Resource Suicide Note Resources

[Kamaainakupua]

I searched and found a lot of different threads about notes, but nothing that seemed like a resource collection or guide for writing one.

One of the biggest hurdles for many of us is the guilt, or fear of guilt, about our choice and the impact on those left behind. It's also one of the primary guilt-trips pushed by those who would deprive us of the freedom of choice.
Instead of trying to explain something they cannot understand, or justify something with which they fundamentally disagree, it may be better to leave them with a means of solace, a way to move on after we are gone. In the same way we treat others here, with dignity and respect despite our differences, we can love them, and let them go, and hope they will do the same for us.
Here are a few poems that are out on the internet that may be of assistance in giving you words for feelings you may be having a hard time putting into writing:

Spoiler: 'Immortality' by Clare Harner 1934

Do not stand
By my grave, and weep.
I am not there,
I do not sleep—
I am the thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glints in snow
I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle, autumn rain.
As you awake with morning's hush,
I am the swift, up-flinging rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight,
I am the day transcending night.
Do not stand
By my grave, and cry—
I am not there,
I did not die.

Spoiler: 'Epitaph' by Merrit Malloy

When I die
Give what's left of me away
To children
And old men that wait to die.
And if you need to cry,
Cry for your brother
Walking the street beside you.
And when you need me,
Put your arms
Around anyone
And give them
What you need to give to me.
I want to leave you something,
Something better
Than words
Or sounds.
Look for me
In the people I've known
Or loved,
And if you cannot give me away,
At least let me live on in your eyes
And not your mind.
You can love me most
By letting
Hands touch hands,
By letting bodies touch bodies,
And by letting go
Of children
That need to be free.
Love doesn't die,
People do.
So, when all that's left of me
Is love,
Give me away.
I'll see you at home
in the earth.​

The one above was actually modified and used in World of Warcraft, so for any players who want an Azeroth funeral (You don't have to invite Serenity Now, they'll show up on their own).

Spoiler: 'Alicia's Poem' for Kaylee Dak

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am in a thousand winds that blow,
across Northrend's bright and shining snow.

I am the gentle showers of rain,
on Westfall's fields of golden grain.

I am in the morning hush,
of Stranglethorn's jungle, green and lush.

I am in the drums loud and grand,
the thunderous hooves across Nagrand.

I am the stars warmly gleaming,
over Darnassus softly dreaming.

I am in the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there. I do not die.

Spoiler: 'Let Me Go' by Christina Rossetti

Let Me Go

When I come to the end of the road
And the sun has set for me
I want no rites in a gloom filled room
Why cry for a soul set free?
Miss me a little, but not for long
And not with your head bowed low
Remember the love that once we shared
Miss me, but let me go.
For this is a journey we all must take
And each must go alone.
It's all part of the master plan
A step on the road to home.
When you are lonely and sick at heart
Go to the friends we know.
Laugh at all the things we used to do
Miss me, but let me go.
When I am dead my dearest
Sing no sad songs for me
Plant thou no roses at my head
Nor shady cypress tree
Be the green grass above me
With showers and dewdrops wet
And if thou wilt remember
And if thou wilt, forget.
I shall not see the shadows,
I shall not fear the rain;
I shall not hear the nightingale
Sing on as if in pain;
And dreaming through the twilight
That doth not rise nor set,
Haply I may remember,
And haply may forget.

 

[wannabeangel]

thank you so much i needed this, trying to find a proper resource for last letter guides has been so hard, this has been helpful. if you find more i am excited to see, i may try to make my own collection of resources if i can after some research, maybe searching whats common in notes and whatnot... i dunno, i just know i've been hella struggling with the note, and im thankful to find even a little help with it

 

[Kamaainakupua]

if you find more i am excited to see, i may try to make my own collection of resources

Thank you for replying. It's a bit tricky to set up a resource thread, since your edit window is only 6 hours, and unless a mod stickies it, it gets lost in the quick stream of new threads that is SD. As you say, do the research, compile, then post.

I couldn't find one that I was looking for; I think the family had it removed after the bus ride, and the Wayback Machine was on vacation when it got posted.

I hope you find what you're looking for here at SaSu, and I look forward to reading what you find.

 

[wannabeangel]

ahh thats good to know before i post anything, i think i would draft up my resource thread in a doc or something before posting then. and thank you, i've been finding a lot that's been helpful so far

 

[Kamaainakupua]

ahh thats good to know before i post anything, i think i would draft up my resource thread in a doc or something before posting then. and thank you, i've been finding a lot that's been helpful so far

Please note that in private conversations, the edit window is even shorter, 30 minutes I believe, so yes, a notepad or app like that is a good idea before you hit 'post reply'.
Good hunting, and I hope you find what you're looking for while you are with us.

 

[Kamaainakupua]

Spoiler: The Little Prince (Stars excerpt)

Excerpt from "The Little Prince"

If you love a flower that lives on a star, it is sweet to look at the sky at night. All the stars are a-blossom with flowers.

And at night you will look up at the stars. Where I live, everything is so small that I cannot show you where my star is to be found. It is better like that. My star will just be one of the stars, for you. And so you will love to watch all of the stars in the heavens. They will be your friends.

All men have the stars, but they are not the same things for different people. For some, who are travellers, these stars are guides. For others, they are no more than little lights in the sky.

But all these stars are silent. You – you alone – will have the stars as no one else has them and in one of the stars, I shall be living. In one of them, I shall be laughing when you look at the sky at night.

And when your sorrow is comforted, for time soothes all sorrows, you will be content that you have known me. You will always be my friend. You will want to laugh with me. And you will sometimes open your window, just for that pleasure.'


Antoine de Saint-Exupéry​

I know a few people who have tattoos of different sections of this. For those of us who have ticket in hand, it may be a nice way to leave people.

 

[Kamaainakupua]

Found this in an old thread from 2018, but didn't want necrobump the whole thread.

Spoiler: Yutaka Taniyama

Until yesterday I had no definite intention of killing myself. But more than a few must have noticed that lately I have been tired both physically and mentally. As to the cause of my suicide, I don't quite understand it myself, but it is not the result of a particular incident, nor of a specific matter. Merely may I say, I am in the frame of mind that I lost confidence in my future. There may be someone to whom my suicide will be troubling or a blow to a certain degree. I sincerely hope that this incident will cast no dark shadow over the future of that person. At any rate, I cannot deny that this is a kind of betrayal, but please excuse it as my last act in my own way, as I have been doing my own way all my life.

More background on the author.
Ssems like a very neutral way to go.

 

[Ekim]

Thankyou so much for this!

 

[force_majeure]

I had a cousin who workshopped her note with an LLM before she CTB. I never actually saw it, but her parents made a one off comment that it didn't sound like her. That stuck with me. It's been something I've been consciously trying to avoid. I want my last worlds to sound like me, to sound human.

Leading up to and in the immediate aftermath of both of my failed attempts I revised my note. Over time the drafts became shorter and shorter. Explanations felt forced, apologies felt vapid, exclamations of love felt emotionally manipulative, and it all felt unearned and cliched. Moreover, I frankly stopped caring about trying to win over my captive audience. Let them judge me.

If it helps anyone, this is what was left and is my current note :

Spoiler: Sorry for the mess

There is nothing I can say
That can make this easier
Or make you understand

So all I will say is
I had a mug of tea
It was warm
And sweet