Sunday's Op-Ed: Death By Desperation

The state of desperation has led to the deaths of more than a few. The online word source, Wiktionary, defines "Desperation," as: "A state of despair, or utter hopelessness...The act of despairing or becoming desperate; a giving up of hope." Unfortunately, during these times, desperation seems to abound.

When people make decisions from a desperate stance, the results of those decisions are a slew of potential disasters waiting to unfold. We have probably all witnessed people act out of desperation, or committed acts of desperation ourselves. The results are almost always negative; due to the universal law that hopelessness breeds more hopelessness, and despair breeds more despair.

Desperation often causes people to throw needed caution to the wind. It can also be the catalyst for people dangerously lowering their standards, and forgetting where the proverbial lines are drawn. This is always a precarious and inadvisable state for anyone to place theirself in.

Before making any crucial decisions, always use one of your best tools- your reasoning ability. Acting out of desperation, which is an emotional state that is likely to change, can create a permanent problem out of a temporary situation. Think about this statement.

Come up with a plan of action to enact when you might be in a state where your emotions are overruling your judgment. Having a step-by-step plan in you head could prevent you from committing a desperate act that may have drastic repercussions. For example, you could have in mind a procedure to follow when your emotions are high, and you feel a state of despair coming on. You can decide that you will make no major decisions during that time. You can also decide to become silent, or temporarily isolate yourself from others.


There are a bevy of tactics that you can implement that could be beneficial to you, when you feel that all may be lost. If you find yourself in a hole, remember the old adage to stop digging. Try your best to make decisions with a clear head.

Lots of Love,

Elsie