It was reported that Anthony Bourdain died last night, the results of an apparent suicide. He was in France, filming his latest episode of the award-winning CNN show, Parts Unknown.

Kate Spade committed suicide just three days ago. The fashion mogul was said to be a strong person, and very popular throughout Hollywood social circles, and with socialites world wide.

In April, famous DJ, and Musician, Tim Berling, known as his performer name, Avicii, committed suicide in his hotel room while on tour in Oman. It is reported that Berling often struggled with existential questions surrounding the meaning of life, and how to find happiness. His family stated, he wanted to find peace.

Last year, Linkin Park front-man Chester Bennington hung himself in his home in California. Linkin Park had just finished recording a new release, and was about to embark on a North American tour. Bennington had struggled with his fame, which led to drug problems, but toxicology reports showed only trace amounts of alcohol in his system at the time of his death.

Similarly, Chris Cornell, after a performance in Detroit, hanged himself in his hotel room. Heralded as a brilliant musician, as well as a creative, and poetic songwriter, Cornell struggled with depression, and drugs. He was taking Atvian to control his anxiety, and depression, and had called his wife shortly before taking his own life.

They add to the list of celebrities who have taken their own life throughout history. Thinkers, doers, creatives, and intelligent people, often seemingly in the height of their careers, or past those rough parts, and now on the easier part of their ride. People who live lives that most of us could only dream of, and do. People who seem to have everything anyone could possible hope to have, and have achieved everything one person could hope to achieve.

Sometimes the names, like those above, are relevant, and we know them well. Robin Williams, Ernest Hemmingway, George Eastman. Sometimes the names might be less well known, like Hunter Thompson, Richard Jeni, Keith Emerson, and Brad Delp.

We often look at suicides as escapism. People tortured by mental illness, or their own circumstances in life. Many who take their own life are simply running away from things they don't want to face, like student Katelyn Davis who hung herself to escape the bullying, and harassment she faced daily. Or Robert Enke, a star goalkeeper for Germany's soccer team who threw himself in front of a train. Enke battled depression for years after the death of his daughter. Or Dan Johnson, the Kentucky pastor who took his own life rather than face his allegations of sexual harassment.

In so many cases, we point toward mental illness as the reason why people take their own life. We look at the depressed, the bi-polar, the schizophrenic, and we're sympathetic, but not surprised. Unfortunately, we're also helpless, and aimless when it comes to people who struggle with these conditions. Not only do we not recognize, or understand the struggles of those who suffer with what we call mental illness, we tend to, as a society, exacerbate their conditions.

The worst part is, most of the time, we know we're doing it. We just don't care.

That's not to say we don't consciously care. Even the most cold-hearted Republican, sporting a dead, black, broken soul will say when asked, "Yes, mental illness is a serious issue that we need to focus on helping those who suffer from it like our veterans and PTSD and flags and did you see those muslims and the Liberals are threatening our way of life and food stamps bankrupt us and replace and repeal Obamacare and social security is entitlement and 2nd amendment rights and fake news and where is my check Mr. Lobbyist!!??" And here we see why people with mental health issues can't get the help they need.

But I want to play devil's advocate for a second, and many of you might criticize me heavily for this (or not, since no one reads this blog...) but, perhaps it isn't the mentally ill who need help...

Maybe it's everyone else.

I mean, can we truly differentiate mental disorders from someone who sits alone, quietly contemplating the meaning of their own life, trapped in sadness after observing the brutality of the world around them, oscillating between moments of complete despondency, and elation on a rollercoaster of a life where daily survival can be a struggle, from someone who finds nothing wrong with emotionlessly sending young men, and women off to another nation with the sole purpose of killing, and to be killed?

Which one is really the mentally ill one?

The human condition is one where we have evolved a sense of reason; a consciousness that makes us aware, and allows us to question, to try and understand the Universe. We have evolved beyond the basic instinctual cerebral processes, and we can look up at the stars, understand how small we are, and that our time here is fleetingly short. Yet, we still engage in violent, greedy, selfish, egotistical, and mostly pointless battles of survival with each other.

