chapel in the blue zone

this area is in the top five blue zones in the world.  people here live longer than most every place else on the face of the earth.  research, religious or otherwise inclined, has been conducted in an attempt to understand this phenomenon.  how ironic it is that a talk was given this morning about the statistics of suicide.  it is the 3rd leading killer of adolescents.  i have heard that women are more prone to suicidal tendencies, but that men are the ones who more often follow through with their ideas.

in interview fashion, three people up front discussed suicide and how closely it was linked to them.  both men struggled with suicidal thoughts in their early and/or late adolescence and gave advice on how to relate to friends who might have similar thoughts.  they shared their knowledge with the psychiatrist who sat with them and hosted the interview.  

the stories were fascinating to me and made me really think about my role as a friend, confidant, and companion of the people in my life - including my family, my friends, and even acquaintances.  we were not meant to go through this world alone.  we have been given the responsibility to look after each other and have each other's best interest at heart.  

the men explained that what they wanted/needed the most was someone to just go through their experience with them - to sit down with them and validate how they were feeling.  not to tell them that their feelings were bad, wrong, or crazy.  they needed someone to be willing to be uncomfortable with the insurmountable feeling of worthlessness - the feelings that life was not worth living anymore.  someone who could "sit down and shut up".  their adamant thoughts on this topic made me think about what i would want if i was going through a similar situation.  and then i realized that i have gone through something similar.  even though i am not really sure what i would have wanted or needed if given the choice, i was aware of how uncomfortable it can be to be in the presence of someone who wants to end their life...especially if your life experience has not led you to feel this way at all.