My SPEECH
Friday, March 16th, 2007This speech i made one myself. It is actually the speech i will deliver for my oral presentation on Monday for my Speech Subject. Why suicide? Because i was suicidal when my professor asked us to submit a topic (’coz it was the heights of the defense for EV1) No kidding!. Uhhmm..some ideas in here are based from other peoples’ ideas and experiences, but for the most part, it’s all mine. So be enlightened! (*cross fingers* i hope so!)
SUICIDE: A LAST RESORT
To die in order to avoid the pains of poverty, love, or anything that is disagreeable is not part of a brave man but of a coward.
These are the exact words of Aristotle in view of suicide. A cowardice act. A selfish act to get away from life’s obstacles. And most of you here present probably agrees with him. That these suicidals are just a bunch of pitiful cowards. this would have also been my stand had i not once thought of committing suicide myself. Yes, I had been through that dark path. That time in my life when my strenght and my faith faltered. And i felt that life has no meaning . Just a long nonsense journey. And that suicide is my last resort to break free. But i’m not here to be judge. Nor am i here to judge. Talking about suicide right now doesn’t mean that i’m promoting it. Suicide starts with the lines "nobody understand me…" Isn’t it sad to learn that a person would actually choose death rather than life just because nobody dares to understand? Isn’t it enough reason to tackle it?
Suicide is a complicated social problem. It is present in all cultures although we view it differently. Like for the Japanese, suicide is a compensation for their lost honor while for us Filipinos, it is a crime not only to oneself but also to God. Is suicide a choice? Adina Wrobleski once wrote that suicide is not a choice because a choice suggest that there are other alternatives where we can rationally choose. Suicide happens when a person thinks that all the other alternatives are exhausted -when no other choices are seen. Is that cowardice or bravery? I feel that there are different forms of courage for different challenges and that we may respond courageously to some situations and not to others.
But what really motivates a person to take his/her own life?. Records from the WHO websites shows that an estimated 873,000 people commits suicide every year. And more than 90% of the suicide cases are associated with mental disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, and alcoholism. Suicide rates in the Philippines are considerably low compared to other countries. But the thing is that 40% of these suicide incidents are from the age group 15-24 even though they only make up 20% of our population. Generally speaking, young people are more vulnerable. Adolescence is a very difficult stage. Being bombarded with identity crisis, relationship dilemmas with family and friends, economic and social problems. These are in one way or the other, the underlying causes of suicide. But does the pain stops after suicide? The answer will always be NO. For the lives of the ones left behind will never be the same. The pain is surreal and tormenting. For no matter how we look at it. Crime or not. It is a tragedy. An immeasurable loss on their part. But any loss can be minimized if not prevented. Committing suicide doesn’t mean that the person is out of his/her wits. It just means that the person was deprived of the much needed help. A good listener is what they all really need. Life sure is tough but we only need to look at things at a different perspective. Life is a gift. Treasure it.
Let me leave you with this thought: Suicide is not the last resort. It just reschedules the ordeal for another time. And if you cannot pass through all the hardships now, what makes you think you can deal with it in another life time?
***fin***
Wheww! that’s it! Hope people will learn a thing or two from it. Anyways..it is way past midnight. i gotta go and get some sleep. I’m outtah here!!!
