SUICIDE A silence so loud!

In the Bible, from the time of Malachi to the days of John the Baptist, there were 400+ years of God's silence. It is not because there were no prophets; God was just quiet, and because of that, there was nothing worth recording.

This prompts the following thought: it is very possible to live this life eating and drinking, even to the age of 80, and there is nothing about you worth recording. SELAH!

WHAT HAPPENED IN THIS TIME THOUGH?

The quiet 400+ years are referred to as the "Golden Age of Greece" or the "Greek Miracle." This was a time that gave birth to philosophers such as Aristotle. It is the manifestation of human ideas in art and literature, and these very ideas that emerge from it are what shape western civilization. And all we have to show for it now are their roots and routes. It is the time when human intelligence was celebrated most.

While this is so, it is interesting to note that in this very time human wisdom was elevated beyond God because many times, as men build things they get destroyed there in by the very inventions.

It is also regrettable that men's philosophy to assist them cope with life's challenges became one in which suicide was the thought most often celebrated. In actuality, there is a trend for every invention, and you either follow it or leave it behind. Suicide was an excellent choice after evolution stopped. Men got more evil and many began to despise life as they used their own wisdom more and more.

A writer, Pharrel in this period, says, "this period is marked with characteristics of despairing sadness which became prominent in its most sincere adherence....."

It was not unusual to fall from a height in order to reach death, while stabbing a sword in the body for self-killing was widespread among men and soldiers in ancient Greece during this period. Poison was and continues to be the most common method of suicide in both men and women.

Thursday, February 2, at approximately 8:00 a.m. I was prepared for my daily routine, but for some reason, I needed to sip some hot water. I head out in search of a match box, and all the shops are closed, and I am thinking, "Did they all of a sudden choose to dig with the ground this hard in the early morning sun?" Well, a couple of minutes later, I notice a large crowd coming my way, all with loud tongues, flipping hands, and making curse sounds.

When in my proximity, I ask one, "What is the matter?" as you seem perplexed. Kyoka Martha, she says... Do you know this person in the lovely house up ahead? Yeah, anhaa, I respond, he was discovered this morning hanging from a rope in his home.

How do you add to such an early morning conversation?

I remembered the daughter in high school who always passes my shop, the wife, and the other children, and am wondering what they are thinking.

We cannot ask him because he is gone, and he cannot defend himself either. Did he speak to someone? Suggestions are made, but are you sure? Who even wets the lips of the naysayers?

In the USA, according to records searches, suicides happen more in the winter and spring and on Sundays and Mondays. mind-boggling, huh? But how do we explain a farmer in Uganda's Iganga district committing suicide on a Thursday during the hot season? [We only have two seasons: hot and cold]. Yet world-accessible web research is identifying the act with weather and days. hmmm

When we [Bible students (Christians / even none)] evaluate Judas Iscariot and his act that led to his suicide, we can try to justify the reason why he did what he did on his behalf. But then there's Simon Peter, who denied the same person (Jesus) who was betrayed by Judas, and yet Simon went on to be the church's pillar, whose mandate was bestowed by whom he denied and Judah betrayed.

Also, as we argue about Judas' actions, what if he had not killed himself? Would the blood of Jesus not have sufficiently cleansed him of his sins?

We go through so much in our daily lives, and we only assume that the office suit-clad guy is healthy because he has a job; the bicycle-riding farmer is healthy because he grows fruit; and the breastfeeding former burren woman is relieved because someone can now say "mother" to her and she can feel the echo.

But what if the 10-year-old is secretly abused and unable to defend herself, only to learn days later of her situation after she hangs herself [as has happened]? What if it is the hardworking father we only think has it together and yet is secretly battling marital abuse from his wife because somehow, we think or know and believe the woman is the weaker sex?

So many sounds go unexplained, making silence more audible. Suicide is such a quiet loud sound...