Mourning is one of the most profound human experiences that it is possible to have... The deep capacity to weep for the loss of a loved one and to continue to treasure the memory of that loss is one of our noblest human traits.
Each suicidal drama occurs in the mind of a unique individual.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Suicidal thoughts and actions are deeply personal and vary greatly from person to person.
Edwin S. Shneidman's quote highlights the individuality of suicidal experiences, suggesting that each instance of suicidal ideation or action is shaped by the unique circumstances, emotions, and thoughts of the person involved. It emphasizes the complexity of mental health issues and the necessity to approach each case with empathy and understanding, recognizing that what may lead one person to such extreme thoughts may be entirely different from another's experience.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a mental health awareness seminar, this quote can be used to illustrate the personal nature of suicidal thoughts.
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Compassion is the keen awareness of the interdependence of all things.
I must secure more time for private devotions. I have been living far too public for me. The shortening of devotions starves the soul, it grows lean and faint. I have been keeping too late hours.
When a private enterprise fails, it is closed down; when a government enterprise fails, it is expanded. Isn't that exactly what's been happening with drugs?
God does not know whether a skin is black or white, He sees only souls.
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If mythic violence is lawmaking, divine violence is law-destroying; if the former sets boundaries, the latter boundlessly destroys them; if mythic violence brings at once guilt and retribution, divine power only expiates; if the former threatens, the latter strikes; if the former is bloody, the latter is lethal without spilling blood