Posted on by mwlchoy

Life Lesson #19: The tragedy of our society

I read about the double tragedy of a straight ‘A’s student committing suicide after hours of receiving her O level results because she had 2 ‘B’s, and of her heart-broken mother following suit 3 months later.

The pressure seems to be getting worse and worse for our children. On all fronts.

Just last week, some mums were talking about how a student from a top school had committed suicide.

We were very heavy-hearted and in an attempt to make sense of the situation, generalisations started surfacing. 

“Grades are not everything. Better not put our kids in top schools. So stressful. Neighbourhood schools better.”

“But in mixed school will have BGR problems. Also headache.”

The common reasons for suicide in our children and youths seem to be disappointing parents with poor grades, family problems and relationship/bullying issues.

As we were quiet and letting it sink in, a friend shared something even more disturbing.

Her daughter was in the same school as the child who committed suicide and she was very concerned about how she has been affected. She raised the issue with her daughter and this was the reply.

“I’m ok mum. Like that lor. She committed suicide.”

Have our young people been numbed?


In this rush of life, of me, myself and I, of gadgets in our faces. Have we lost our connectedness with one another? 

That scares me plenty.

As our country turns 50, we have a lot to ponder.

Yes, our country is prosperous.

Yes, we have a lot to be thankful for.

But dig deeper. What do we find inside ourselves? Inside our youths?

We need to put a stop to the endless and mindless pursuit of more. Of one-upmanship. When will it end?

We need to come back to a life of contentment.

 
Maybe it’s time we stop thinking about bigger and better.
 
Maybe it’s time we start thinking about what really, really matters.

Other life lessons (which I’ve learnt the hard way):

Life Lesson #2: Don’t over-sacrifice
Life Lesson #4: My bucket list
Life Lesson #6: Passion vs Family
~ www.mummyweeblog.com – a blog on parenting 6 kids in Singapore ~

7 Replies to “Life Lesson #19: The tragedy of our society”

  1. Yup read the news too, it's v sad indeed

    N I agree w u abt the lack of empathy n being so indifferent abt matters is really scary

    It's when such things happen that reminds us to reflect n take stock of what we have to be contented n thankful 🙂

    Jia you!

  2. Yes, it was deeply saddening news. I hope it serves as a wake-up call to mothers who are currently walking down this path of destruction. Poor, poor child.

  4. So sad that sometimes it's too late to regret. Yes, there's many many more children who are put through such unnecessary extreme pressure. We have to change as a society. Many parents feel 'forced' to keep up because of everyone else. Rat race. Sigh.

  5. I am looking for this article to share it with a troubled mother. Can anyone tell me which date and source was the news as I was unable to find it online ?

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