People commit suicide to escape misery, but they do not realize it puts them in greater misery. It is like someone is shivering in the cold, and he goes out and removes his jacket. Will the cold become any less?
Life is a combination of happiness and pain. Pain is inevitable but suffering remains optional. Having a broad perspective on life gives you the strength to move forward through painful times. Know that you are very much needed in this world. With all its infinite possibilities, this life is a gift, for it can become a fountain of joy and happiness not just for oneself but for many others as well.
People who commit suicide find themselves there because they are so attached to life. They are so attached to some pleasure, to some joy, that they want to kill themselves. And when they kill themselves, they find they are in a bigger soup. They feel, “Oh my God, this restlessness, these desires which had created such intense agony inside me have not gone. My body has gone, but the agony has remained.”
It is only through the body that you can dispel the agony and get rid of misery. Instead, you destroy the very instrument by which you can get rid of agony. When energy goes down, you get depressed, and when it goes further down, suicidal tendencies arise. When the prana is high, this thought will not come. You will not be violent to yourself or others when your prana is high. Through proper breathing exercises, some meditation and through good and loving company, energy can go up.
It is only through the body that you can dispel the agony and get rid of misery. Instead, you destroy the very instrument by which you can get rid of agony.
– Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Anyone with suicidal tendencies should be led to someone who can teach them meditation who can make them do some breathing exercises and raise their energy level. Every day, for ten minutes, meditate and become hollow and empty. We need to create a society free from stress and violence, and the way for it is through meditation. Many times, when we sit for meditation, the mind goes all over the place. That is where Sudarshan Kriya, which is a breathing technique, and yoga help the mind to calm down and become serene.
If You get Thoughts of Committing Suicide, Beware of the Following:
- Know that it is just your prana, which is low, so do more pranayama.
- There are millions of people who are suffering more than you; look at them. When your suffering becomes smaller, you will not think of committing suicide.
- Know that you are needed, you are useful. You have to do something in the world.
Forget about what people think of you: People commit suicide because they think they have lost their prestige and status. What status? What prestige? Who has time to think about your prestige? Everybody is entangled with their own problems, with their own mind. They can’t step out of their own mind. So where do they have the time to think about you?
It is worthless to worry about what society thinks of you. Life is much more than just a few material possessions. Life is much more than blame or appreciation from someone. Life is much more than a relationship or a job.
The reason for suicide is a failure in a relationship, failure in a job, and not being able to achieve what you want to achieve. But life is much more than the small desires that pop up in your consciousness, in your mind. See life from a bigger perspective and engage yourself in some sort of social activity or service activity. Service or seva can keep people sane and keep them out of this mental depression.
