Life's Not So Rare Lessons, Dec. 3, 2011

Sometimes, something comes to you that really isn't for you.  This is one of those moments.  Whoever this is for, I pray that it reaches you.

I'm a people watcher, a shameless one, in fact, because I feel we learn so much from observation.  I try not to be creepy, staring hazardously at random folks.  At some point this would make them uncomfortable.  A few subtle glances.  Sometimes, listening to conversations.  It's interesting some of the things you'll notice about others that leads you to noticing something about yourself.

One thing I've wondered about people is how they deal with their varying moods.  Have you ever seen someone so overwhelmingly sad that it makes you sad, and suddenly you wish you could give them a hug?  I'm certain that's not just me.  It's interesting how our moods rub off on others, but I'll examine that in another post.  This one is about depression. 

In all of my life, even while enduring some extremely difficult things, I can thankfully say I've never been depressed.  Sure, I've found myself dangling close to the threshold, that invisible  place where sadness is so close to becoming a gloom that you just can't shake.  But luckily, I found some way to pull myself up again.

Family, close friends, work, writing, etc....there were several factors that helped me escape.  But some people don't have those outlets.  So I've been racking my brain for the last few moments, trying to figure out what they can do, and how I might possibly help them.

Most people have heard the saying 'there's light at the end of the tunnel'.  But what if the tunnel is so dark and long that the end seems nowhere in sight?  Then, it takes something within to make a person continue to move forward.  Suicide has always seemed like an odd concept to me, but I understand why some people struggle with it.  If I wasn't blessed with all the wonderful things that keep me motivated and going, the idea might have crossed my mind at times.  From being teased relentlessly as a child to dealing with seizures that my doctors couldn't find cause for, there have been moments in my life where I easily could have given up hope.

But I always remembered one thing.

Every life is worth living.  

There is someone out there battling with something right now and they're feeling like it has the best of them.  They've cried so many tears and fought as hard as they could, but somehow that hardship keeps winning.  And right now, they're considering ending their life, as the only way to cope.  But I'm hoping they don't do it.  Because every life, no matter how hard or desperate or unbearable it seems, is worth living.  From the pastor to the prostitute.  The extremely rich and the extremely poor.  Every single life is a valuable one, because it's the only one you get.

And while this might not solve your problem, I'm hoping it's enough to make you consider a real solution.  There are crisis centers, guidance counselors, or even the pastor at a local church, willing to talk to you and offer help.  My email address is therarepoet@yahoo.com, and you can email me at any time.  

I don't know who this message is intended for, but I was moved to write it.  I feel that if we're nice to each other, offer a smile, and try to be more concerned with the lives of others, then everybody will eventually understand that every life is worth living.

Blessings to everyone out there.  Make somebody feel worthwhile today.

Marcus Jamison, the Rare Poet