My husband and I recently
rediscovered M*A*S*H on Netflix. It's our go-to for a short evening laugh. But
the theme song haunts me.
Suicide is painless
it brings on many changes
and I can take or leave it if I please.
…and you can do the same thing if you
please.*
Suicide is not painless. It is a
national tragedy. Suicide is the tenth highest cause of death in America; the third highest among youth. Every 12.8 minutes
someone takes their own life in the United States; more than 41,000 deaths
annually.
Maybe I’m morbid, but these statistics
catch my attention. They make me wonder about the society we live in, the
values we hold. Suicide seems a silent shameful epidemic we prefer to keep in
the shadows.
But then maybe not so shadowed. The
Robert Altman film, M*A*S*H*, was released in 1970. The spin off television
show was on the air from 1972 to 1983. Altman’s 14-year-old son, Michael B.
Altman, wrote the lyrics for the theme song.
Suicide is painless
it brings on many changes
and I can take or leave it if I please.
The game of life is hard to play
I'm gonna lose it anyway
The losing card I'll someday lay
So this is all I have to say.*
September is National Suicide
Prevention Month, but no one prevented my colleague's act of desperation two weeks ago.
I didn't know. I didn't recognize
the signs. I saw a cheerful, irreverent colleague who was deeply engaged with
his students, who always had a smart-ass comment, who spent breaks between
classes smoking, chatting, and laughing with other smokers - students, faculty,
staff. The camaraderie of smokers could almost entice me to take up the vice
once again, but unlike my colleague, I want to live.
Fall quarter begins without my
colleague's laughter, his pat on the back, his encouragement, and another song loops
through my mind.
Just like
Pagliacci did
I try to keep my sadness hid
Smiling in the public eye
But in my lonely room I cry
the tears of a clown
When there's no one around**
I try to keep my sadness hid
Smiling in the public eye
But in my lonely room I cry
the tears of a clown
When there's no one around**
To learn more about
suicide and suicide prevention, please visit:
Music Sources:
2 comments:
I had no idea those were the lyrics of the MASH song--somehow, after watching it hundreds of times, I never caught that first word "suicide." Yes, suicide is NOT painful. I have nothing else to say, other than I also have lost neighbors by suicide, and it's a sad and terrible and complicated choice for people to make.
Thank you for reading and sharing, Kit.
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