Who is responsible for his death? Honest answers only please!?
The following is a true story, the names have been changed but the events actually happened. The question here is who holds responsibility for the death of John? Please note that any answer saying that John was fully responsible will NOT be considered.
Many years ago an eleven year old boy was travelling with his mother on a road trip around the country. At length they came to caravan park in a small town where sugar cane grew. The boy, Bret, was a trusting sort but also was not one to rush head long into unfamiliar situations and his mother, Emma, was a cautious sort who had been hurt by an ugly divorce and having to raise her son alone. They had depended on each other over the long trip and trusted each others judgement of the situations that were presented to them.
One day, a man from a caravan a few spots down struck up a conversation with Emma. He introduced himself as John and said that he was one of the few permanent residents of the park. Bret and she had organised a game on the ping-pong tables that were always in demand so the conversation could not last long. Two days later John approached Emma again and invited Emma and Bret over for dinner in his caravan saying that he had bought enough food for all three and that he would make fabulous dinner for the three of them. Emma however was cautious as always and said that she would have to talk to Bret. Walking back to their small car she talked to Bret and said that she didn't trust the situation, not that he seemed to be dangerous or anything just that a story from the news from two weeks before had been playing on her mind and they decided that they would say that they had planned to go to the cinemas instead. Emma told John of their contrived plan to go to the cinemas and he said that ‘maybe another night’, but he did not look like he meant it.
That night they went to the cinema but they did not enjoy the show. They were a good family and did not enjoy lying even if it was to get out of a situation were they felt uncomfortable. At length they decided that they would go over to his caravan in the morning and invite him out to a fancy restaurant in town by way of an apology, not that they could spare the money. The next day Emma and Bret went and knocked on his caravan, but there was no answer. As Emma was about to knock again a voice from behind them made them jump, it was the wife of the owner of the park telling them that he was not there. Emma asked if she could leave a message for John but the wife refused. Then Emma asked why, a question that brought tears the wife’s eyes. She explained that after Emma and Bret had said no to dinner John had locked himself in his caravan until after dark. When he did finally emerge he was holding a small blanket. Walking into the sugar cane field that surrounded the park he spread out the blanket and laid down, took his service revolver and put it in his mouth and ate a bullet. It was she who had discovered his body after going to investigate the noise of the gun shot as her husband was away at the time.
Emma and Bret were struck dumb as ice water ran in their veins at the realisation that they had been the last people to see him alive. The owners wife went on to explain how John’s wife had left him years before, lying about him abusing her and their children to gain sole custody over them, a move aimed solely at hurting him. The claims had been thoroughly investigated by the police and each one was proven false. But the stress of the divorce and the investigation had turned him to drink so when his day in court finally came he was ruled an unfit parent and once again denied custody and visitation rights. This spiralled had him into a deep depression. The only thing that brought any light to his life was his small dog who had died only two weeks before after being hit by a car. Bret and Emma realised that John was not only being nice by asking them over for tea he was asking for help, for someone to talk to, for someone who provide a shoulder to cry on. They realised that he had not meant them any harm and if they had accepted he would be alive that day.
To this day neither Emma nor Bret can forgive themselves for what happened that night, nor will they ever turn down a plea for help again, no matter where it comes from.
Who is responsible for John’s death? Bret and Emma, John’s wife and kids, the other people in the caravan park, all of them, none of them?
Serious answers only please!
Thanks.
I find it facinating that Elenchuskb and Sponge B want nothing more than to lay blame at the feet of the one person who I said could not be blamed. There was a very good reson for that, suicide is so often blamed on the one who dies becuase it is easy and requires no thought what so ever. It does not matter what pain and suffering the victim goes through so long as he does not kill himself to try and escape it. Most of the time those who are quickest to condem are the slowest to act to prevent suicide, this I can say from hard won personal experience. Is it not possible that the people of the caravan park hold resposibility? They knew him and his situation yet did not engage him socially. Is it not possible that his ex-wife holds responsibility? She through her selfish actions caused the first dominop to fall. The truth should be self evident to anyone who looks hard enough, we are all guilty is someone takes their own life, we are guilty of letting it get that far! We may not have...
pulled the trigger but we also did not take the gun away in the first place!
This is why I said that John could not be fully at fault, I am asking if he cannot be held accountable who can?
Please adjust your answers to meet the basic criteria of the question for them to be considered.
