Everyman

Marshawn Kneeland was 24 years old. He played football for the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL. In his last game, he recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown on national television. A defensive player, it was his first touchdown in the NFL. He went to college at Western Michigan University. He apparently had a girlfriend and strong family support in his life. Wednesday night, he got into a high speed chase with law enforcement, ran and escaped. Then he raised a gun and ended his own life. 

He had his whole life ahead of him. It is an absolute tragedy. Why he made the decisions he made that evening, no one will ever know. My heart aches for his family, his friends, and fans of his football career at WMU and the Cowboys. By all accounts, he was a good person, a hard worker, and an overachiever of his life goals. Then he ended them in one night, in one instant.

What chance does an "everyman" have when he/she contemplates the same resolution? They DON'T have the world in front of them. They DON'T have a NFL salary pouring into their bank accounts. They DON'T have a committed companion and family support behind them. They DON'T have unlimited resources from their employer to begin coping with mental health issues they may be having. They likely DO have a destructive family or personal situation. They likely DO have financial troubles which are insurmountable. They DO see no positive future on the horizon. They DO see public assistance, their last lifeline, being eliminated by the current administration. They make the same choice as he did last night/this morning. It is no less a tragedy as Marshawn Kneeland, only more unreported or unrecognized.

I am an "everyman." I often consider choosing the route that Marshawn and countless others make each and every day. Some days it's a fleeting thought. Some days it keeps me awake at night. And some days... a high profile individual with everything going for them does exactly what I've been thinking. And on those days, I wonder why I didn't get there before them.