“When someone says they want to die, all of the support comes out.”

This was said by our guest speaker from class on Tuesday, William Peace, and I found it to ring true about our society. It all cycles back to the question: why do we wait to act until something bad happens? Legislation gets passed not for precautionary measures, but after a crisis happens. I feel that many of us are responsive instead of proactive, which is fine, but not when lives are at stake.

Chris Hedges is a crippled veteran, who made news headlines when he spoke about his plans to kill himself with the help of his wife. For those who are unfamiliar with this term, (I myself was before this class) this is called assisted suicide— when a disabled or crippled person is so unhappy that they choose to die with the help of someone, usually a doctor or loved one.

Without delving into the legal and moral issues at stake here, the media and public went crazy and showed undying support for Hedges. I have a feeling that he may not have made the news if he did not threaten his life. We are a society obsessed with drama and making headlines. Fortunately, he is alive, well and living with his wife in Seattle.

This can also be tied to the recent death of Robin Williams. There may have been warning signs and there may have been things ignored, but why did all of the information about how bad his depression was only come out after his death? In articles afterwards, it discussed that he had a long history of struggling with depression and yet, this was the first I heard about it.

I think a problem here is our society’s obsession with drama and consumerism. We could make a lot of change if we start at the root of the problem when it first starts showing signs. A person’s life is not something that should be put aside and if there is ever the slightest notion of doubt, the expression “better safe than sorry” rings absolutely true.