As a huge fan of the African continent, a 2017 World Bank report on income revealed some shocking facts that made me worry and shake my head in disappointment. I stopped and asked out loud, “Why do so many young people in countries with low incomes kill themselves?”
What the heck is going on?!
What is suicide?
Rather than using a dictionary definition, I decided to define suicide as a cowardly way out of one’s pain.
Is it possible to have “more than you can handle?”
We end our own lives because we are trying to escape the things that are supposed to make us stronger.
As someone who has thought about killing themselves, I can promise you that pulling the trigger would have been the biggest mistake of all time…
If I weren’t here today, you wouldn’t be reading this article. Yes, there are times when we feel bad, but killing ourselves is not the answer.
As long as you live, nothing is permanent, and although troubles may last through the night, joy will surely come in the morning.
How can young people, who are supposed to be the future of their countries, be in such a state of mental anguish and hopelessness?
We often hear that “the youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow,” but our youth seem to have given up on the future they are promised and would rather die than live another day, even if they think tomorrow will be better.
Why are people killing themselves?
If you think the 2017 report is out of date, consider the WHO’s 2021 report, which reaffirmed that suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 19 in poor countries and that it is linked to depression and poverty.
Unfortunately, most people who reach the point of no return often have a long list of people and institutions to blame, with the government being the most likely source of their suffering.
Even if this is true, I won’t use this article to add salt to the injury that most young people already have. Some blame the government, while others blame their poor parents, siblings, uncles, or anyone else they can think of—but not themselves!
So I’d rather preach about good things and healing or say nothing at all.
If you think being poor is the end of the world, you should think again. Poverty is a temporary situation that can be changed if you decide to take action and kick poverty out of your life and the lives of your family members.
It begins right there, right now, with you and only you!
Read Does God create poor people?
