Trying to Understand...

My heart aches each time I see a story in the news detailing a teenager, a child, taking his or her life.  The reasons for their suicide matters to me very little in that moment.  What hits me with the force of a Mack truck is that a sweet soul has been lost to this world.  He or she could have been President of the United States, a doctor, a Peace Corps volunteer, a teacher.  He or she could have been a wonderful parent.  He or she could have worked to make peace in this screwed up world of ours.

It is only after the initial sadness of the loss of a child that I wonder what led them to make such a final decision.  Were their parents not listening to their cries for help?  Were their teachers deaf as well?  What about their friends?  And their friend's parents?  My God!  How does a child even know how to kill themself?

And what about the parents of the children, because they are children, who are calling names, pushing around, and making life miserable for others?  Did they learn their behavior at home?  Are their parents "bullies"?  Why do they not reign in their children and teach them right from wrong?  I have no problem with someone not liking another person, after all, not all of us are the same.  And there lies the perfect irony of the problem.  Differences breed discomfort.  Parents should be teaching their children that the discomfort they initially feel at difference should lead them to curiosity and a willingness to acceptance. 

I was taunted as a child.  I cannot think of one person in my acquaintance that was not.  In my case, it was fatness.  After graduating high school I heard that there were many more rumors swirling about me than I was aware of, but they did not directly affect me because I didn't know about them.  People can be awful and I suppose, that if I had not developed my sense of self and sense of humor, I could have been a casualty too. 

Let us learn ourselves what unconditional love really means and let us teach our children.  Let us teach and support each other and be receptive to the messages of peace, love, and acceptance of difference.  We are alll human beings trying to make our way through this world.  Why make it harder than it has to be?  Let's be good to one another.