Suicide is not the answer

The story at this link http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/local/14645757.htm really bothers me. Man jumps to death off parking garage Belleville chief calls it suicide BY JESSICA ADLER For the News-Democrat BELLEVILLE - A 37-year-old Belleville man committed suicide Monday morning by jumping off the top floor of the St. Clair County parking garage following an appearance in family court. "It was undoubtedly a suicide," said Belleville Police Chief Dave Ruebheusen. The man, identified as Rory J. Hamilton, jumped off the garage, located across from the St. Clair County Building in downtown Belleville. Hamilton left family court, drove his Pontiac Transport minivan to the top of the garage building, and leaped to his death, police said. Though his fall was broken by an oncoming car, the man was pronounced dead as a result of massive head injuries at St. Elizabeth's Hospital Emergency room at 11:10 a.m., St. Clair County Coroner Rick Stone said. More at the above link. I didn't know Mr. Hamilton, but, his death troubles me. How desperate he must have been to choose to end his life. I don't know why he felt this was the answer. I don't understand why anyone would. When I hear the word suicide I think of John Kennedy O'Toole. Mr. O'Toole wrote one of my favorite books of all times, A Confederacy of Dunces. In a nutshell the story of Mr. O'Toole is that he wrote this book and then got rejected by a number of publishers, (uh, this does happen to authors, many get lots of rejection prior to having their work published. He was also himself a college professer. He killed himself (undoubtedly there were other issues) and after his death his mother found the manuscript for A Confederacy of Dunces and embarked on getting it published. She cornered a professer, Walker Percy and made him promiser to read it. He didn't want to, but, started reading the first page and got drawn it. He realized that this was a great book, helped her get it published and it won the Pulitzer Prize. It is a great book, funny and sad, and one that I have reread many times. I am always left somewhat angry that O'Toole killed himself and deprived us of his future work. Maybe he would have written more, maybe he would have been another Harper Lee, (she wrote the wonderful To Kill a Mockingbird and then has never written another! But, by killing himself, we will never know. However, defeated Mr. O'Toole felt, he never experienced the joy of being not only published, but being a Pulitzer Prize winner! Of being a best selling author. Of whatever joy and happiness his future held. For I really do feel that joy and happiness is always just around the corner. Most of us won't go one to be best selling authors or win major prizes but all sadness eventually yields to happier times. No matter how bad or dark things have ever seemed to me, great joy has always reappeared. And I firmly believe this applies to each and everyone of us. Eventually things will get better. We just have to hang on till they do. I am sorry that Mr. Hamilton didn't hang on to see what happiness was instore for him. I am sorry for those he left behind who will always have to wonder why he did this and why he didn't ask for help. A Confederacy of Dunces (Evergreen Book)">A Confederacy of Dunces To Kill a Mockingbird"">To Kill A Mockingbird