Men, no matter what, just bite the bullet

A young man I know is hanging by a thread. He tried to take his own life by lacing his beer with poison. He is in the ICU fighting for his life that, paradoxically, he wanted to take as I write this piece.

Some years ago, a cousin of mine did just the same. He had decided that cockroach poison was tastier than tea or coffee and spent months in the ICU before going upstairs. The list of men I knew who have gone to early graves is endless.

Sample this: I saunter into a bump with an old friend. The man is holding his chin and is deep in thought.

Going by his bloodshot eyes and the shabbiness of his clothes, he is unconsciously doing rounds in the corridors of hell. The reason? They had invoked scenes akin to what is happening in Gaza, a precursor to WWIII.

More men than women

Statistics show that men take their own lives more than women, although women are more likely to attempt to drink battery acid or such stuff.

Psychologists will tell you that men take the option because they do not know how to vent their anger and frustration, like by crying, telling a friend, or just ranting and bubbling it out. I digress on this.

When a man’s ego goes down the drain and he sees no reason to live, he knows that the end has come.

Bankruptcy or women stoking the egos

A man goes under financially; the woman who cuddled like a baby has turned into a lioness with cubs down the Serengeti plains.

The man’s mind is entrapped in a quagmire; nothing goes as planned. Worse still, the woman badmouths, heckles, and puts words in the man’s mouth. His ego has been devastated irreparably.

Three things can happen here: a man can decide to take refuge in the bottle. He will be coming home in the wee hours of the morning. This can only happen if the man has money.

The other thing is that he will take off and never come back (the best option) or take Samson’s option (a military term) where, just like Samson of the Bible chose to die, he and his enemies choose to take their lives, and sometimes, that of the woman and kids.

Men avoid the second option of going away because they fear being branded as cowards. Other than taking the other two options, bite the bullet and settle on the moon!