Suicide: Why Should You Care?
The alarming increase in the rate of suicide is a worldwide issue, and has left everyone nervous. In the last decade, suicide in the US increased by 30%, while in Pakistan, 50-60 people commit suicide per city every year. Some of us may take it lightly, moving on with our lives, but if we were to spare two minutes out of our busy schedules to ponder over this issue, we would realize how serious it is, and how it affects a lot of people other than the person who commits it.
A lot of factors have contributed to the increase in rate of suicide, ranging from increase in exam pressure, to lack of job opportunities. Our lives are based on the concept of ‘survival of the fittest, with a different kind of filter on every step our lives. We have set up strict standards, and refuse to bend them in the slightest way. The pressure these standards have exerted on people is unimaginable, not only killing individuality in the population, but also forcing people to take drastic measures in case they fail to meet these standards. We often hear news about students and graduates committing suicide, yet instead of telling such people how everyone has a different clock, and will achieve everything at their own time, we still mock them, calling them a disappointment.
Another reason that mainly leads to suicide is the lack of support from loved ones. We are all humans, and occasionally, we need someone to scratch our back for us, but with everyone turning a blind eye to our problems, we start feeling lonely and worthless. The thought to kill ourselves eventually engulfs us, causing us to suffocate. People are constantly fighting this battle with themselves, but instead of being there for them or helping them out, some of us push them to do it by our insensitive actions. Our parents refuse to acknowledge the fact that they kill our dreams every day, and then complain about us being a failure. Our relatives refuse to accept that their constant reminders of our failures do nothing but push us into this constant state of anxiety and restlessness. Our friends refuse to believe that they can hurt us by joking about our insecurities. We often forget the other person’s feelings, and continuously hurt them; making them think that this world would be a better place without them.
While most of us know what causes suicide and are alarmed by the increasing rate of it, not all of us try to do something about it. Most of us still refuse to recognize mental illnesses as actual diseases, and do not get ourselves treated for them. There are 4000 trained psychiatrists in Pakistan, but unfortunately, visiting them is still considered an insult. Our government has done very little to facilitate people and make life easy for them. Our NGOs have failed to raise the awareness about suicide. Most schools have no counselors students can talk to about what’s going on, and the administration does very less for students who get bullied. We live in a fake world where we are forced to pretend to be normal even when we are dying from the inside.
It’s about time we start accepting people for who they are, and tell them they don’t have to lock themselves up in their bathroom every time they want to cry, and that it is perfectly normal to show emotions. The sooner we start making these changes, the more lives we will save; otherwise more people WILL kill themselves, and the next victim could be anyone, even you!
