Mark Madoff, son of Bernie Madoff, committed suicide this past Saturday night. This story has popped up here and there in the media since then, but I can't get my mind off of it.
My Aunt Ruth has often told me that committing suicide is the biggest "F*ck You" someone can say to their loved ones. People who decide to take their life do so for a variety of reasons, but the reasons are ultimately selfish. Mark Madoff had a wife and kids, and likely a lot of other people in his life. Suicide creates a ripple effect-- it essentially takes the pain and chaos that one person is experiencing and transfers it onto an enormous amount of other people. So while he was saying F*ck you to his father, he also said it to his wife and children and everyone else who loved him, and everyone who loves them, and everyone who has been effected by suicide.
Suicide is never, ever the right answer to a person's problems. Anyone who accepts a line of reasoning behind this decision contributes to a justification of suicide, which in essence is an irrational act. It doesn't matter that he was Bernie Madoff's son. This fact does not justify the act. Countless other people live through situations that are just as painful (although likely a lot less publicized). It also was not Bernie Madoff's fault. He may be guilty of many things, but a person's decision to take his or her life is ultimately his or her own decision.
It also saddens me that many major "suicide" associations have not come forward to say anything about this suicide. Typically when a celebrity commits suicide, organizations (such as American Foundation to Prevent Suicide) will post notes on their Facebook and Twitter accounts to recognize and commemorate the person, and send their thoughts to the people effected. As I click through the Twitter accounts of several suicide prevention networks, I can't help but notice the absence of comments about Mark Madoff.
With that, my thoughts go out to the Madoff family.
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