Shocked!

I am in a state of shock since the news of the suicide of a young Bollywood actor. I’m not a die-hard fan type of person for any celebrity. Especially not for film stars. So, it’s not about being in shock as I was crazy about the actor. I’m shocked as a person after hearing about the untimely passing of another person that I had literally no relation with.

I think I’m shocked since this man was just three years older than me. He had pretty much everything that youngsters, like me, work hard to achieve — money, fame, and success. And it seemed like he had a bright future ahead of him. It shocks me as to what could have led a person to take such a step in spite of having seemingly everything.

Of course, I understand that mental health is an entirely different thing and that depression and anxiety are silent killers that no one knows exist until a person has taken such an extreme step. It’s not the first time that a person who has achieved success has taken such a step. But this time it has left me deeply shaken like very few events really have.

I consider myself lucky to have managed to get out of a dark phase not more than a few months back. It went on for several months before I could get over it. It still bothers me from time to time but in the background unlike how it used to be in the foreground all the time when I was struggling with it. I could put it behind me because I was able to talk about it with my wife.

I hope we can all open up to someone close enough to us that it doesn’t make us feel like taking the extreme step. In my case, I can confidently say that my perspective towards life went through a major shift since the time I came out of my dark phase.

Please talk!