Matt Heafy kirjoittaa itsemurhien ennaltaehkäisystä

Triviumin nokkamies Matt Heafy törmäsi hiljattain kirjoitukseen, jonka takana on poikansa vuosi sitten menettänyt Dorothy Paugh. Jutussa olevassa kuvassa nähdään Dorothyn poika päällään Triviumin paita. Heafy liikuttui naisen tarinasta ja päätti kirjoittaa faneilleen itsemurhasta ja kuinka se ehkäistään, sekä omista kokemuksistaan masennuksen kanssa. Voit lukea Heafyn kirjoituksen tästä:

This story breaks my heart. The hidden pain that lies within people’s minds; the pain that they feel they can’t reach out to anyone for help… it does horrible things.

I know it would be incorrect to allow myself to take any sort of blame – however, seeing the photo of this young man in a Trivium shirt makes me feel like I could have helped. But how?

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To those of you that feel the dark things in life… people who have had thoughts of hurting yourself or others due to the misery you’re feeling; whether that be inflicted due to your household, your upbringing, your classmates, your job, your stresses in a relationship, whatever it may be. I want you to know that there are ways to deal with those pains. If you can’t reach out to someone… if you feel that too difficult – create.

Create art, make music, make poetry, make something. Turn that blackness you’re being tormented by into something – something where you can metaphorically pull that wretchedness from your body and make that suffering spill out on pen and paper; NOT afflicting yourself or others.

I know this isn’t the only solution – I know that we need outreach… we need to end bullying, we need to end child abuse, we need to end the pains that young and old alike go through – but sadly, this isn’t possible.

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Having recently had a gun pulled on me, thinking my life was over… I don’t want to hurt the people who did that to me anymore – I know that something, somewhere along the line in their lives went awry. Something sent something once innocent and beautiful on to the wrong path.

My uncle killed himself when I was young. My uncle left behind an adoring wife and fantastic children that he will never be around for. I’ve obviously referenced feelings of suicide in my music – I’ve at times felt that I was cursed with the same gene to think those horrendous thoughts that my uncle did that led him to kill himself. I’ve obviously been able to keep my sanity thanks to being able to create.

If you’re feeling these horrid feelings, and I assure you – I have thought these things myself… maybe we all do and we don’t admit it – maybe it’s just a percentage of us who are affected by the world in such a way that we can only cope by thinking of hurting others or ourselves. I cope by making music. It isn’t the mechanism for everyone… but when I feel I can’t talk to someone – that I feel so broken and broken down by the world – it’s making something out of the vile energy that cleanses me of my burden.

If any of you legitimately need to talk; if you truly are feeling as down as I’m assuming this young man did – it may be difficult due to the volume of communication I have coming in – reach out. Reach out to me on facebook or twitter, get my attention… send me the same message publicly a couple times that you truly need to talk; or reach out to your friends or family or closest to you.

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It hurts me to see one of my supporters, someone who inspires me to do what I do give up and give in. I wish I could have been there for him; I wish he could have reached out to his friends or someone or somehow found solace in other creativity to realize he wasn’t the only one.

If it isn’t a friend or a family member or some stranger online (me) saying that they want to help you if you truly are in a bad spot… try seeing a professional. A shrink, a psychiatrist… it isn’t weak. America has made us feel that mental troubles are a “weakness”. They’re not – they are real things. A thing sometimes beyond anything we could ever will ourselves out of. Don’t be ashamed to reach out. Life is too short, but also too good to give up on. There are so many amazing experiences to be had.

Just because times may seem tough at this minute, or this week, or this year… you can fix it. It IS possible. You’re not the only one, and things get better.

Please don’t give up; don’t hurt yourself, don’t hurt others.

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I am heart broken over this family’s loss; I am heart broken that this young man will never be able to experience the good things in life.

Last words for the night friends, in addition to my feelings on what I wrote; if creativity and creation aren’t enough, and you truly have tried that outlet (that is my outlet of choice… it has prevented me from allowing horrible things of myself doing to myself or others) start something you can hone in on and master. Whether that be exercise, running, a sport, a martial art, yoga, cooking. We – as mammals – need to be utilizing ourselves. It’s when we sit, and stew, and are allowing ourselves to melt within our thoughts and let those take us over that it all goes wrong. I’ve needed to add yoga and weights and jiu jitsu and muay thai and cooking and photography to my creating art. When I have all these things I am working on bettering – it not only keeps the demons at bay, it banishes them. If you’re really here reading this and really willing to make a change, please try to take some of my words into consideration… if you’re here out of mockery or agenda or thinking I’m on an agenda – please save those feelings for another time. Cherish your loved ones, be kind to those you don’t know.