Suicide—A Culture Of Death

"The man who, in a fit of melancholy, kills himself today, would have wished to live had he waited a week." –Voltaire

"Each way to suicide is its own: intensely private, unknowable, and terrible."—Kay Redfield Jamison

All too commonly, when suicide, known as the act of voluntarily taking one’s own life becomes a news item, the populace would suppose the root cause to two posits: either the victim was in despair or he was trying to redeem his honor—or what was left of it.

Regardless, today’s people who suffered from depression or suddenly bombarded with a critical situation prefaced the suicide with notes expressing their deepest desires to conclude life’s harsh realities. And as one expert puts it, a suicide is similar to “treating a cold with a nuclear bomb.”

Emile Durkheim, a famous French sociologist cited during his glorious years the four basic types of suicide.

Fatalistic suicide—this refers to the consequence of inflicting too much emphasis on “societal regulation” constitutionally restricting one’s freedom. Victims of fatalistic suicide felt they had no conceivable life as it was often characterized by “pervasive oppression.”

Egoistic suicide—this scenario occurs when an individual lacks integration into society or when there is too much individualism. People who committed egoistic suicide were loners maintaining neither dependency on nor connection with their community during their lifetime.

Anomic suicide—the term anomie was borrowed from Jean-Marie Guyau, a French philosopher, and Emile used it to mean a “condition where social and or moral norms are confused, unclear, or simply not present,” which could result to deviant behavior like suicide.

Altruistic suicide—from the word altruism, Emile accentuated suicide with value orientation and social behavior or altruistic regard for others. It is a suicide done in honor; in taking account of the interests and welfare of other individuals or members of community or groups.

A perfect example of altruistic suicide was manifest in World War II when Japanese Kamikaze pilots along with religious extremists blew themselves up, resulting in death of their enemies as well.

In a world divided by cultural differences, suicide is understood from different perceptions with varied motivations. It is a term even people of ancient times were not estranged from.

A news article from The Harvard Mental Health Letter adumbrated culture to “influence the likelihood of suicide.”

Many view suicide as a crime, like in Christendom, especially by the 6^th and 7^th centuries when Roman Catholic Church issued excommunication order against those who committed suicide, thereby, denying them of funeral rites.

The same notion holds true even at the present.

There was also a time in history when attempted suicide reaped death penalty, as was the case in the 19^th century England, when a certain Englishman was hanged for attempting to cut his throat, and thus, had the authorities to complete what the man failed to do.

Some perceive suicide as a coward’s escape such as in Hungary where the locals resort to suicide as easily as changing underwear for virtually any reason, all too often leads to ending a predicament.

In Asia, in the south, specifically in India, where Sutee—a religious custom in which a widow throws herself into the funeral pyre of her husband—which is supposedly abolished by the government, is still not extinct by itself. Such is betokened in how Indians in modern era react whenever a widow practices the culture:glorifying the tragedy.

In East Asia, particularly in Japan, suicide has an extremely different point of view; it never condemns suicide. In fact, its culture is marked by “highly ritualized and institutionalized form of self-disembowelment.”

Known by its term seppuku (or hara—kiri in referring to suicide in a speech and is performed by civilians), it had its roots in feudal Japan from 1192 to 1868. To its citizens, seppuku or technically cutting one’s belly was a suicidal art. An artful act in which the person felt honored in its commission.

Banzai is the term applied to members of Samurai as part of its military tradition and which is governed by code of conduct, upholding particularly virtues such as loyalty, honor, obedience, duty, filial piety, and self sacrifice.

In the book Bushido—The Soul of Japan, the author, Inazo Nitobe wrote:

“An invention of the middle ages, [seppuku] was a process by which warriors could expiate their crimes, apologise for errors, escape from disgrace, redeem their friends, or prove their sincerity.”

It has a similar connotation to the time of Silla (one of the three ancient kingdoms of the modern Korea) where, the Hwarangs—an elite military organization— would wear makeup and perform a massive ceremonial banzai with a dagger expressing protest and withdrawal of support from the ruling monarch.

A similar concept still remains true until today.

The American Medical Association Encyclopedia of Medicine says “suicide is a result from a person’s reaction to a perceived overwhelming problem.”

In an Awake! magazine, there’s an article entitled “Why People Give Up on Life,” where a psychiatry professor of John Hopkins University of School Medicine, Kay Redfield Jamison was quoted saying: “much of the decision to die is in the construing of events.”

Today, when a person faces humiliation or feels his dignity and honor had been stripped of him, a seppuku is the ultimate solution. And such is regardless of the presence or absence of the guilt.

