http://www.aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=2&id=18361
Suicide
05/10/2009
By Muhammad Diyab
Muhammad Diyab
Muhammad Diyab is a well-known Saudi writer and journalist.
News of the rising rate of suicide fills the newspapers, and this has led me to
think long and hard about the gravity of this deed which is committed by around
one million people worldwide every year; this includes intellectuals,
scientists, and the rich as well as the ignorant, the destitute, and the poor.
This is a phenomenon that is seen in all countries and regions of the world,
even if the rate of suicide - naturally - differs from one society to the other
and from one culture to another, according to the cultural view on this issue.
Most psychologists believe that one of the most important causes of suicide is
feelings of loneliness and isolation, and a loss of contact with others. In
such circumstances, an individual begins to feel cut-off from others, however
if we look at the reality of this age, we see that man is surrounded by a
concrete jungle, and we recognize how isolated, lonely, and alienated man truly
is. In these cities the lines of communication have floundered, not to mention
the fact that family members are less close than before, even with those living
in the same home.
In dealing with life, people are split into two different types; one is similar
to the camel that walks a thousand steps without showing any sign of exhaustion
before suddenly falling to its knees and dying. The other type is similar to
the horse that tires gradually, but is aware of its capabilities and the moment
that may lead to death. Most of those who commit suicide belong to the first
type, and they do not stop from time to time in order to relieve the pressure
on themselves, break their isolation, and become accustomed to accepting
others. Taking a look at suicide notes we see that the majority of suicides lay
the responsibility of their fate upon others, holding others accountable for
their loneliness, worry, and fear.
In the scientific arena, efforts are being made these days to pre-empt suicide
attempts by attempting to identify and determine individuals who have a
predisposition to committing such an act, in order to help them avoid this fate
through a religious, psychological, and medical framework. However all we can
do at the present time - until science reaches its objective [of pre-empting
suicide] - is work hard to open the lines of social communication and restore
the family spirit which was lost over the years. This is a call to remove the
barriers and obstacles that keep people isolated from one another.
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