The world is in commotion from ocean- to- ocean;we are bombarded with very many challenges and blessed in equal measure with so many of life’s abundant gifts. If this is the case then why do we have the paradox of so many young and old good people taking their own precious lives?
As life becomes a global village, family life becomes disrupted by many cares, work is overtaken by the latest technology and it becomes very hard to create time to just talk to a single genuine person…. Then you can truly imagine why some individuals are contemplating even this very hour, second or minute on whether or not they should take their own lives. After all, who would care? The world would be a much better place without them; such could be a valid reason were you to step into their shoes (just for one day).
I recon that we need to start watching out for tell signs of those in our families, within our workplaces, neighbourhoods or even public spheres such as churches that could be going through what we call DEPRESSION. In my personal experience, it may not be so easy to spot when someone close to you is going through this cycle. The individual may get withdrawn, experience weight loss, keep indoors, slumber their time away in their rooms and not want to talk. For a young graduate who is unemployed, you may judge him or her as lazy because you don’t notice them making an extra effort to get on their own feet. For a married couple, a man may experience a sense of withdrawal from his spouse because of the fear of not being good enough or being able to provide as well for his wife compared to his peers or friends. Losing a job for a man may also kill his ego and he is left to wonder what he will do next and where he will get his sense of identity as a provider for his household.
We are losing too many good people with vast potential to this mental disease and it high time that we started retracting our footsteps as to where the rains started beating upon us. The good world teaches that: “love covereth a multitude of sins” and right now could not be a more perfect time than to show an increase of understanding, empathy and love to those around us that could be on their last remaining steps before they decide to take their own lives. We can go with these precious souls to see a psychologist or a mental health practitioner. Whatever you decide to do: please do it today because tomorrow may never come.
I am optimistic that we can slay this mental illness known as depression by first choosing to accept it as a problem way, way bigger than ourselves. Africa needs to accept it as any other disease; it does not make you more or a less a man if you have a few of its symptoms. We can win. We will win and we must overcome!
