Katana realized it wasn't often that she felt she needed to speak her mind but she simply couldn't turn her head to what she had noticed lately. Spying the soapbox that had returned from being stolen not long ago she took a step up on it so she could see over the crowds heads, and stand out just a bit.

Good morning.. She saw her breath against the early morning air as she spoke, and found herself pulling her jacket a bit tighter against her body. For a while now I have viewed what I guess you would call an epidemic of people taking their own lives, and I find it rather bothersome.

Now I realize that in one way a persons life is their own to do with as they chose before anyone starts screaming it at me, but at the other hand I see and have information that these people were in families where I am sure they pledged their lives to. So what has gotten into these individuals? Has it really become "ok" to take your own life?

I was taught a few things by my late mother.. She pauses a moment and reflects. Some probably not the best, but some I would have been told are decent things to live by.

One of those things was that you never take your own life. Upon entering a family, should something happen that causes you to no longer want to live, then you go to your superior and request your own death. I remember her saying death by hit squad! Now I can't see that as a way I'd want to die by any means, but wouldn't letting those that will benefit from the target practice in your family be a bit better then by your own hand. What do you gain from it after you are 6 feet under? Do you really care at that point if you waited an extra 5 min for one of your own to do the deed verses yourself? I mean seriously you have all eternity to be dead..

Katana lights a smoke and shakes her head. Perhaps my mother was wrong... But my gut tells me she's not, and that perhaps those that have made this an epidemic should have their ancestors that survive them talked to, so that they will understand that it would be at minimum the last good thing they could do for their family.

She sighs as she steps off the soap box and exhales a puff of smoke in to the cold morning air.

Let's be realistic here. Suicide happens. Yes, it's bothersome because it's a death in the family and you may have invested however much time and effort in the individual. Now, you're asking an individual to go out by taking a bullet? That's selfish. If they suicide, they don't care, they've made the choice for whatever reason. So who cares? Let them rot six feet under. 

How about instead of going off on how one chooses to suicide, figure out how you could've kept them alive and prevent the next one.

Hearing Brutus she nods to him. I will for one say I do care about the wasted time on the person, and to me seeing them lying dead there by their own hand, verses at least giving their family one thing that could benefit someone in it, is a slap in the face.

I completely understand trying to prevent the next one and finding out what could have kept them alive but at the same retrospect I also know that some families aren't for everyone. Regardless how hard you might try with everyone and each individual not everyone will like the same place. To me it is semi-unrealistic to think everyone ever will.

Pausing on the street corner as he takes a break from his morning routine, Klint takes a long drag from his smoke as he watches Katana finish addressing the audience before speaking his mind on the matter.

Taking one's own life has long been viewed as the great equalizer around here when things in a family aren't really working out. At the same time, it really is the ultimate slap in the face to the very people you signed up. This is especially true considering the majority of suicides these days seem to occur before the accepted individual even gives the family a chance to prove that they are the place to work for.

The people that brought you into this world most likely invested some time and effort getting you into the family.  The way I look at it, the responsible thing for a lot of people would be to at least confront the leaders and make it known that they wish to have it end and give any reasons why if there are in fact any. 

*Stepping out into the street to the commotion, Jam_n_Honey listens carefully,*

My first ancestors were raised in this world to believe that suicide is reprehensible.  Sometimes a family is not a good fit, and the honorable thing to do is to request your own death.  I also believe that it is important to find out why the family member is so distraught.  Is there anything that could be done to save them?  Both sides need to be honest.  Sometimes there is nothing that can be done, but sometimes it is a matter of being able to meet the needs of the family member.

 There are some families out there that think all they have to do is recruit members.  Recruiting should be where the work begins, not where it ends.  Also, some people think once they are in a family their work is done.  By the same token, it is where the work begins.

The whole 'SUICIDE IS WRONG' thing really grates on me. I know a lot of us mobsters have Catholic roots, but really this is just fucking ridiculous. You cannot honestly tell me any hitsquad would actually benefit from training their guns on the rare instance of an individual leaving our life behind in an environment where it is possible to earn 3 notches on your barrel in 48 hours with literally no work involved.

If there are any families whose hitsquad would benefit from training their guns on those people leaving, missing out on the opportunity to do so is the least of their worries considering we'd be talking about a very large amount of people putting their head in ovens, jumping off bridges or other more imagnitive ways to off themselves.

Ultimately, suiciding is a fairly selfish thing to do in any walk of life and the mob is no exception - it's taking the easy way out with no regard for those you're leaving behind. So, if a single suicide happens I'd say 'yeah, fuck that guy, what a prick'. If multiple suicides from one family start happening (and this has occured before) you're leaving the realm of 'inconsiderate individuals' and entering the world of 'Crewleaders who are so uninspiring that their crew is rocked by regular instances of people killing themselves'.

For me this all depends on the attitude and mindset of the individual. Sure it's a selfish thing to do but if you've fallen out with your CL or family members to the point where you wish for death. Why would you give them the bonus?

Secondly as Sprozz so rightly said "'Crewleaders who are so uninspiring that their crew is rocked by regular instances of people killing themselves'."

This, for me personally comes back to the CL's and upper structures lack and failure of communication to people. People can often be left feeling un-important or down, especially if they're having a bad run. This is where other family members and CL's alike should encourage individuals and try to give them a lift in order to kickstart their mojo rather than just kicking them to the side and leaving them feeling so disheartend that they take their own lives.

Sure suicide happens, sure it's sad to see. But it's not "Wrong" or "un-acceptable" or any other derogatory term which people may use to describe it. There are many different reasons for a person wishing for death. If they wish to take their own lives then so be it.