Another young life ends prematurely

I just learned that one of my brother's closest friends decided to end his life last weekend. This comes barely a month after another of his closest friends was buried for the same reason. Suicide is a terrible thing, not just because of the loss of a life, but also due to the impact it has on those that are close. The feeling of guilt and the pain of going through all the ways you could have prevented the tragedy in your mind.

When I heard that Stefan was no longer alive it really affected me. Even if I have not seen him for a very long time. He was someone I knew from when he was just a baby and I watched him grow up along side my brother. He was a little rascal and somewhat of a strange mix between an angel and a bad boy. Just like my brother was.

When I last met him, which was at my brothers funeral, he looked a bit lost. Almost like he was caught between the tough exterior he wore and the soft, sensitive and kind heart he had on the inside. A bit lost also due to the fact that my brother had passed away and a shoulder to lean on was no longer there. I can only assume the impact the death of Joakim in late June had on Stefan.

Walking through life is always a struggle, but for Stefan, Joakim and my brother David this seemed to be extra difficult. Maybe they were to sensitive to the pain around them or maybe they just never felt that they found their place in this world. In the end darkness found them when they were most vulnerable and left those that loved them to mourn their passing. Each in their own way and all to early.

Stefan, Joakim and my brother are not the only souls that have left us to soon. Death are all around us and the signs of young people feeling lost, forsaken and betrayed seem to increase by the day. Some blame the digital revolution, some blame a decline of security in our society and some blame drugs and alcohol.

I do not know what the cause is, but I know that if we do not start to act, then more young people will end their life prematurely...