Monday 7 July 2008

What is going on with the world…

…when young people are being stabbed to death in London in unprecedented repetitive acts of aggression?

It saddens me, when every time now I turn on the news I have to listen to gruesome details of another stabbing for absolutely no reason. The same question keeps re-emerging: why is this happening? What is fuelling such tragedies? Hell if I know the answer. There’s not a lot that anyone can say with certain when answering this question. What I will say though is: its not because there aren’t enough evening social clubs for young people; its not always because there is a reason for it either; the problem is much bigger than that – it’s a larger societal problem.

On a not completely unrelated note, a recent headline in my regional newspaper saddened me even more. It was about a twenty year old female student, L.G. L.G. was a third-year Biochemist at University. She was intelligent, beautiful and someone who everyone enjoyed being around. L.G. suffered from Bulimia, depression and a tendency to self-harm. In a seemingly happy period of her life – when her family and friends were doing lots of fun activities with her – she hung herself in her apartment until she died. She left a note, to be found afterwards, addressed to no one in particular, which said: “If only…”. She either didn’t want anyone to know why she did what she did; or she didn’t know why she did what she did.

Perhaps its because I have been a University student too, that explains why I was struck by this news story. I have seen fellow students go through very tough times. Its not the rigours of their academic study that is the cause – that’s the only thing keeping them there – instead, it’s the inability to keep themselves happy. It’s a very strange phenomenon; especially because most students characterise their university-years as “the best years in their life”. Anyway, that’s that. R.I.P. L.G.

5 comments:

Android said...

Suicide is probably the worst thing that could happen to a family... :'(

But I still think that any problem can be solved, which does not involve killing youself. Don't you?

Minx said...

University does strange things to people perhaps through a combination of homesickness and the sheer ease with which one is able to go completely off the rails in the absence of parental discipline;every emotion seems maginified a thousandfold. Additionally When one is constantly told at school, and perhaps from a young age how brilliant/clever/amazing you are, only to find that when you are at university there are people there the same or, god forbid, better than you, such an academic comedown is a bit of a shock.
The two taken together is a recipe for disaster, I'm afraid......

Lacklustre Lawyer said...

Android,

I absolutely agree with your first point. Its hard to think of something that worse that could happen.

I also agree that a lot of problems can be solved by not committing suicide. The problem is that there are people out there who strongly feel the opposite. They may be the most intelligent and honest peron you have come across but their minds lead them to feel that the only rational way to get out of a dilemma they are facing is to commit suicide.

Paranomia,

Those are two valid explanations that I can certainly think apply to a couple of my friends. Especially the point about university being a place where you are surrounded by people that are cleverer than you. Without the comforts of the family home, it becomes even more difficult to cope with too, I imagine.

Lacklustre Lawyer said...

Damn - I thought Paranomia was a new addition to my blawg readership!

Anonymous said...

Sorry to disappoint,Lackie, tis just plain old Minx in my ph.d blogging frock until such time as the nice people at blogger give me back my blog!!
( and just to confuse you yet further, this post will be headed Law Minx!!)