Anthony Bourdain: Emotional Highs & the Selfishness of Suicide

The following excerpt is taken from my book Man of Masks: A Study of Robin Williams:

==What truth, what information, can emotional highs render? That is the type of atmosphere actors constantly desire. They don’t want to think, they only want to feel. Such individuals are always the same ones who turn to alcohol, drugs, art, nature, etc. They hunt for emotional highs everywhere, they get addicted to the drug of emotion. This is a dangerous way to live. It is a misuse of the brain, a chemical exploitation and manipulation of it. This way of living turns life itself into one grand pursuit of pleasure, or, as a certain wise man once said, “chasing after wind.”

Anthony Bourdain once said, “There have been times, honestly, in my life that I figured, ‘I’ve had a good run — why not just do this stupid thing, this selfish thing … jump off a cliff into water of indeterminate depth?’ In retrospect, I don’t know that I would do that today — now that I’m a dad or reasonably happy.” Bourdain acknowledged suicide was stupid, admitted it was a selfish act. Not many people in this world agree with the opinion that suicide is selfish, and here you have a suicidal one confessing it is stupid and selfish! There is something to be said about that. Of course all suicides must be aware of their own stupidity and selfishness. Bourdain, while capable of stupidity and selfishness, as we all are, was at least honest about things. He told the truth about suicide, although he went on to commit it. He allowed his emotions and feelings to override his understanding and rationality.

In every form of a “high,” whether it is emotional, or whether it’s drug-induced or alcohol-induced, there is the inevitable and inescapable return to reality. It is better not to get “high,” in any form, in the first place, for our brains can get chemically addicted to them, and we can be led to irrationally yearn for them. They can become distractions, and get in the way of right thinking and productivity. They can lead us to regard reality as boring and unstimulating. They can lead us to believe in illusions such as “downtime.” “Highs” deceive people, leaving them empty and wanting more, dissatisfied with and intolerant of anything which isn’t thrilling. Thus, every type of “high” can be deadly.==

Man of Masks: A Study of Robin Williams available here: https://www.amazon.com/Man-Masks-Study-Robin-Williams/dp/1721865268/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

I have also written a book strictly on the topic of suicide, available here: https://www.amazon.com/Suicide-Critical-Brandon-R-Burdette/dp/1987645189/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

& here: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/suicide-brandon-r-burdette/1128494088?ean=9781987645187