Boy hung over stress at CAPE exams....

[New Era Outlaw]

...so he took an electrical cord and hung himself until he was dead.

According to the report (Trinidad Express, Page 3, 16/5/2008), 19 year old Martin Joseph was found swinging from a support beam at about 5:30 yesterday morning. He was due to re-write the leaked CAPE exam, and apparently, because of the announcement of the big re-write (he already wrote it last Thursday), he got seriously stressed out over it. While he seemed to have calmed down about it over the week, he was found to have hung himself yesterday. According to his parents, he was a very helpful person, and has aspirations to attend a university and become a soldier. No suicide note was found.



Now....I really hate to talk like this, given the circumstances, but, for those of you who knew a GATT member named Kayode, you know what he's going to say in a situation like this. My stance is not going to be different from his.

You see, here's the thing.

We all have problems in life, right? And I'm sure there are a couple of instances in everybody's existence where they felt like picking up an AK-47 and shooting people in the face. But (and this is just my opinion, forgive me if I'm going overboard here), if you think that your life's different and you're going to live your existence free of problems.....I have news for you.

SCREW YOU, you're NOT.
There is nothing, and I repeat, NOTHING worth killing yourself over. Life may suck, and many of us know that, but killing yourself? That's a coward's way out. All that serves to prove is that you're not man enough to go through what 90% of the human species probably had to go through themselves. And if that's the case....sure, go ahead and kill yourself and STOP BREATHING MY AIR.

Boy, if an exam drove him over the edge, could you imagine if he survived? I'd sure hate to see what happens when he tries to form a relationship with the opposite sex and she dumps him. He'd probably take a big old dose of shotgun mouthwash.


So, you know what...I'm not going to feel the least bit sorry for this guy's stupid a**.
I do feel sorry for his family and the grief they've got to go through now.

Ugh.

[W1nTry]

Tres harsh there NEO, though I do hear where you're coming from. I too think that it's a cowards way out, but honestly not everyone is made to deal with it... I know 1 or 2 ppl that have had really hard backgrounds and they have triumphed over most of them... but I also have seen them in depressed states and in that state they don't think rationally. Depression is a sickness and personality disorders are as well. And these have physical manifestations. I think its a bit unfair to say to such ppl go ahead, cause ppl who suffer clinically diagnosed depression and ppl with personality disorders are not 100% and as such it's unknown what their reaction will be to certain stimuli. I'm just being devils advocate here. But its the other side to the same coin.

[Crixx_Creww]

i think its really ridiculous, to say that there is never an excuse for it. THat there is always a way out
that isnt true at all.

This world is a really sick sick place and there are things done to people for long periods of time, that anyone would beg for release from, and sometimes the only way out is suicide.

They say in any situation, yu always have an option, always have a choice, and suicide IS an option,it IS a choice.

Granted in THIS situation, it wasnt the best, he could have vented it on cxc instead of taking his life.


But dont be so naive as to think its never the best choice.

[Berzerk]

I have to agree with Crixx and laertes on this one,

we All suffer from depression, and those sour times every once in awhile, but because of social networks, family support systems, friends, and values that were instilled in us, we bounce back...

 believe it or not, some people aren't as lucky as us...some people face negativity at every turn, some people did not have certain values and apreciation for life built within their thought process. while suicide is never an appropriate answer, some are so ALONE, and emotionally distraught, they genuinely feel that they have NO ONE to turn to...thus begins the downward spiral...

 while some overcome, some do not, and the pressure is sometimes too much to bear(or perceived as too much to bear)...cause they lack the social foundation, and sometimes(more often than not) may be prone to some personality disorder somewhere.

 hell from some of the social work I was exposed to you would be surprised at the kind of people who suffer from depression and were suicidal at some point...

we could judge, we could assume, but we never know the pain people go through, and the Level of it as well.

[New Era Outlaw]

Thing is no one has any right to take that position until they stand in the shoes of the person who committed the act.

I guess so. Still, I don't like the idea of somebody killing them self just because they've been hit a curve ball in life. More often than not, it's a permanent solution to a temporary problem, and I hate it.

I have to agree with Crixx and laertes on this one

I'd agree with the latter. Definitely not the sooner, save for one line.

Granted in THIS situation, it wasnt the best, he could have vented it on cxc instead of taking his life.

Keep in mind, folks.....you have one life to live. If I die, let it be either fighting for what I believe in or when the big guy upstairs says so.

