Reports about suicide prevention will always have a very personal impact upon me. Two years ago, a close friend of mine committed suicide after battling drug and psychological problems for several months. Rather than being abstract studies about suicide, the reports in the anthology about suicide are automatically contextualized in my mind with this incident. Rather than being a spontaneous act of violence, I learned firsthand that “the vast majority of suicidal people communicate their intention to kill themselves by showing warning signs” (154). In my incident, the victim even explicitly told others about his intention to commit suicide. However, sufficient actions were not taken to prevent the tragedy.
Until recently, I felt relatively alone about my experience. While everyone else in my graduating class certainly understands my experience firsthand, it has been easy for me to think that others that I have subsequently encountered in recent years have not faced similar tragedies. However, the discussion that I had with Professor Bump and many of my classmates at dinner before the Plan II convocation altered this perception. Many of us discussed people that we had known that either committed suicide or seriously considered it. It seems that the problems of depression and suicide are stigmatized, with blame being displaced upon the victim. Although depression can sometimes be the result of one’s choices, uncontrollable psychological elements and other external tragedies are also frequently to blame. The voices of those suffering are pushed to the periphery, and I’m left to wonder how many suicides could be prevented if everyone was able to have as candid of a discussion about the topic as occurred at dinner that evening.
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| although this poster was originally used for HIV/AIDS, these campaigns should expand to psychological disorders, as well |
On a lighter note, I found the parable of the South Indian Monkey Trap to be quite engaging and persuasive. Using a hollowed-out coconut, villagers placed “rice inside which can be seen through a small hole” that is “just big enough so that the monkey can put his hand in, but too small for his fist to come out after he has grabbed the rice” (167). Most fascinating about this parable is that it seems to suggest that ambition is an extremely common trait in biological entities. Not merely relegated to humans, this trap proves that monkeys can be just as overly ambitious as humans tend to be. Although this trait isn’t inherently bad, the preceding analysis presented in blog posts indicates that it’s extremely dangerous. Such ambition could be a source of anxiety and depression.
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