Have enough compassion for yourself and others to stay alive through all of this

 "These are the times that Try Men's Souls"

Historically this is what people would say in the past.

However, today, "These are the times that try everyone's souls" would be more accurate.

Here's another saying: "When the going gets tough the tough get going".

This is true too. 

Surviving these times is difficult but not impossible. It's mind numbing for everyone to have to go through this with friends and relatives dying of Covid and people dying at the state and Federal Capitols too.

However, finding a way to survive will prevent chain reactions of suicides among your family and friends no matter how mind numbing all this is.

I remember being 21 to 25 years of age and thinking: "Well. The whole reason I'm alive is gone now so I think I'm going to check out."

This is what I really thought (and I was very handsome and 6 foot 5 and always had one or more girlfriends) and I still thought I would check out because my purpose for living was gone.

This would have been 1969 to 1973 by the way. Then I began to think about what would happen to my family and friends when I was gone? I was an only child so my parents would lose their only child?

I couldn't do this to them no matter what I thought I needed because they didn't deserve this.

So, I bit my lip until it bled often and soldiered on no matter what happened until I became happy around my early 30s once again. Also, my son was born when I was 26 to my first wife and I and so I gave up having selfish thoughts of suicide and realized it didn't matter what I wanted because I needed to stay alive for my son to raise him right.

Have enough compassion for others even if you don't have it for yourself. Have integrity. Soldier on for the good of everyone and not just yourself. You are needed for many others to stay alive.

Don't create a cascade or chain reaction of your friends and relatives killing themselves in various ways just because you can't deal with all this.

Be Strong! The world needs you. Your parents need you. Your relatives and friends need you! Stay alive and have a Great Future like I did!

By God's Grace