Emptiness.
Vacancy. After suicide there is a
hole in the lives of those left behind, the ones we call survivors. There is an empty chair at the table, an
empty bedroom with an empty bed, an empty silence where a beloved voice once
spoke. Most of all, there is a hole in
our hearts, that empty place reserved for the relationship with that one person
whose presence will be a painful vacancy from now on, at least on this side of
eternity.
When Robin Williams completed suicide, he left a
vacancy. People said, “The Genie has
left the bottle.” Others said, “He is
finally at peace.” But the real vacancy
was the emptiness that all who loved him experienced: his family, his friends,
his colleagues, his fans. His life has
ended, but all of ours go on without his humor, without his contribution, without
his presence. Whether our acquaintance with him was close, or just from afar
through his work, we all were stunned by the verdict of suicide. We are especially pained that one who was so
gifted at bringing laughter to others found himself alone and without
hope. It does not do to romanticize his
despair; such frivolous talk puts a false shine on a terrible act; we never
want to make suicide look appealing, or look like a good option for hurting
souls in difficult circumstances. We
want to preserve life, and therefore preserve hope. Proverbs 24:11 tells us, “Rescue those who are
being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.”
Learn the signs of someone in danger of
suicide, learn how to intervene, so we can help the hurting. No more needless holes in people’s hearts. No
more emptiness. No more vacancies.
