Desperation is Sometimes a Consequence, Not Merely a Choice
My husband knew this man. It’s been almost a year and a half since the man went home from work, put the barrel of a gun inside his mouth, and pulled the trigger. There were a good number of people at his funeral, but it was quiet. Very quiet. Odd that the man’s widow did not shed a tear. Well, maybe not so odd. Their marital woes were not a secret. It sickened me that she seemed almost jovial when the funeral had ended. And yesterday I came across the name of a person I know of whose wife killed herself many years ago. He had been cheating on her. They had a young child. I’m sure that he went on with his life like her death was her own choice. And, ultimately, it was. But I have to voice that there is an attitude and common belief today that rubs me the wrong way. It is the philosophy of each person being responsible for his or her own happiness. There is truth in the statement. But it makes it all too easy for careless and hurtful people to excuse their own behavi