Life and Lack Thereof

I know that as I write this no one is yet reading this blog, maybe no one will, but god damn it I need to write it anyway.
I lost someone the other night. She was a friend...ish. I didn't know her very well, we didn't hang out ever. In fact I only ever saw her once a year at UBCon (Gaming convention held at the University at Buffalo in April every year check it out, she would like this plug). She passed, and it still affected me greatly. Not because we were close, we weren't something I kinda regret, but because she was close to the people I am close to. I am going to call a friend every day to make sure he is ok because she is gone.
I have lost many people before their time. Suicide, accidents, unhealthy lifestyles, and just shear mysteries. People like to say, like my Dad, that God takes them when they are ready. I don't believe that. It is senseless and preventable, and I don't believe a God of love deals in that. To many young people lost for unnecessary reasons.
Maybe I'm wrong, but with so many younger people dieing, who will be left to clean up the messes of the generation that came before us, cause let's face it, its a mess out there. I worry for the world without these people to help us.
I once said that I would never commit suicide because I was to much of a coward. I was corrected saying that it was courage, because living is harder than dieing. I never understood that until recently.
I had a friend, sort of. He had it ruff and I would like to tell his story. When he was young he watched his older brother blow his brains out infront of him. It messed this kid up bad. He decided that he needed to take his pain out on someone and so he chose to bully me, emotionally never physically, from kindergarten until half way through eighth grade to make himself feel better. It was half way through eighth grade when I moved out of that school district to another one when my family moved a couple of towns over. I was free from him not knowing why he was the way he was. About half way through my freshman year of high school he also moved into the same district, in fact he now lived around the corner. For the first three days I avoided him best I could, but on that last day he cornered me while I was walking home. He then proceeded to apologize and explain. I being the way I am forgave him and we became friends. He was however still messed up and I had to talk him out suicide once. However after high school he began to turn his life around, he married a girl he liked and joined the army looking to find discipline and structure that he on his own lacked. Sadly he was shipped off to Iraq and was killed in the line of duty.
I look at all he went through, the strength it took him to keep going and saw potential for him to become something great only to be struck down by a needless war.
How can this be ok? We text and talk on our phones driving, drive while on something, kill our selves because life is to hard. Please I ask you, before you take those extra pills, wonder how much damage you are doing. We can't afford to lose you to stupidity or the lazy way out. You matter!
Every single person effects this world. Small ways, big ways it doesn't matter because you are important. You are at least important to someone!
Thanks for reading my rant!
I you or someone you know needs help there is so much out there to assist you. From the Tervor Project to suicide hotlines and RAB. Please seek help as needed.