To many, whether the situation is militaristic like the ancient samurai or non-political, suicide allows the person to redeem the honor he lost in trying to save others.

To most, it is deemed honorable to sacrifice one’s life in upholding the code of conduct, however that conduct is viewed.

References:

Awake! publications

Bushido—The Soul of Japan

The Harvard Mental Health Letter

Wikipedia

Sociology Index

And more from www.google.com SE

Photo Credits: http://ow.ly/44bzL

Adulation

Your stare glared at me with all the loathsomeness in the world.

As if my very existence is the genesis of every plague hurled.

The coldness in your silence burns the sensibility in me.

As if a dead river, all reasons fail to stream in serenity.

Photo credits: http://ow.ly/44aFR

The Valentine’s Day And The Rise In Teenage Pregnancy

Valentine’s Day is conceived to be a day of celebrating love. It is a day when people express how much they appreciate another person’s presence in their lives. To some, a Valentine ’s Day is spent by sending flowers, cards, and chocolates. Others greet the day with an I love You declaration to their beloved. Mostly though outline the occasion with sex. And that holds true even among teenagers.

In a brief conversation with a male friend, he said that most of them male species look forward to making out on this particular day, after all, sex, or lovemaking is the highest expression of love. Or is it actually?

In a news item from a mainstream newspaper, teenagers today are bombarded with formidable pressure from internet, media, and peers to engage in pre-marital sex than they were a decade ago. Each year, many of these teenagers look up with their partners to be one in flesh especially on Valentine’s.

“Some 16.5 million Filipinos belong to the 15-24 year old age group. We are forced with a glaring truth that at a very young age, a lot of young people today have children of their own. 30 % of all births belong to this age group; and by the age of 20, 25% of the youth are already mothers.”

Also in that survey, around 64,000 of teenagers incur abortions every year. In a separate report made by World Bank, the Philippines leads 10 countries having a soaring number of teenage mothers with a ratio of 7 pregnant women for every 10 teenagers that are younger than age 19. World Bank attributed teenage pregnancy to higher incidence of poverty, while the former news item argues that pregnancy is spearheaded by gratification of sexual urges.

The pressure to indulge in sexual gratifications forced upon these teenagers is further aggravated by media marketing hyping up the business niche, creating a necessity out of a senseless tradition. Most of the promotions spearheaded a month before Valentine’s insinuate or focus on one thing: sex.

By itself, sex is not a harmful activity. In fact, it is deemed as an instrument of procreation; a gift shared specifically by two individuals bound by mutual love, respect, and sense of responsibility. Nonetheless, when it is practiced by young ones such as teenagers, sexual activity poses a huge problem regardless of the presence of love and all traits.

Yes, in today’s age and technology, pre-marital sex is among the highlights of a teenage life. Youths of the present generation are more aggressive in their behavior and emotions toward the opposite sex than the youth of earlier years.

Whether teenage pregnancy is compelled by mere gratification of sexual urges or necessitated by poverty, both call for immediate solutions if we want to save the future of the next generation. But no, I am no advocate of a solution putting so much emphasis on technically stopping sexually-active teenagers from indulging in pre-marital sex as this could be hard, if not impossible, to achieve, especially if their sexual experiences are marked with favor (For lack of another term).

Education is a powerful tool. Personally, I don’t understand why sex education should not be integrated as a subject or lessons taught in school. I believe that if students are just aware of how puberty can change their body and their reactions to stimulants, and how naked sex (unprotected sex) can lead to unwanted pregnancy, then they would be careful in dealing with their romance.

Couples will not, for instance, do a trial and error sexual intercourse with one another. What if on their first attempt on a Valentine’s Day, the lady is fertile? But how can they know about the role of fertility if it is not taught inside the classroom? Of course, sex education must be coupled with other lessons such as presenting the consequences of unwanted commitments such as early motherhood and the economic benefits young adults could enjoy if they are careful in planning their engagements.

Church, however, despite the separation of powers, continues to mingle with political affairs of the state. Particularly, the Catholic Church remains to be reluctant in acknowledging the potential of sex education because it fears it might encourage young ones to participate in pre-marital sex.

Goodness! It is because of celibacy that taints the reputation of priests and church. It is because of its so-called advocacy of no condom for a contraceptive that compelled a few priests to knock-up women. What an irony for a church imposing a no pre-marital sex policy and no condom for contraceptives among its constituents or believers when the priests are the first to violate such implementation or become the victim of its stupidity!

