Why Africans don't commit suicide

Africans do have problems; MANY problems. So statically speaking, they should have one of the highest rates of suicide in the world. But Africa doesn't. Why? Because people know the value of life because they have fought to survive against all odds. They have been ravaged by never-ending civil wars, diseases (mostly man-made), draughts, dictatorships, corruption, injustice, oppression and whatever other negative adjective you can think of. In other words, for many Africans, suffering and challenges are never in short supply.

Before I go any further, I want to make something clear. The kind of suicide I am referring to here is not those who suffer from mental illnesses. This is tragic regardless of who it happens to and wherever they are from, and it's often impossible to stop the person from doing it because they are not mentally fit to overcome the things you and I can overcome. My reason for writing this is because more often than not, and in many parts of the world, the concept of suicide is either glorified, justified or encouraged.

Don't get me wrong, I am not in anyway underestimating the reasons why so many commit suicide. The world is full of evil things and people suffer on daily basis. Whether they are human trafficking, rape, abuse, injustice or political victims, suffering is suffering in every country and to every human being. But it's also important to acknowledge the facts. In Japan, a country of 127 million people, 32,845 suicides were committed in 2016. Now compare this disturbing statistic to Africa where 34,000 suicides were committed in a continent that is home to 1,216 billion people. In the US for example, a country of 323 million, the Foundation for Suicide Prevention estimates that around 44,193 people commit suicide each year. In Europe, a continent of 743 million, 60,000 people commit suicide a year. So looking at the statistics, one has to ask themselves, what are the inhabitants in these nations missing that Africans have. The answer is simple - faith. When you have faith, you wait and expect for a way out. And one way to have faith is to believe in the creator. Why? For one, believing in a greater power than you gives you the hope and conviction that you will be saved from your current and temporary sufferings. Secondly, when you believe in God, you accept that he is the bestower of life and its taker. So it's very difficult for a person to contemplate 'playing' God. And finally, with faith comes belief in the afterlife, and belief in the afterlife means knowing that you will be punished or rewarded for the things you do or don't do in this life.

As a Somali, I have seen how a civil war can tear a country and its people apart. I have a relative who lost thirteen members of his family including his parents and all his siblings but one. Suicide was not an option for him. He fought to live and to stay alive because he knew the value of life. He didn't see what happened to his family as a punishment from God. He saw it as part of the plan of God. And that's the difference between seeing yourself as a victim whenever you are tested in life, and seeing yourself as an instrument to something bigger than yourself. Since I was raised in the West, I can talk about the attitudes I have encountered regarding suicide. In the West, there is always that sense of entitlement. And when a person doesn't get what they are convinced they are entitled to, they trigger a lot of negative emotions that can result in giving up on life. For example, instead of thinking, 'I lost my job. That's life.' they think; 'Why me?' Everything is personal and this is despite having the 'luxuries' found in the Western world and the support such as having a therapist, having access to the internet where they can listen to or watch motivational speakers or life coaches that remind them to stay positive and to be grateful.

And I believe when a person has faith, gratitude is bound to follow. Because you acknowledge the one who sustains you and blesses you every day, even on the days when things don't go your way, or you are struck by tragedy, you still remember all the blessings you have and don't focus on what you have lost. Of course this is not to say that you can't grieve or feel sorrow, it just means that you accept the cycle of life and roll with the bunches.

When was the last time you walked for miles to get water? Not clean water, just water? If you are from a first world country, then probably never.

Happiness comes from within

I really believe there is so much emphasis and glorification of suicides in today's world. Celebrities are committing suicide, , teenagers are committing suicide because few people said bad words to them on the internet, lovers are committing suicide because their lover has left them, inmates are committing suicide because they can't handle facing the punishment of the crime/s they have committed, a drug or alcohol abuser commits suicide because they are not happy with the choices they have made, job seekers are committing suicide, those who face financial problems are committing suicide, even people with eating disorders are committing suicide. It's become the answer to almost every problem EXCEPT that it doesn't solve a problem. It creates more problems for those left behind, and if there was a financial problem before the suicide, then money doesn't magically appear as a result of it. Suicide doesn't solve anything, but it does give people the sense of having control of one thing; their life. And by ending it, it doesn't mean they gain control of all the other areas in their lives they were unhappy with. If you or someone you know is thinking of suicide, this is the take away message from this whole post; you can solve all your problems alive, not dead. When you are dead, you have no idea where you are going, or whether you will be better off or worse off.

Finally, stop comparing your life to another person's life. Social media and keeping up with the Joneses has stolen the average person from living an authentic life that focuses on appreciating what you have rather than what you are missing.