All It Takes Is One
All it takes is one.
One time to be chastised for being too negative to think you can be saved.
All it takes is one.
One time to be rejected and feel unworthy of the life you braved.
All it takes is one.
One time to be shamed so bad you throw your life away.
All it takes is one.
One time to be bullied so that you lose your reason to stay.
All it takes is one.
One time to be neglected again and unable to take much more.
All it takes is one.
One time to be excluded and feel that you do not belong anymore.
All it takes is one.
One time to be abused and the pain is just too much to bare.
All it takes is one.
One time to be abandoned until you decide you are better off dead.
All it takes is one.
One time to lose what scarcely little hope you have left.
All it takes is one.
One time to attempt suicide and not breathe in or out again.
All it takes is one.
One moment of selfless compassion to be there for that somebody.
All it takes is one.
One attempt survivor to tell you that you knew all of this already.
Suicide does not end with one loss, one survivor, or one bout of hopeless sorrow on any given day. Life is hard for millions of people everywhere. Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide — for 365 days each year. In spite of some of the most humbling of efforts I have seen, suicide rates continue to rise. All the while society at large continues to deny the truth about suicide prevention: if they are gone, we have failed. They cannot be brought back. It is over. It is almost 2025. When will this change?
Thankfully, it comes naturally to me to be honest about what this is like. I am autistic. Suicide has been an unwanted part of my life for almost 30 years. During that time, a co-volunteer once turned to me and said, “Other people have died from less.” She is right. I used to see my own suicide attempt as weak. During that time, a counselor said to me, “No wonder why this is not working. I am going to have you assessed for autism.” I was diagnosed so late in life that the trauma was worse than suicide. My life will never be the same.
Which signs will you miss when it matters most? Which signs will you not miss now that you know? When will it matter to save lives? Remember:
All it takes is one.