[Crixx_Creww]

well, thats us in our lucky lives

and a far to great number of people
its not a curve ball
its a constant beating by the entire batting squad
and they are taking turns to conserve their energy


forced sex slaves( male and female), being tied to a chair for 24 years and forced to have children for your father..
forced drug dependancies

complete and utter, desolate poverty and absolute lack of food and water alongside scorching heat
aids and violence

[W1nTry]

And yet strangely enough, those under some of the WORSE conditions keep going until God calls them back... and others with not even a candle to the wind in comparison give up the ghost. Speaking of that I received an interesting fwd not too long ago it was of an award winning photo taken see extract below:

The photo is the “Pulitzer Prize” winning photo taken in 1994 during the Sudan Famine.
The picture depicts stricken child crawling towards an United Nations food camp, located a kilometer away.



The vulture is waiting for the child to die so that it can eat him. This picture shocked the whole world. No one knows what happened to the child, including the photographer Kevin Carter who
left the place as soon as the photograph was taken.

Three months later he committed suicide due to depression.

http://www.worldsfamousphotos.com/stricken-child-crawling-towards-a-food-camp-1993.html

You see the irony here? A man takes a photo of a dying child FIGHTING for LIFE and he TAKES HIS OWN LIFE....  and right herein can be seen the 2 sides of the story we're debating in this very thread.

[New Era Outlaw]

well, thats us in our lucky lives

and a far to great number of people
its not a curve ball
its a constant beating by the entire batting squad
and they are taking turns to conserve their energy


forced sex slaves( male and female), being tied to a chair for 24 years and forced to have children for your father..
forced drug dependancies

complete and utter, desolate poverty and absolute lack of food and water alongside scorching heat
aids and violence

And they still chose to live. If not for themselves, but for those who need them.

Crixx, seriously? Stop trying to justify this crap.
If people thought like that every time hardship hit them in the face, there'd be no humans left on this planet.


You think the slaves from Africa just gave up and killed themselves when they faced being taken from their homeland by force, starvation, extreme prejudice, and being tortured left, right and center?
NO. They fought long and hard, and earned their freedom.

How about Pablo Picasso?
He reached the point where he had to burn several of his own paintings to keep himself warm throughout the winter. He would go on to become one of the world's most famous painters.

And let's not talk about all of those people all over the world who suffer from cancer, AIDS, diabetes, and all of those diseases that have reached the point where they can't even move from their beds, but still go through their lives as best as they can.


So, yeah.
It may be a fact of life that somewhere, on this planet, there is a person out there who has it a lot worse than us. What truly makes him a survivor is the fact that, instead of offing himself, he tries to persevere in his moment of strife. True, many have failed, but many others have succeeded.

Watch 'The Pursuit of Happyness'. Think he gave up? One moment, he and his son was sleeping in a bathroom. The next? He's extremely rich. All because he never gave up.


So, yeah. Think about that the next time hardship hits you in the face, and the 'only way out' for you is a razor blade and your wrists. Many people have come and gone amidst their own grief, just so us 'lucky people' can have a chance.

Don't get me wrong. I feel for all of those people going through the pain and suffering that this cruel bastard sphere we call the world has put them through. But when I see somebody seeing suicide in the original context of this thread? Makes me MAD. Especially when I see people like that poor child w1nTry put up earlier fighting on despite what's he's going through...he has it ten times worse, and he still tried to fight on.

On another note....damn W1ntry. That picture is very saddening. Really, damn.

[Crixx_Creww]

cutting is a p***** way to kill yourself, people do that when they want to be saved

jumping, shot gun mouthwash as yu so elegantly put it and jumping in front of trains. thats pro stuff.

yes alot of people strive thru hardship and succeed despite it
others struggle and get nothing but more misery out of life ( sigh)

and then there are those who snap under it and take the escape plan.
no more pain, no more hardship

its so good of yu to pass judgement on people when youve never had to face it yourself =^_^=

just like green peace making all those countries reject free bio engineered food.
and now we are in a near world crisis of food... and no bio food to feed the masses

thanks green peace starvation is teh funnage

[Berzerk]

It ain't just grief

it ain't just the hardships

and its more than the tenacity to overcome

its how we perceive the hardships, your perception determines your reality, if we perceive it as impossible, then we are doomed from the start,

some lack this vital knowledge, some suffer chronically with severe depression, and all forms of mental illness and yes folks it is a serious very REAL issue...

[W1nTry]

Look at it another way, if indeed there is a GOD, one whom choses who he lets into paradise (just run with me for a second) what do you tell that being when he/she/it asks so what did you do with my gift of life? I didn't like it so I gave it back? ........ as my last post, why is it that ppl who are DYING, struggle SO HARD to LIVE and those who sometimes have LIFE so easy decide to NOT live? What would someone who committed suicide say to someone who died fighting for their lives? sorry but unlike urself that valued life, I thought it was a drag?

