h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

i have found...

though life can seem unbearable, unjust, inequitable, it is what it is. To take ones life because of the actions or decisions of another is to fail to acknowledge the importance of self. Because someone else devalues their own life should not devalue yours, however difficult that might be to deal with when the person is important in your life. In loving a person they are elevated to a position of importance, when they fail you a part of your core dies, that core you hold dear. Terrible though that feels, the failure is theirs, failure to cope, to understand, to value themselves, to be. Living your own life is difficult enough... dont try to live others for them.

you are absolutely right..it is what it is. and so am i, fits of passion, ideation, and everything else. what i produce is much like anything else; i inhale, and I exhale. some of it is contrary to life, some of it is not. i am who i am, because there is no other possibility, and I am content with my discontent. i revel in my little dichotomies because, for some reason, that is who i chose to be. one thing for certain - i love living and experiencing; i love being human.

lanna

I knew I wasn´t the only one that had survived, and in the end, gladly.
Best wishes...
Ismarah

I have to say that was a very moving aritcle. I haven't experienced suicide first hand in any manner myself, and yet somehow I think I could understand your perspective from this. I know this isn't edited guide material, due to it's first person perspective without which it would completely lose it's effectiveness. It is a very compellling tale though, one I think is very publishable if that was what you were trying for. Very well written.

As for life being so valuable and the disregard (demonstated by suicide) for it classified as just wrong (referring to eyethinks post), I'm not sure I can agree with that. A person's life, body, mind, everyday actions, all that makes up what is them, is a thing so valuable, and yet so personal, only that person can make a true assessment of how that value can be best put to use. I don't think you can say because a person killed themself they wasted their life or that they were a failure. I think this article points that out as well as anything, as Ray found a way to release his family from the demons that tortured him. And seeing that his wife required more special ceremony of release, even if only in her mind, he found a way to supply that. What there is of Ray in her mind he put there himself. Who knows what sort of strength that has fostered in her or what goods she may do with that in the future, all due to having known and loved this man. Had he chosen to go on living, there is no way of knowing how it would have changed her and her children. Only God and Ray can know if it was truly worth the loss of his life. And I firmly believe God makes all his judgement calls on a case by case basis. Certainly any being who can stand before God and say "I did the thing that I felt was right" can not be considered a failure, by God or by themselves.

To the author again, forgive me if I have become too personal in my remarks. I know you must have experienced great pain at the actions of your late husband. But I feel like you must have received many gifts from him that make that pain worth having endured. Despite the nature of him you have described with such compelling words, I believe he was a man whose sad and complex personality I would have found endearing myself.

Thank you. Thank you for taking the time to share such kind words.

Note to Nyssabird and paulie:

Well fancy meeting both of your here! By a strange coincidence I am planning on promoting both your works (Nyssa's Suicide thingy and paulie's Mount Rushmore piece) in the first issue of AggGagCAC which is coming soon to as a replacment (continuation?) of our old <./>AGGGAG</.> column. We reached 42 issues a week ago. That number being somewhat significant around here, we just HAD to end AggGag on a high. So, AggGagCAC will carry on the work of AggGag, promoting 'unedited entries'.

I'm sure paulie's will soon become an Official Edited Entry, but
what she said in its defense about writing for reasons other than 'official acceptance', writing because the topic was more important than Peer approval, is pure poetry to our ears. That's the kind of spunky statement we like to see. And the thread that's built up around paulie's entry contains many lessons for all.

Nyssa's piece is 'first personal' and as such not eligible for the Edited Guide, but again it's something people should see. I'm glad to see paulie agrees, because CAC (the Committee for Alien Content) wants everyone to see it too.

peace
~jwf~ for CAC "We put the CAC in AggGAgCAC!"

Um..again, thank you.