Suicides are Just not Worth It

I recently learnt of a very tragic case, in which an entrepreneur committed suicide, after killing his wife before doing so. Most likely, a case of depression brought on by a business failure. Farmers whose crops fail, and students who don't "do well" are regularly found killing themselves in India.

Whatever the reason, I think suicide is not an answer. It may seem like there is no solution to our immediate problems, but braving it out is possible. Even a person in a German concentration camp survived unimaginable horrors, and wrote about it- Man's Search for Meaning was the book.

Maybe we need to be more social. I think as a society, we must learn to listen, and talk. Share our problems at least with people around us, if not professional counselors. At least with people in the immediate circle, we must be as open as possible, and ask for help/give such help, before it is too late. Life is valuable. It is simply not worth committing suicide for any reason!

Suicide Rates in India

Something that I found truly sad in today's newspaper. Reporting about suicides in India by categories of people, there was a mention that Nagpur scores high on girl students' suicides. I find it sad that something (education) that is supposed to elevate a human being leads them into despair and despondency. And for what? Fear that a bad performance in an exam will bring about reprisal from parents, peers or the society. Is that why we want our kids to study? Not for shaping themselves into a better individual? It is obnoxious that a failure in an exam (which is someone else's evaluation of how good you are) should lead to such drastic consequences for some. What is it that we are doing wrong as parents, peers or whoever?

Everyone wants to be "successful", no doubt. But what if you are not? Is it such a big deal if I can't pass an exam in engineering, or the higher secondary or MBA? Why can't I make a second attempt? Or even, drop out and do some other course, maybe a language, or vocation, or anything that I can do successfully? If a degree is so important, there are many ways to get one- a distance program being an accessible method with many open universities around.

There is something seriously wrong somewhere, if suicide is seen as the only alternative to academic success.