Suicide is an impulsive and extreme choice, and instead of resolving the individual’s pain, it causes serious hurt to those around them and a failure to fulfill social responsibilities. We need to rediscover the value of life and find ways to overcome it with positive thinking.
The protagonist of the book I once read, “I Love You, Ji-Sun,” was a beautiful and intelligent woman before she was burned. She was popular among her friends and had a successful social life. However, her life changed forever when she was severely burned all over her body in an accidental car accident. The accident left her with more than just physical scars; it challenged her identity and self-esteem. She underwent 11 surgeries and endured a time that was more painful and difficult than dying, but in the process, she learned to redefine herself. She now sees herself not by her appearance, but by her inner strength and empathy for others. She is grateful that the skin she has left is healthy and moving, and that her pain allows her to empathize with the pain of others. “I love you, Jisun,” she habitually repeats to herself in the mirror. Her love for herself brought her back to life and made her realize how precious her existence is.
This experience made her reflect deeply on the true value of life, and she insisted that suicide was never the right choice. She has endured more difficult circumstances than anyone else who has ever considered suicide, and I believe that if you have enough love and appreciation for yourself, you will not easily throw away your life.
Most suicidal people would argue that taking their own life is an act of free will that no one can argue with. However, suicide is often a decision made in a state of imbalance, not based on an objective assessment of the situation. For example, suicidal people only look at the negative side of things, seeing only the reasons why they should die rather than the reasons why they should live. They drive themselves to kill themselves. In the process, they tend to ignore or overlook the possibility of other options, which indicates that they are psychologically already in a state of despair. And suicide often occurs in the early hours of the morning, when emotions are abundant, or when there is a drastic change in emotions, such as after drinking alcohol or having an argument with someone. This supports the idea that suicide is often spontaneous and impulsive, with a lack of self-control. Therefore, in a strict sense, suicide is neither free nor justified.
It is also a selfish act that does not give enough thought to the people around you who love you. My parents, who brought me into this world in the first place, and my spouse, children, friends, and other benefactors in my life are all important reasons to live. However, if you abandon them and commit suicide, you will leave behind a lifetime of guilt and trauma for those who believed in you and loved you, saying, ‘If I had cared more, you wouldn’t have died, it was because of me. In the case of Ahn Jae-hwan, a talent who recently committed suicide after being overwhelmed by debt, his excessive greed for money and success was at the root of his decision. By committing suicide, he freed himself from the pressure, but he left his beloved wife with the obligation to repay part of the debt and the sadness of losing her life partner, and he indirectly accused those around him of murder. I believe that it is not acceptable in any way to justify one’s behavior by solving the problems that one has caused by committing suicide, or to put a greater burden on the people around them. The fact that the suicide of someone close to you also causes people around you or people in similar situations to feel depressed and, if the depression is severe enough, to attempt suicide, shows that suicide is not only a personal problem.
Finally, suicide is a failure to fulfill social responsibility. No matter how difficult a situation a person may be in, most of the time he or she is a member of a certain community, has a job, a position, and a position of power. Therefore, committing suicide in such a situation is irresponsible to his or her position and can cause a great loss to the community to which he or she belongs. This is especially true in the case of the growing problem of youth suicide. Young people are the future leaders of our society, and it’s our job as a society to make sure that as many of them as possible become great people. However, the increasing number of suicides among young people can have significant social costs and losses.
Suicide is an extreme decision, and it cannot and should not be justified considering the pain and guilt it causes to the people around them and other members of society. Every day, the search term “○○○ suicide” is at the top of major search sites. A spate of celebrity suicides and the occasional politician’s suicide has left many people saddened. It’s heartbreaking and sad to think of the pain they’ve been through, whether it’s from severe criticism or the pressure of debt, but I don’t think their final choice is justified. Suicide would have been one of their options, but not the only one. I’m sure there are people who live in worse situations and think, “This is what life is worth. I think you have to have the courage to die, the positivity to live again, and the love for yourself and the things you love to protect yourself and the things you love.
