THE NEW EPIDEMIC - SUICIDE

Last year, I was at a Mamak restaurant happily eating Cheese Naan, one of my favorites. Once I was done, I was craving for some fried chicken and so, I proceeded to the counter. I ordered it and soon after, I met a junior of mine who was a happy-go-lucky kind of guy, a debater, MUN delegate, Head of Interact Club and so forth. We were happily catching up until I asked him how he was doing and his smile immediately dropped. He said he was alright, just facing a little pressure from the challenges of balancing academics, co-curricular activities, and so forth but guess what? My fried chicken was ready. I told him I'll catch up with him another day and went back to the table where my other friends were sitting. Prior to that encounter, I ate fried chicken a few times a week. However, after the encounter, I just did not crave fried chicken anymore and I had no clue why, I did not connect the dots. Not too long after that encounter, I got the news.

That friend of mine, who looked happy on the outside, who was willing and able to open up to me, took his own life. He was gone. When I got the fried chicken, I told him that I will see him again. The next I saw him was when he laid motionless in a coffin. Upon hearing the news, I broke down, I did not sleep for nights and was restless for days. The guilt was overwhelming but by His grace, I turned to His Divine Mercy for consolation. I offered up chaplets of the Divine Mercy for him daily and I also offered up masses. A lot was running through my mind but the bottom line was simple - I did not rise up. I was moved in my heart but I did not move. From that day onward, I just knew there was no time or space to slack anymore. I had to be ready and I had to be equipped. After a month of tireless chaplets and masses, deep down I just had a conviction that my friend was not damned and this conviction took place in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. God is merciful.

Later that very week that I got the conviction mentioned above, the good Lord brought to me another person who had suicidal depression. I heard the person out and after that, we went for tea. When I sat down at the table for tea and looked up, I realized that I was at the exact same Mamak that I screwed up the last time. God in His Infinite Mercy, was giving me a second chance indeed. What an awesome God! Ever since, I have come across numerous people who face suicidal depression and thanks to His divine grace and mercy, I never take them lightly. There are a few lessons to learn from this experience of mine:

1. If you have a loved one who committed suicide,..

It is okay to hurt. It is okay to cry and to allow the Lord to heal our broken hearts in and through our tears but do not wallow in guilt. It is not all too late. You can still pray for the soul of your loved one. Offer up prayers(Highly recommend Divine Mercy Chaplets) and masses for the Salvation of his/ her soul. Don't think it's too late. You will never know. God can take our prayers beyond the realm of ours which is confined by space and time and put it into effect according to His Will.

2. If you have anyone around you who has such depression,..

Don't wait until it's too late. Be willing and ready to listen and journey with the person. The ultimate remedy is to bring them to Jesus but you must also help them experience concretely the love of God in and through your friendship with them. This will have to involve a willingness to sacrifice one's time and put in some effort. If you cannot do so, refer them to someone who can. Back up all such efforts with much prayer, confidentiality and sensitivity. Oh, and it'd be great if parents, educators could stop placing unreasonable pressure on their children to do exceptionally well in everything. Holistic growth should include emotional development instead of ruling off emotional wellness.

3. If you are suicidal,..

Do not give into the lies that are being fed to you by the world and ultimately, the Father of lies. You are not worthless, you are not a burden, you are not helpless, you are not alone, you are not defined by what you do, you are not defined by past abuses, you are not a waste of time, you are not weird, you are not stupid, you are not weak, you are not too tired of this! You are loved, you are wanted, you are needed, you are cherished, you are embraced, you are strong, and there is truly, a way out of your current situation apart from resorting to suicide. There have been suicide survivors who testify that it was when they were halfway down(After jumping) that they regretted their decision to jump. Suicide is not the solution. You are worth so much more. You are loved by a God of the universe so perfectly that it was as though you were His one and only. You need help. Open up to others around you, do not bottle up your thoughts and feelings.

4. If you don't know anyone who is suicidal in your life,..

Well, wake up! Research shows that by 2020(which is next year, ya?) the leading cause of death will be suicide. If you don't know anyone around you who has such depression, chances are you are ignorant. Either way, just don't take the chance or risk of having a loved one or anyone around you take his/her own life simply because he/she had a solid mask on. Therefore, get out and get to know people beyond the surface. Be willing and ready to have authentic friendships because you never know, one day, even you may need a shoulder to cry on but the motive is not this. Go and be a true friend to those around you so that they know that they are loved and help them discover the worth of their lives. God created us for a specific and great purpose. Life is precious. Each human being is a unique puzzle piece of God's masterpiece jigsaw puzzle. You need to be convinced of this and you need to help others around you realize.

Let's not wait till it's too late. It's real. It's happening. It's a new epidemic and we need to rise up, run to God for His overflowing Love and Mercy and run to others to extend and shower them with His Love and Mercy in turn. Let's not just wait by and watch. Let's not wait for a real life Bird Box occurrence because it is highly possible although in a differing manner.

May the Peace and Love of Christ be with us and stir a passion in our hearts to go on a mission to save others from a self-prescribed premature death. Now that you have read this, you are going to be accountable. There's no excuse. There's no space and time to slack and there's no space and time to keep all things to yourself. Be able to hear others out when they need it and be able to pour out your heart when you need it. We are all wounded ministers.

Let's become beacons of hope and love in this broken world and warriors in the fight against this new epidemic!