This news item from South Korea hardly made it to the big broadcasting networks. Even the Asian subsidiaries of these giant networks did not broadcast what has been happening lately to the young people in S.Korea.
Within a span of days, two young popular celebrities have committed suicide. These were the suicides that got the attention of many in Seoul, but one could only wonder about the many that went un-reported in weeks and in months.
The young people are killing themselves. And the world was too busy to pay attention.
When young people kill themselves, we must pay serious attention. We must pause from our daily grind and race and determine what is causing this phenomena in a society that seemed to have been able to rise from so many threats and challenges.
It would be very easy to theologize, pontificat even or just cite reports as to why the young people kill themselves. But given all these, I think we need to have a fresh look into the lives of these young people. Celebrity suicides could also give the act celebrity status for the very impressionable ones or worse, disconsolate majority.
How about you? What are your thoughts on the young people and why they are killing themselves? Have you determined what could be some of your pre-conceived biases or judgment toward the young people? When young people commit suicide, do you shake your head in disgust and point a blame to the society, their upbringing, their “weaknesses…” or does your heart swell with compassion to the parents and regret that the voice of that young person was not adequately heard soon enough?
Let us pray for the young people in South Korea right now. No one is noticing that they are going through so much because the whole world is busily just trying to survive.
