Teenage suicides
Every year. Every single year on average, there are about 31, 000 suicides in the U.S, accounting for the 3rd leading cause of death in people between 15 and 24. Over 70,000 teenagers with suicidal tendencies are annually for clinical depression. While everyone is gunning for the big problems – war, recession, the depleting ozone layer or nuclear warfare; the smaller issues plaguing our society go unattended. Teenage suicide is rampant. The idea of young, confused, depressed minds bringing abrupt halts to their existence should send shudders down the spine of society. They have not experienced life nor will they have the opportunity to do so. They are our future and our future looks bleak.
[facebook] From parents pushing their children to over achieve, to peer pressure, to cultural , social and sometimes even religious pressure, the reasons for teenage suicides are numerous. Then there is the media. Television is the most influential means of communication. Teenagers talk, walk, act, dress and even eat just like they see it on TV. Much of who you are, and the way you navigate through life is, in great part, a result of the social conditioning you’ve received over the course of a lifetime. You have to sift through all the nonsense you were taught;Photo by Afif Ibrahim
The reasons why people fall prey to their frailties could be many that I don’t plan to delve into. I only want to question whether it is justified.
We must make our way through the “reality of today” rather than holding out for the “promise of tomorrow.” Be thankful for the simple things you’ve been blessed with, the freedom of choice and the opportunity to pursue your own dreams.
Life isn’t always fair and you don’t always get what you think you deserve. You have to at least consider the fact that to achieve a single success in life there will be a thousand failures casting a shadow over you throughout your journey. But much of life is a self-fulfilling prophesy and you learn to go after what you want. You learn to not squander your life living under a cloud of indecision or feelings of impending doom.
In 2005, there was a case of a young 15 year old girl who had appeared for a tenth grade final examination paper. While awaiting her results she was afraid that she hadn’t done well in her French paper and she hung herself. When the results came out she had scored an impressive 94.7%. Can you imagine what pushed an intelligent young girl to the rim of madness, and over the edge? I personally know a girl who tried to take her own life because she was married off against her will. She survived but today she is mentally and physically destroyed. When I hear of such cases it angers me. We have completely forgotten the meaning of our existence. We claim that the youth shall be the foundation of our future. Well not if they are busy offing themselves at the smallest problem. Life is facing adversity, kick the crap out of it and come out on top shining, stronger. Stop looking for guarantees because you’ve learned that the only thing you can really count on is the unexpected and that whatever happens, you’ll learn to deal with it.
I was once watching this discussion where one of the parties involved said that, while everyone labels a person who takes his own life as a coward, a fool unworthy of the life bestowed upon them, he felt that it takes the maximum courage to be able to take YOUR own life. To be able to end your entire existence with your own hands using the last bit of life in you to end it all. It got me thinking. I will never know what pushes a person to disturb the natural order of things. What I do know is that if a day comes and you have a the world bearing down on you like the Persian armies in the movie 300, bravery would be to fight through your problems, stare in its face (with your bloody sword and sweaty body) and ask, “More ?Bring it” That’s courage.
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