A moment too late

As a photographer, I’m always trying to tell stories through
my images. This time I chose a very serious subject. Suicide. An action that
can change the lives of everyone around you in a split second. What made me come up
with this series? Well, a high-profile suicide which shook the nation.This is
not the first time a well-known person has taken this step. It made me think of
the many thousands and thousands of unknown people who are drawn to this
outcome.

What made them do this? What were the circumstances? The person
might seem fine one second and the next second, they are gone? What was going
through their head when they decided that this was it? Was it something recent
or something that’s been brewing since childhood? I’m no therapist but I’ve realized
one thing, life is too short to be selfish. When someone sends you a message,
reply back as soon as you see it. Even if it’s to say you’ll message back in a
while or if its urgent, they can call. If someone calls, answer your phone, hear
the tone in their voice. If they sound like they need to talk, please listen.
If all sounds ok and you want to talk later, communicate that.

I recently volunteered with an organisation to help rebuild
a community destroyed by a calamity. You know how many times I heard the word
suicide? I stopped counting. You know why those people are still there? Because
people were there to listen to what they had to say. No, they are not weak,
they just had a weak moment when those thoughts came to them.

My guess is that someone in a frame of mind to end their
life will either try and reach out to someone, one last time to see if they are
worthy of living. The person they reach out to might be you. All they need is
validation that they count. They matter. They are needed. They might show signs
of unusual behaviour. Crazy talks, being excessively happy for no reason, mood
swings etc. Like I said, im not a medical professional, this is just my
understanding.

Everyone has a tank of tolerance.  When that tank runs dry, you don’t know what
they might do. Some might suck it up and try again and some might just say, you
know what, I’m tired of this shit.  I’ve
heard people say that only the weak commit suicide. Who are they to judge? Who knows
how long that person has had to deal with stuff? Who knows how many times
before this, they might have filled up that tank of tolerance?

The past few months have been tough on everyone. In some way
or the other. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, have a job or not. Unconventional
times can trigger deep rooted traumas in anybody.

To anybody who reads this, my only request to you today is,
If you need to talk to someone, call. If one doesn’t pick up the phone, someone
else will. And for you on the other side of that call, all you have to do is
listen. If you can’t help, never mind, find someone who can. But first just listen.