Why you should be a better person, step 1 (change if needed)

Megan Petzold;

Suicide prevention week is a week that honors and remembers those who have taken their life via suicide. Also, it helps to educate people who may be unaware with suicide and all that comes along with it.

Most importantly, suicide prevention week should teach people how to live their lives differently. Yes, it does make suicide slightly more talked about during the week. But when the week is over, people seem to forget everything they practiced the week before.

Being a good person for seven days is a start, but it should become a lifestyle.

This last July, beloved singer and member of Linkin Park committed suicide. Recently, wife and mother Talinda Bennington posted a video of Chester and his family having a jelly bean eating contest with BeanBoozled jelly beans. Talinda says that “depression doesn’t have a face or a mood”.

Depression comes in many forms, the girl who dresses in black, the boy on the football team, and everything in between. Being a good person for a week is great, but what about after that?

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death. If people were good to others more often, quit bullying behind the safety of their keyboard, or keep hurtful or moderately hurtful thoughts to themselves, maybe suicide wouldn’t be as common as it is.

We all know what its like to be isolated, hated, talked about, and different. So why would we want to inflict that same feeling onto others? Especially when that person has many others who treat them that way.

In conclusion, being a good person is something we should all start doing more. Because who knows, one extra smile a day could save someone’s life.