The Framework of Suicide

The headlines of Malini Murmu a 1^st year IIM Bangalore student committing suicide, last week made a lot of ripples in the MBA world right from speculations for the reason to the twisted theory of how and why more so adding the IIM tag

It is estimated that over 100,000 people die by suicide in India every year. India alone contributes to more than 10% of suicides in the world. The suicide rate in India has been increasing steadily and has reached 10.5 (per 100,000 of population) in 2006 registering a 67% increase over the value of 1980. Majority of suicides occur among men and in younger age groups. Despite the gravity of the problem, information about the causes and risk factors is insufficient.

Perhaps there is no doubt that this is an extreme step taken by anyone and also perhaps nothing can explain a suicide other the person committing himself. Hoping to look for  a feasible answer to the same and a little bit of discussion with my friends I presume suicide to be something that happens when someone is trapped in a situation he knows he would never come out of

This mental block of not moving out of it is very hypothetical and depends completely on a person’s belief about the situation, his courage and will to come out of it and the gravity and perceptions with which a person has analyzed his situation

In the 20^th century farmer suicides in many parts of Uttar Pradesh were very common, perhaps the burden of debts, constant humiliation, and an ostensibly no way out looking situation forced many to commit this ultimate act of selfishness

For whatever the reasons maybe, when a person is so close to death he has to act very selfishly to kill himself, and he cannot blame anyone else for the same, because the courage to commit this sin comes from inside and cannot be superimposed

Talking of 21^st Century, from whatever cases I have come across in the newspapers they have mostly been related to relationship issues, breakups etc. Here again the person in concern has built up a mental block that whatever he does now, whatever heights he reaches there is nothing on this earth that is going to make him happy. He believes the day you slipped, I will never be the same again and neither would anything around me. This mental block as I said depends on the persons mentality and a person who has just not learnt to fail will be able to break this wall and move ahead, but unfortunately there are many who are not so emotionally strong and they really believe that this phase shall never pass and they will never be able to come out of it.

But the important thing to note here is the me me factor, that I will not be happy, that I will never be the same again and hence the selfishness I talked about. In the end everything boils down to me and myself and the agent causing suicide is only acting as a catalyst

All the good things in the past doesn’t count, all those love and care from parents, siblings and friends don’t count because at that moment you want to live only for yourself and no one else, it’s me my happiness and my life

Also suicides can be impulsive sometimes. We all have gone through the dark stages of our lives when nothing seems to be alright or getting better. In the height of depression and in the rage of the moment a person might commit an instant suicide. More often than not, not much thinking goes into it because they happen in a flick of a moment. But here again the mental block maybe so small is overestimated because of lack of thinking and hence the act

I have always believed that “This too shall pass” unfortunately both the good and bad times equally adore this theory and therefore it’s all about living the happiest moment to the fullest and let time take care of the worse one. My belief has not been negated yet once and I hope I don’t come across any such blockages which my courage fails to overcome.