G'day Ramsey & all - ok, in order not to disappoint some of you who have been accusing me of being obscure and arcane <vbg>, James Mitchner once theorized [in The Drifter?] the sum total of suicide and homicide rates are a constant in every country. But I digress, suicide has been quite a problem in S.E. Asian countries. In the old days, high school students in Japan and in HK [and also the then West Germany, so I ve been told] tended to attempt suicide a lot more often when they failed qualifying exams. So, considering the sudden cultural dislocation in Japan [no more company man for life,] it is almost a forgone conclusion of self-blame [irrational it may be.]
Taking this opportunity, please forgive me to plug for an organisation called "Samaritans" [I think they have a umbrella organisation called "Befriender International" these days.] It is a volunteer organisation to befriend the suicidal and depressed. The fact that it was originated in the UK and spread through the Commonwealth route may give some suspicion why the UK has one of the lowest suicide rate. I think there are a few centers in the US, mainly on the East Coast.
best, Bosco |
