My old friend Margaret, one hot July afternoon, walked into the shed anf found her husband David (27) hanging dead from the rafters. A note said that he felt that it was the only way out and that no one else would be hurt by his passing.

When last I knew, Margaret was in a mental hospital, her very fine mind irreparably damaged. Their two young sons were "wards of the state."

Suicide, as it is usually practiced, is one of the most selfish acts I know of. (I'm not including "death with dignity".) A suicide, even one without family or friends, at the very least inconveniences cops, paramedics, and gravediggers and can very literally traumatize others.

I also think that many suicides don't realize that it is real, it is forever, and that if successful there IS no chance to change your mind. As the man said, "I'd jump off the Empire State Building, but I worry about what would happen if I changed my mind on the way down."