The Church does not support the use of condom as it is a curtailment of life. Is that so? Isn’t using condoms an exercise of being responsible? Biblically speaking, nowhere can you find a verse excluding the use of condom as part of family planning.

In contrast, even the ancient Romans had their own version of a condom in the form of sheep guts. The Mosaic Law does not apply in our times. But the Reproductive Health Bill, forever pending in the hands of our politicians and which is thought to institutionalize sex education in schools and buttress the use of artificial contraceptives such as condoms is on the verge of being forgotten, if not dismissed.

Moving on, poverty indeed has a role in teenage pregnancy. Parents may not have the time to educate their young ones about sex because they are more concerned about earning for a living. Most often, these kids have become a prey of sexual maniacs in the neighborhood or have chosen to allow others to exploit their body for a meager amount of money.

Mostly, kids are not given guidance on their exposure to media that has itself been used by companies in hyping up their niche even to the point of suggesting and using explicit contents. Many of these kids, boys and girls mimic what they see on televisions and movies when it comes to expressing love through sex or foreplay without the knowledge of their parents.

Seriously, Valentine’s Day has been characterized by sexual activities among others. Today, many people fall victims of a wrong notion of love conveyed by companies and businesses through media and the teenagers in particular, are the helpless victims.

Nevertheless, this is not to say that the occasion itself is the sole culprit of today’s escalating number of teenage pregnancy as these individuals can always have sex on any given day. But many of our teenagers choose Valentine’s Day to lose their virginity. And they do so with strong resolve and without knowing anything on its consequences.

Photo credits: http://ow.ly/44aIZ

The Tale Of The 300 Threads

Dear You:

I don’t know how to begin this letter without wasting your invaluable time because, of late, I’ve been a nobody’s fool at atrophying someone’s energy.




I’ve got half the mind to impulsively send you many replies I mentally phrased while I scrambled on my keyboard doing one of my everyday objectives: incorporating creativity and substance between sentences to constitute infrastructures that eventually become the pillars of essays, press releases, feature stories, e-books, reviews, and content articles for somebody’s or something’s credits.




And the other half to convince myself to stop liking you.




Many times did I find myself editing my works because my fingers were typing what my mind chimes in response to your message rather than what I ought to opine to complete the thought of my piece, from which I milk for a living.




I was honestly caught off-guard with your message not because I don’t receive messages on FaceBook too. But because your message came by surprise.




If there should be a person to apologize, that must be me. I am sorry that it took me this while to compose you an apology epistle. Abashment took over me. What you wrote on my declaration on AP’s wall was a wakeup call for me:




That wall proffers an avenue for AP crowd members, whether haters, lovers, or neutrals of its mission and purpose. It should not in any way be employed to express emotions, invidiousness or adulation. Even love.




My behavior could qualify for a nuisance.




I am uncertain you have read the more than 300 threads of comments that preceded my pronouncement, of which you were one of the tags. If not, please allow me to explicate how that happened.




It all began in you.




Previously there was a post on AP about the intellectuals in the country. You asserted there were only 209 to that date. I countered. But then your comment referring to the number of intellectuals lingers on my mind and when I saw another member added by EB, I refrained from keeping silent. My fingers then were very eager. And so was my mind. I wrote:




This makes 210 if I were to quote IP. ^^




What followed was totally unexpected. The contents of the threads were a blend of senseless and senseful opinions of ranging topics until you were the center of it. Believe me, I didn’t have the slightest notion that somebody would respond, much less prolongate it for after all, there was no proper precedent. I merely remarked having a new member.




But yes, I should not blame you. Well, I’m not blaming you. I am placing the blame on me. The thread must not be a ground for another statement. That was the mistake. It should stand alone until it dies a natural death.




Looking back, I realized two things from the 300 threads, nonetheless.




One, my post about you[r mind being beautiful and sexy] was not the first on AP’s wall. Another member, EB, had been writing on AP’s wall about you all along. And who knows maybe more members also did the same before I joined the crowd.




Two, personally, I would say any posts about you had been prolific. The 300 threads only betoken one thing:




Your name alone can launch stirrings among the crowd’s members, trolls and intellectuals alike.




Now having said all these, I really am at a loss for words on how to conclude my note without you hating me, especially if I would say:




I still like you.

Woman, how far have you gone?

More than 150 years ago, a protest against injustice toward women had a Declaration of Sentiments penned in America, saying, ‘the history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward a woman.’

