Suicide, Freedom, and the Reverence for Life

By Roumen Bezergianov

Because suicide is uniquely human, the way to effectively help suicidal individuals is to appeal to what Viktor Frankl calls "the specifically human dimension" of a person. Carl Jaspers argues that it is impossible for any illness to completely eclipse the human being so that the whole human being falls ill; there are always parts that remain unaffected by the illness, parts that are healthy. This is the heart and soul of the humanistic approach-that we are always more than our illnesses or symptoms, and more than the sum of our parts. When we engage this uniquely human and therefore healthy part of a person, we activate resources within the individual that lay dormant, and empower the individual to rise to the occasion of their life and transcend their suffering. The purpose of this work is to help people struggling with suicidal thoughts see their lives from a different perspective, become empowered, gain motivation to build up their communities and overcome isolation, learn again to celebrate life in big and small ways, and fulfill their own unique meaning in life. Abraham Heschel said: "It is not only what the future holds for me, but also what I bring to the future." We need to be reminded that, to a greater or lesser degree, we are all co-creators of our future, and that a human being is never a finished product, but a living being who chooses what to become in the next moment. We need to approach this human freedom with the utmost respect and care, with reverence and understanding that it is the limit of what we can do for others, no matter how close these people may be to us. When we approach it with such authentic humility, we will often find the other party ready to engage with us as equals, as human beings that honestly try to help each other in a respectful, dignified way. In this book I have utilized not only ideas from the mental health field, but also from great people in history-writers, poets, philosophers, theologians, business leaders, sociologists, and historians, because we need all the help and expertise for understanding the vast expanses of our internal world and mental health professionals do not have monopoly on such understanding. In fact, mental health professionals are relative newcomers, historically speaking, and will do well to branch out more and learn from the older disciplines that have inhabited this landscape much longer.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B08CPB7RQY
• ISBN13: 9798665773797
• Release Date: July 2020
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 42 Pages
• Weight: 0.27 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 8.5" x 11.0"