‘The bluebird is not far away’
CHUN SU-JINThe author is the head of the Today-People News team at the JoongAng Ilbo.
There’s a sad statistic on Korea – the undeniable top suicide rate among OECD member countries for years. What is more frightening is that society is getting used to this number. There is a tacit atmosphere in Korea that I am barely making a living and have no time and energy to think about other people dying.
People only become briefly alert when they hear the news that the suicide rate is soaring and the birthrate is falling. In the meantime, the woman in her 20s standing next to you on the subway on the way to work and the man in his 80s you passed by at the convenient store last night do an internet search on “how to die without pain.”
As I searched for suicide-related data, I discovered the term “voluntary death” in addition to “extreme choice.” It means a death you can choose voluntarily, as explained by philosopher Jean Amery (1912-1978) who wrote “On Suicide: A Discourse on Voluntary Death.” He did not write that book to encourage suicide. In fact, he raises the alarm on people choosing suicide when they feel they have to die to live a better life.
Is there an answer, I asked the cartoonist who wrote “I Am a Suicide Survivor.” And the bluebird is not far away. In the interview, she said, “A person who feels a bit of kindness clings to life.” I want to share this with many who decide to die, when death is not necessarily a choice. The sweet words that life is not hard when you make more money or move up the ladder cannot last a whole lifeline. Hope — that there is someone who sympathizes with us in life’s difficulties — supports us all.
We run like racehorses believing that success, money and power will bring happiness. While you think the race is everything, it is not. Let’s take off the blindfold. Crack a joke with your tired neighbor, look at the wildflower and clouds in the sky.
How small is the Earth and humans in the galaxy when seen through the James Webb Space Telescope? How amazing is it that we have met in this wide world?
As I write this, I realize how unrealistic this pure kindness is in Korea in 2023. But I still write about it. It is a dereliction of our duty if we get used to a Korea that has the lowest birthrate and highest suicide rate globally.
I want to wrap up with the cartoonist’s words. “What is our reason to live instead of dying? People and life change. Life goes on even without the grand mission that keeps you living.”
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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