Death on the Rise

So it turns out that suicide rates are up. The rates aren't just up in the US, it's kind of a world wide trend. People are starting to grow concerned about it, though I'm not really sure that they should be. I'm not trying to make light of suicide. Clearly, it's a large issue that has a lot of final results. However, one has to wonder if the rates are really as high as they seem.

After all, we have to consider there are some other factors happening here. Our population is higher than it's ever been in recorded history. We have also conquered (in some areas) some of the usual factors for why people die. These two facts can skew the results of any kind of population trend.

For example, say you have a box full of rice.  If you have 100 pieces of rice in the box and only three of them are pink, you'll notice the pink ones, but they won't really seem like a lot. You add ten times that amount and now you have 30 pink pieces. The ratio is still the same, but 30 pink pieces is going to get more notice than 3, even though you have more white rice in there as well.

We also have less ways for people to die. In developed areas, we have less instances of people dying of starvation and exposure (even though, sadly, this still does happen). We have cured or at least managed a lot of diseases. We've found more ways to keep us alive from outside dangers .  .  . so now it appears we're becoming more of a danger to ourselves.

I always hate how psychologists and the like try to tackle suicide. There is always this assumption that if they make people conform, then they'll be healthier and happier. "If people go to church, they'll be less suicidal." "If people have children, they'll be less suicidal."

Um, no. When I used to be part of organized religion, it didn't make me feel better and it certainly didn't make me a better person. Organized religion made me feel horrible and helped me to become a really sanctimonious bitch.  I wasn't less depressed or suicidal at that time . .  . I was just more fearful and felt more guilt. Having children wouldn't make me less depressed either. The article said that a woman with six children was six times LESS likely to kill herself than her childless counterpart. NOPE! If I had six children, I would be six times MORE likely to kill myself. I would feel nothing but drained.

See, the thing is, you can't FIX suicidal patterns.  Once people start to believe existence is bullshit, you can't alter their circumstances and change that belief.  All you have done is give them different bullshit to distract them.  You will never fool them into believing it's more than just bullshit though. They're already past that point.

As for me, I keep fighting the good fight because I have some simple little life goals that are reasonably possible. They just involve a few changes in my current circumstances, changes that I know will come with time . . . hopefully sooner than later. Past that, I can have my quiet little existence where I can enjoy the things I enjoy and ignore the rest of madness.