It doesn’t have to be you or someone you love.
Today was a one-two punch. First, we learned that Chris Cornell died. One of rock’s most distinct and talent voices. He was a self-proclaimed drug abuser at 13-years old. In 2007 it was reported he had more trouble after the breakup of Audioslave. He had career highs and lows. No doubt he had personal highs and lows like any of us.
Then we learned he had hung himself. Why he decided to take his life we may never know. What we do need to remember is any of us can hit lows. It may not be a big thing that can take you to a dark place. It can be an accumulation of many small things. It can sneak up on you. As Charles Bukowski put it in his poem “The Shoelace”:
“…with each broken shoelace
out of one hundred broken shoelaces,
one man, one woman, one
thing
enters a
madhouse.so be careful…”
Poetry can make the sadness feel romantic, even Chris Cornell’s verse:
“Someone tried to tell me something
Don’t let the world get you down
Nothing will do me in before I do myself
So save it for your own and the ones you can help” – “Blow Up the Outside World”
Beautiful things can come out of pain, sure. That’s what makes it romantic and adds to folklore. But it’s just that until it isn’t. Don’t get to that point.
Ask for help. Ask your friends if they need help. Help them find it. Find it if you need it. Here’s a place you can start:
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
or call 1 800 273 8255
And here’s a statement from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention of Chris Cornell.
No one can know you as well as you know yourself. Please, ask for help if you need it.
Here’s a picture of Chris with his kids from 2009. He had a lot of live for.
