury increasing, a law was made that the body of every woman who killed herself should be exposed naked in the streets. The fury stopped at once.” http://goo.gl/LHsZmO
Yeah verily that would be a deal-breaker for me! But seriously folks…
What I find perhaps even more troubling is that on the other end of the Spectrum is a post-modern “all roads lead to heaven” tweet about Robin Williams (who was the voice of Genie in the animated film Aladdin) that said simply: “Genie you are now FREE!”
Suffice to say that we’ve GOTTA come up with a better response somewhere between Condemnation on the one end and near-Glorification on the other if we are to help others NOT To Buy The Lie. But first we need to define what “The Lie” is. According to an online article in The Washington Post:
“An emerging area of interest for many mental health experts is the impact of feelings that the person who attempts suicide has begun to feel he is a burden to his family and friends who he believes would be better off without him.” http://goo.gl/zmbFKD
THAT IS A LIE FROM THE PIT OF HELL! And I have a very personal motivation to battle it, namely my very own father, my dear Daddy-O.
My father was invincible. But at age 79 heart disease quickly overcame him, rendering him unable to continue as full-time caregiver for my mother. Suddenly and unexpectedly life changed for both of them, forcing them to dismantle their beloved home of 40 years and move into a nursing home. I spent a couple of weeks with them to help ease their transition but he was simply not the same. Little did I realize that when I waved Goodbye in Summer 2005 it would be a final farewell. Though not by violent means like guns or pills, my father simply refused food or water and before long, he was gone.
Looking back on that now I realize just how completely clueless I was about what was really going on. Curious now about how The Lie of Suicide plays out in the lives of people affected by disability, I did a little research and here’s what I discovered:
NO BODY KNOWS! WHY NOT? BECAUSE NO ONE EVEN BOTHERED TO DO THE RESEARCH!
According to The Independence Center:
“So it absolutely amazes us that even though 18.7% of all non-institutionalized civilians in America have a disability, we are virtually invisible when it comes to the issue of suicide. Recently, we came up empty-handed when we tried to find statistics on suicide as it relates to disability.” http://goo.gl/TbJyhc
What should shock us even more than that once it was revealed the Robin Williams suffered from early onset Parkinson’s disease, suicide became almost a foregone conclusion! In fact, The Independence Center continues with:
“And this is not a new phenomenon. In an article published in 1992, Carol J. Gill noted that it was ironic that ‘so little suicide research has been conducted,’ on the behalf of people with disabilities since there are so many medical and legal decisions made concerning disability and the management of intentions to die. She was, of course, referring to assisted suicide. This is a twist that makes all of the difference. This is a mixed message that suggests that people with disabilities are only visible on the issue of suicide when others (doctors, judges, etc.) are making the decisions for us. Furthermore, this reinforces the notion that disability is a legitimate reason to wish for death. We could not disagree more.” http://goo.gl/TbJyhc
Wait a minute! Did you catch that? “Management of Intentions To Die”?!! Gee makes suicide sound as downright reasonable as managing your 401K, doesn’t it? Christians Wake UP! Don’t Buy The Lie! As a Church it’s not just our right and responsibility, but also our God-given Joy and Honor to help lead ALL people to the Management of Intentions To LIVE! God grant us the courage to share the Good News of a Better Answer to Depression and Suicide: LIFE through faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
What an honor to receive the “Guardian of the Power and Rights of People with Disabilities Award” from REACH of Plano 