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I was going to try & use a quote from a movie with a suicide in it, but I couldn’t for the life of me think of one. The only examples I could think of didn’t have pithy phrases that worked. Even this one isn’t succinct. It’s just sort of pertinent to the topic, but not really completely applicable in every sense. That said, given the information I presented in the narrative I think you could safely say that the guy wanted to die because the world no longer had any value that he was capable of perceiving. That’s the thing about life, sometimes you lose the ability to see the value in it, or the hope for a better day. If someone isn’t there to help you in those moments, well… There are thousands of them a year. I’ve been on both sides of it. When you’re trying to convince someone that life has value it is extremely difficult when you are wondering if it actually does. There is a conflict of interests.
The man who said what Jo is quoting is G.K. Chesterton. His name suits his face. Look him up if you want verification. I’ve heard the quote in a few films & tv shows, but almost never with the final line. It’s also never attributed to him. You may actually be familiar with his work. He created Father Brown, the detective, which has been adapted in a few ways over the years. I don’t actually know the full context of the quote. I expect there might be more to it that could alter the understood meaning of it, but that’s a chance you take with quotations.
A few years ago a lady became interested in me who was very prone to suicidal thoughts & I knew I had to shut it all down eventually because adding me to her life would be like throwing a match into a can of gasoline. The whole thing was a double suicide waiting to happen. It’s important to properly appraise your role in a relationship & what strengths and weaknesses you bring to the table. I’m less melancholy than I was in my youth. Less than even I was 5 years ago, but I still have intense moments of crushing dread. In some ways I think that living through it for so long I have become somewhat numb to the brain chemistry that causes the problem sometimes. I’ve built up an immunity. Or maybe a resistance would be more accurate, I can resist depression more effectively now. I have more tools in my arsenal. Long time readers will remember some of my intense bouts of instability I’m sure. I’ve spoken at length about my methods for coping with depression, and everything that comes with it.
It all basically boils down to work. Find a purpose, even if it’s very small, and build from it. Become indispensable to someone, if not in reality, then in your mind. Some days when I don’t want to get up I imagine a reader coming to the page and being disappointed. It may seem like a small thing, but it really bothers me that I could have a chance to make someone feel better, if only for a moment, and I missed it. Creating joy, or easing pain, are the best things you can do. Life is so hard. Giving someone a chuckle, or even a smirk over a labored pun, is a worthy goal. Because in that tiny moment you can change the trajectory of someone’s life.