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Originally Posted by desertgrandma
It didn't say HOW he died..(nor do I care to know).....but if it were an overdose, it could have been accidental?
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Possible but unlikely. He'd lost his long time partner. His second home had been destroyed in a flood. The institution that owned the building he lived in was trying to get rid of him. His health was declining, and simply walking to get groceries was a painful act.
I suspect he just decided he didn't want to fight any more.
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Now, I remember a friend I had years and years ago. He lost his wife. Was devastated. Then, suddenly, he seemed to cheer up. We all thought he was getting on with his life. He was making plans, and came over one day to give us something, I forget what. He was in great spirits. Then he went home, and the next day committed suicide. I often wondered if his uplift in spirits wasn't due to the fact that he had made his peace with himself and his choice. Survivors will never understand the depth of despair that goes thru the minds of those who take their own lives....we just live with the guilt, and the loss. Sad.
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My reference for going gracefully was a Japanese fellow named J. Koizumi.He was a 7th degree black belt in Judo, and introduced the sport to Britain, founding the British Judo Federation.
When his health started to decline, he settled his affairs, showered, shaved, dressing in his best suit, put his head in the oven, and turned on the gas. He left a note explaining that he didn't want to be a burden on anyone, and his friends would understand. He'd lived a long and full life, and accomplished what he'd set out to do. He was content.
We don't get a choice about coming into the world, but we do have a choice about leaving it.
I knew one friend who committed suicide, and I understood the depths of despair. He'd gotten addicted to cocaine, and money that should have done things like pay the rent on the apartment he shared with his wife went up his nose. When it all blew up in his face, he killed himself. I suspect he just couldn't face the people he knew, and found death preferable to that level of shame.
We were all saddened, and there was some guilt as well: he'd had previous problems with alcohol, and I think various folks felt they should have noticed there was something wrong. The tragedy in so many cases is the inability of the suicide to admit they have problems to people who would be happy to help them. Feelings of worthlessness are pernicious and corrosive.
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Dennis