Once upon a time, a young man lived with his old grandmother in a village. He lost his parents when he was a little boy. He lived in impoverishment and deprivation. He could not focus on his studies and did not have much skills. While his friends migrated for better jobs, he could only curse his bad luck. He could not achieve his goals, and his lover married a wealthy businessman nearby.
The young fellow felt hopeless and helpless. He lived in despair. The thought of giving up his miserable life started haunting him. There was nothing that made him happy. His fighting spirits were low, but he felt bad about leaving his lonely grandmother. His grandmother loved him dearly and single-handedly grew him up. One day, he brought the courage to strike up a conversation with his grandmom about the emotional pain he was suffering through.
Grandmother heard him without judging. Then she told him, ‘My son, your ‘despair’ is a wolf. And it is a powerful wolf. One day, this wolf ‘despair’ will kill you by eating up your soul. But another strong wolf lives with you called ‘hope.’ Wolf ‘hope’ is as mighty as wolf ‘despair,’ and they are always at war. Wolf Hope can fight for you with wolf despair.
The curious grandson asked her, “Grandma, please tell me which wolf wins at the end? It is important for me to know who survives, wolf despair or wolf hope? You should answer me, and I should know”.
Grandma answers, “THE ONE YOU FEED!”
The triennial theme of World Suicide Prevention Day 2021-2023 (10th September) is “Creating Hope Through Action.” This theme, endorsed by the IASP (International Association for Suicide Prevention and WHO (World Health Organization), is a powerful call for collective action to address this urgent public health issue. Suicide and suicide attempts have a ripple effect that adversely impacts individuals, families, and societies.
Remember that there is always an alternative to suicide.
Suicide prevention is a public health priority. Around seven lakh lives are lost per year because of suicide. There are many more who attempt to kill themselves. It is the 4th cause of death among the age group 15 to 29 years. All of us, not just family members, friends, colleagues, coworkers, community educators, counselors, health care professionals, government authorities, religious leaders, social media influencers, and political leaders, should work towards taking action and instilling hope to prevent suicide in a particular region.
Let’s draw people’s attention to suicide as a severe public health issue.
SUICIDE TAKES A HEAVY TOLL ON FAMILIES, FRIENDS, AND COMMUNITIES WORLDWIDE.
Suicide/self-harm helplines:
YOU MATTER!
Here are a few books for further reading:
-Habeeba Waseem, Founder & Life Coach, MindsOnFleek
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Beautiful piece. Thanks
Thank you for your kind words!