Stunned and Empty

I learned yesterday of a young man’s death. He made the irrevocable choice to end his life by leaping to his death. I can’t help but think he might not have done it if he’d waited just one more minute. Perhaps in that one minute he would have realized the darkness, as bad as it must have been, would have been temporary. But once he flung himself off the building, his decision was irreversible. The darkness overcame his will to live. His pain overwhelmed his hope. I will never know what went through his mind in the weeks or days or hours before he made that horrible decision. I knew him only as a passing acquaintance, but I feel a sense of loss, nonetheless. I’m stunned by the news and I feel empty, knowing that I didn’t realize that, beyond his outward appearance, he was dealing with a life or death struggle.