Back in the 1970's, there was a television program titled M.A.S.H. - It was a show based on the Army, with future movie and TV star Alan Alda, and Jamie Farr, who played the part of Max Klinger - He who wore dresses in the Army, and he who wanted desperately to get a Section 8 and go home. Gary Burghdoff, who played Corporal Radar O'Reilly was the only original to be in the show from start to finish. And what a finish it was. The "Going Home" episode of M.A.S.H. is still the most widely viewed television program in history. In history. As in the most watched ever in the world. Even to this day.
The title song was "Suicide is Painless" by an artist named Johnny Mandel. That song is still popular today. Anyone that is over the age of 30 will recognize the song. They will recognize the music. And they will recognize where it comes from. But what they don't realize is that the title of the song is the farthest from the truth you could ever imagine. Suicide is anything but painless.
We all know someone that has lost someone to suicide. Whether it is due to depression, due to anger, due to hating their life, due to frustration, alcohol, drugs or anything else that might be remotely connected to it, we have dealt with, are familiar with, or know someone that has dealt with suicide. I have lost four friends to it in my lifetime. And if you were to ask me? Suicide is anything but painless.
We've heard the comments that someone took the easy way out. We've heard the insults that they didn't think of someone else before they took their own life. We've heard the statements that they didn't care about anyone because if they did, they wouldn't have done what they did. But what we don't realize, whether it's me, you or the man in the moon, is that suicide is anything but painless.
We don't know what the person is going through. We don't know what a person is experiencing the minute, hour or second before they decide that their life isn't worth living anymore. And when they finally decide to take that final step across to the other side, we don't know what they are feeling, we don't know what they experience, and we don't know what they are thinking just before the lights go out. And the tunnel goes black.
Suicide is anything but painless.
When Johnny Mandel wrote the song in 1970, I'm not sure if he was thinking about what it might do to people. I don't know if he was thinking about suicide when he wrote the song. We don't know what he was thinking long-term. Did he hate his life, hate who he was, and think about turning the lights off? Or did he just put the song together not thinking about the impact it would have nearly 50 years later?
Did he know what it would make people think about, how they would be remembered, or how that song would impact the lives of those listening to the song or watching the video on M.A.S.H. as it played night after night on television? The show itself became one of the most popular shows of an era, and one of the most popularly syndicated shows ever played on network television. It spawned a half a dozen major stars. And it also created a theme song that has lasted many lifetimes.
When Johnny Mandel wrote "Suicide Is Painless" was he thinking about how the person felt on the receiving end of death or was he thinking about what it would mean when someone finally put an end to it all? Because he could not have been thinking what it would do to others who were left behind after someone took their own life. He couldn't have been thinking about how it would impact the lives of thousands or more when someone died. Someone that was close to a friend, a neighbor, a relative, a cousin, an uncle, an aunt, a brother, a sister, a mom or a dad.
Is suicide painless?
And if so? For who?
