Suicide is the means of men whose resilience has been eaten away by rust, the rust of the daily round. They were born for action, but they have delayed their action; so action turns back on them with the swing of a pendulum. Suicide is an act, the act of those who have not been able to accomplish others. It is an act of faith, like all acts. Faith in one’s neighbor, in the existence of one’s neighbor, in the reality of the self and the other selves.
Interpretation
This quote reflects on the tragic contemplation of suicide as a result of lost resilience and delayed action.
In this profound statement, Pierre Drieu La Rochelle delves into the psyche of individuals who contemplate suicide, suggesting that their struggles are rooted in a loss of resilience caused by the monotonous burdens of daily life. He portrays suicide not as a mere escape, but as a complex act intertwined with faith—an expression of despair in the inability to act, connect, and find meaning in their existence and in their relationships with others. This quote serves as both a reflection on the tragic human condition and a critical reminder of the need for action and connection.
In practice
In a mental health awareness speech, one might say, 'As Drieu La Rochelle reminds us, daily struggles can erode our resilience, leading to despair.'
Any time I claimed to be white, that would be unacceptable. It just doesn't make sense in people's minds. If I'm white, how can I walk through a department store and still have people scared that I'm going to rob them? Which, that can still happen.
I am a Black woman raised by parents who were active in the civil-rights movement.
I believe in a religion that believes in freedom. Any time I have to accept a religion that won't let me fight a battle for my people, I say to hell with that religion.
Because war and preparations for war have acquired legitimacy, and because of the tremendous proliferation of arms through production and export, so that they are now available more or less to all and sundry, right down to handguns and stilettos, the cult of violence has by now so permeated relations between people that we are compelled to witness as well an increase in everyday violence.
We are the products of editing, rather than of authorship.
Everything we do these days - our lust for ever more comfort, pleasure, and distraction, our refusal to engage with the mandates of reality, our fidelity to cults of technology and limitless growth, our narcissistic national exceptionalism - all of this propels us toward the realm where souls abandon all hope.
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