Yes, people struggle with depression. Yes, there are many causes of that, but I am convinced those who struggle with depression are the ones who are the most creative, the most intelligent, the most empathetic, and the most aware of how fucked up our world actually is, and sometimes they're just done with it. They're done fighting. They're done with people like the politicians who think life is all stock tickers, oil, and tax loopholes, and that the people in this world don't matter. They've ridden the ride, and they've decided it is time for them to step off.

Their terms.

Their choice.

A choice the world cannot impose upon them, or take from them.

That's not mental illness. That's clarity. It's a clarity level that most can't understand, so it is treated like there is something wrong with them. It exacerbates how they feel because the world isn't right, and the unevolved demons who have the real mental issues are calling the shots.

George Eastman suffered from a degenerative spinal condition that caused him great pain. In his suicide note he wrote, "To my friends; my work is done. Why wait?" He had multiple doctors examine him, and write certifications to his mental health before committing suicide. He had complete clarity.

Hunter Thompson's suicide note, titled, Football Season is Over, read, "No More Games. No More Bombs. No More Walking. No More Fun. No More Swimming. 67. That is 17 years past 50. 17 more than I needed or wanted. Boring. I am always bitchy. No Fun — for anybody. 67. You are getting Greedy. Act your (old) age. Relax — This won't hurt."  As written of Thompson, "the true voice of Thompson is revealed to be that of American moralist ... one who often makes himself ugly to expose the ugliness he sees around him."

We are ugly. Many see it. Many can't deal with it.

I am saddened every time someone takes their own life, but there is so much more behind it than just "depression" or "mental illness." Sometimes people just get to that point where they have done all that they can, and the world hasn't improved, so.. why stay?

And, listen, I'm not trying to diminish, disregard, or invalidate anyone who struggles with mental health issues. I have struggled with depression for years, and years. I have good times, and bad times. My emotions cycle through ranges, and there are probably more than one or two moments in any given week where I legitimately ask myself, "What's the point?" It's difficult to convince myself that I make this world a better place when my brain often says the lives of those around me would improve if I wasn't here.

That's my reality. In my head, it's the only reality I have known, or can remember.

I don't often hear the voices talking to me only because I talk to myself louder. They're probably in there saying, "Umm.. I'm sorry, we were speaking. Can you please stop interrupting us?"

That's a joke. You can laugh.

But as a society we struggle with the cause-and-effect of mental illness, and we want to "fix" people who we deem mentally ill, while we never "fix" the world that we live in. It's a nice thought to think a magic pill can help make it all go away, but when your body churns up those artificial chemicals, and they're no longer in your systems, there is still an ugly, repugnant world run by the ugliest, and most repugnant of people that we have to deal with. Until that changes, we can only work on being more supportive of the people that we see struggling every day.

Be kind.

Be decent.

Listen to each other.

Give a lot of love, and hugs to everyone around you.

And if that isn't enough, there's always all of these:

Argentina: +5402234930430

Australia: 131114

Austria: 017133374

Belgium: 106

Bosnia & Herzegovina: 080 05 03 05

Botswana: 3911270

Brazil: 212339191

Canada: 5147234000 (Montreal); 18662773553 (outside Montreal)

Croatia: 014833888

Denmark: +4570201201

Egypt: 7621602

Finland: 010 195 202

France: 0145394000

Germany: 08001810771

Holland: 09000767

Hong Kong: +852 2382 0000

Hungary: 116123

India: 8888817666

Ireland: +4408457909090

Italy: 800860022

Japan: +810352869090

Mexico: 5255102550

New Zealand: 045861048

Norway: +4781533300

Philippines: 028969191

Poland: 5270000

Russia: 0078202577577

Spain: 914590050

South Africa: 0514445691

Sweden: 46317112400

Switzerland: 143

United Kingdom: 08457909090

USA: 18002738255

If you feel it, call. Your fellow "mentally ill" friends need you around. We can't change this world alone.