Little progress was made since then, if at all. But the United Nations’ admission on its publication The World’s Women 1995 that men and women live in different worlds with different access to education and work opportunities and in health and leisure time, encouraged many States to pass laws to protect the rights of women.

Nonetheless, laws are not capable of changing hearts, from which injustice and prejudices are rooted. While the legislation, often aimed at stopping sexual exploitation of children and women, is founded on purest intentions, it is in itself, ineffectual.

Laws, mostly inadequate, do not prevent violence. What does is when cultural and social values—usually based on deep-seated tradition—change. For instance, in Middle East, tradition dictates that women should be used by men, rather than loved. They should work than being cared.

Unless men start to change their perception, a woman will continue to have no voice, with no rights, and with little amelioration to her situation. Must I say that the Philippines is among the countries that had an awakening?

Hardly. But it is getting there. In politics, we had our first female president by the name of Corazon Aquino. The second, which is incumbent, may not be an epitome of a good leader, but had somehow produced evidence that slowly, respect for women’s rights is established.

In sports and entertainment, women are given the opportunity to lead and excel in many countries. But this does not imply that women have succeeded in their fight for women’s right as there are still more work to accomplish not only in our country but in Africa, Asia and some parts in Europe as well.

Education must start at home. Men should learn the best way to treat women from their fathers. Unless an immediate and concerted action is initiated by all, hardly can peace deign on us.

Today, I am one with Gabriela in pursuit of advancing women's right. Today, I join the celebration of International Women's Day.

Why should there be a Student Publication?

It all began in writing out one’s thought that makes others be conscious of their environment. Whether the issue is socio-political or cultural, journalism provides voice to the neglected.

In a large scale, the community is educated by the information that a page of a certain publication contains. For example, others may find it mundane to memorialize national events such as the EDSA Revolutions, for after all, the country succeeded in ousting an executive leader, or failed.

However, by analyzing how the public gained an advantage from marches that seem to go on forever, we are reminded of the power of expression and its effect.Such knowledge can be obtained from reading the publications.

Or on a larger scale, wars in the east are of little effect on us because we are not a participant to that battle.Little do some people know that our country can be affected in all aspects by just one decision of our Government. But how do they know about it if not through the paper and ink that answer the H and 4 Ws?

Where does education start? How do we begin digesting information that would make us better persons? Should publications exist only outside the campuses? Are students equipped with the right tools to face the world after graduation by obtaining 1.0 average?

People from National Publications are seasoned writers who started from journalism works that their respective Alma Mater find it imperative to have. Student Publications are not only a training ground for the application of Communication Arts, mechanism and technical skills, they also serve as a tool to advocate awareness and expressions.

Deliverance of Important news event is not only its primary function; student publications exist to advance student’s rights and responsibilities and promote their general welfare.

Having a publication as a school’s arm for information does not just produce bunch of writers and reporters, student journalism also features creative works in the form of poetry, short stories and stage plays most of which gained fame and awards.

In some cases, reading school papers can be a very effective way of choosing the right leader to represent the student body, and become a person-for- and- for-others.

Killing a student paper or closing it down is a curtailment of student’s development as a whole.

The Philippine's Con-Asses

I personally acknowledge that for a law to be efficient it must be able to address the needs of the people whether immediate or indirect. Also, I believe that not every law can survive the varying needs of people and time. If a law becomes inefficient, it needs to be changed.

While it holds true that many countries have successfully amended, altered or replaced old laws or provisions from their system of laws, to have the same political activity in a country in whose culture corruption has long been embedded, the results could be severe turmoil.


Perhaps, some politicians are sincere in helping us-- the poor, the oppressed, the neglected-- however, most of them have ulterior motive.

While almost Solon is busy fattening their wallet as one of the privileges in being an incumbent, millions of children die of hunger and pestilences.

While they are proud to showcase their prowess in initiating debates and counter-arguments, millions have died because they cannot afford the health care services in their own community.

While politicians enjoy the luxuries in life and at their offices, the frail bodies of Juan, Pedro and Maria along with Basilio, Crispin and Sisa found shelter at the outskirts, under the bridge, on the cold concrete or at the sidewalks.

Politicians can afford to send their family abroad for a vacation. They even send their children to the foreign universities for further enhancement. What about Crispin and Basilio? Fortunate would they be to graduate from elementary.

They say that Con-ass gives betterment to people's lives. I say, they seek to strengthen their power and riches. They call to effect change via con-ass, I think they want to perpetuate their political positions.

So I resolve, that until honesty is their intention, con-ass can not bring forth changes to improve the quality of life and health of Filipinos.