Here's my honest opinion, this is a pointless discussion whereby ppl will be resolved to their own opinions and all we'll accomplish is arguing but changing nothing. I understand where NEO is coming from, but I also understand where crixx is too. Let's just LIVE and let LIVE.

[Crixx_Creww]

indeed

perception is reality

if yuve never had a helping hand, knowledge of better things possible
if it seems that all your efforts just merely feed the spiral
then its possible

some people INDEED do it without really trying to overcome

iam sure WE ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
have had those moments
lol ive had my fair share
and it wasnt simple teenage angst
i didnt have a bright and shiny teen hood, but it wasnt until adulthood where i came dangerously close to the edge
and i was pulled back by steady hands ( that song rocks)
oh and lots and lots of rock music lol
yes folks the music SAVED me not damned me

[W1nTry]

I would venture to say God gave you a break Crixx, but that's just me XD I too have had a turning point in my life and though it was a person' kind words I see it as God telling me "that's enough, it's OK"

[New Era Outlaw]

I see where you're coming from, berserker.

But, just to be fair, I was fighting a severe case of depression two years ago. Now, to be honest....I don't feel talking about the circumstances, but, back then, I felt that it had hit rock bottom in my life. It really, genuinely felt that, at that moment in time, I had nothing left worth fighting for.

Still, I kept carrying on despite my grief, acting as if nothing was bothering me, and, eventually, I got over what was depressing me.....even if it took me an entire year to do so.

I agree, berserker....a negative mindset can wreak havoc on the human psyche. That is why we always have to look forward and hope for the best, and not look to end it all just to remove the pain.

[W1nTry]

I don't like the word hope. BELIEVE is a better term. You have to BELIEVE there is something better, hope in and of itself isn't enough! imho

[TheApprentice]

When I heard this news I was like, why would he kill himself over this reason?

I know people who though they are pissed off at the postponement, they are relieved that they have much more time to study..
So I don't get it??

More time before exam = happy...

But then my mind strayed off and went to conclusions, what if the boy who hung himself got access to those leaked papers, what if he payed, and all of this + parents finding out his involvment etc..etc.. Well that may be a legit reason for him...

Otherwise his choice of death was equal to that of utter stupidity..

[Berzerk]

its true what you say about the word hope and believe WinItry

but its a process for some to reach that level of wisdom...

its like the difference between wisdom and knowledge

and i also fully appreciate what new era is saying too

its WRONG pure and simple, and I myself was in one helluva bad place very recently (some here know the details)

But suicide was never in the mindset, I just moved on, and some friends literally came out of the woodwork (that was God's doing pure and simple) and helped me stand up a LOT stronger than I was before.

Its just I saw the other side too and I saw someone I respected take his own life when he felt he had nothing to live for, and for some reason I understand how he felt, the percieved pointlessness of his existence,

 and for some reason it came to my mind that some people walk talk and exist too but are very very dead on the inside, just showing a mask to muddle on...some take their life when they cant go on, some kill themselves slowly but surely,

but at least their is always hope for redemption....

[daniboy79]

edit: removed

[Synchronomyst]

Wow. I'm trying to compose a post but no matter how I currently try to spin it...I can't post in this thread without getting -extremely- angry. I'll say this though...the concept that 'suicide is a coward's way out' is one of the most infuriatingly shallowly though, out-of-touch, calloused, condescending, cliched and blatantly shoehorned socially conformative crafted pieces of western folk psychology -ever-. The thought itself is worthless and devoid of merit. It lacks the most basic insights into how our psyche is built and does nothing to account for the inverse i.e. why we   -don't- commit suicide. And ugh, to see how it's so liberally applied to every single case of suicide makes me violently disturbed to think that people can so adamantly hold this perspective and then pat themselves on the back for their own vain accomplishment.

I don't know what caused this guy to decide that things were so abysmal that he had to end his life. He clearly suffered from a staggering loss of perspective and I admittedly cannot engage this case with any sympathy whatsoever. However, there are definitely factors that lead to a person having such a distortion of priority and purpose...but sorry, this isn't an ideal world where we are all so delightfully homogenous in out physical and psychological make up that we can objectively brand such a person as stupid or a coward. Call him weak if you'd so like...otherwise reserve your social constructed, shovel fed and pre-fabricated opinion, please.

F**k this pop-psychology bullsh**t.

[New Era Outlaw]

Well, Synch mah boy.....if you read through that entire thread and came to that conclusion.....all I have to say is...."Buh?"

In any case, what does it matter anyway?
He's dead now. You'll forget him soon.