Post-suicidal thoughts on alienation, connection, and the efficacy of communication.

Thinking back to the beginning of the week, I recall that the energy over the past couple days was said to be such that it was advised to hold on tight to anyone who might be on the edge, because the intensity might have caused some to go too far. Honestly, I've never really been a big fan of Linkin Park, but as was the case with Chris Cornell, both he and Chester Bennington were literally screaming for help. Of course, it's easy to reflect on their lyrics and think that it just seemed to be their artistic flavor, or maybe that they were channeling their darkness and transmuting it into creativity, as I've done many times myself. But sometimes it isn't enough to just write it all out.

Even when these thoughts and feelings are shared, it can make matters worse by causing a sense of disconnect when it seems that others don't really understand, or when the effort to open up to someone is met with a dismissive, "don't talk that way," as though it's just as simple as that to let go of whatever is eating away at one's sense of well-being. Add to that the preference to avoid burdening anyone else with one's negativity, and it often leads one to bottle it all inside, which can become active disacknowledgement of the existence of an issue, even when directly asked. It can be difficult to truly gauge the state of another person's psyche based upon the person's demeanor, especially when they've fallen into the trap of constantly wearing a mask of normalcy to hide the mental and emotional dis-ease.

I don't bring this up to offer any answers on how to confront the situation, but if one is worried about someone, pay attention. Talk to the person. Connect. One of the biggest problems in our society is that we are terrible at engaging in open and honest communication. We're too afraid of what others may think and too guarded to prevent ourselves from potentially being hurt. Things would be a lot easier all around if we embraced our truth and were more accepting and less judgmental of others who live their truth. We're all just trying to get through life. Why make that anymore difficult than it has to be?