Totally agree. I believe everybody has the right to take their own life at any time they choose. I just wish in this case it didn't involve an unwilling party.
Growing up, my aunt and uncle weren't the best parents in the world for their two children, a daughter and son both being at least 5 years older than me. Because of this, my parents often took unofficial custody of my cousins and ended up raising them through at least half of their childhood. While not my biological brother, my cousin was the older brother I never had. A brother to me in every way possible, except he never picked on me like an older brother would. Instead, I learned a lot from him and my personality reflects it, especially my sense of humor (though questionable to some here, surely). While it's another questionable act, he, not my dad, was the one that I shared my first beer with when I was a teenager.
In 2009-2010, he was found at the lake with one end of a hose duct taped to his exhaust pipe and the other end inside his truck. The same spot in which his biological father took his life using the same method (not the father I initially mentioned). He was rushed to a hospital where he made it out OK after a few days. He had been fighting depression for years, but kept it hidden. You'd never know he had internal struggles unless he told you, as he seemed to be a normal, happily married guy who enjoyed the finer things in life, especially fishing. He always brightened up any room he was in. Making people laugh (hysterically, I might add) and smile was something that came as natural to him as breathing. For years he had regular visits with a counselor and was on anti-depressants, trying and trying to break free from the emotional issues he faced every day. A few months after being found at the lake, his wife had not heard from him for an unusual amount of time (a few hours). She began to worry, especially when she noticed the shotgun missing from their home. His body was found that night at the lake.
While we miss him horribly, I respect his decision. He was a grown man, he was intelligent enough to know what he was and wasn't capable of. He knew exactly what he was doing and how it'd affect those around him. If we had it our way, he'd still be with us, yet be free from the hauntings that consumed him. But to wish he were still alive today, still suffering and in pain, would be selfish of us. Suicide isn't glorious by any means, but if there's comfort to be found in it, it's knowing that my cousin is no longer hurting.
