UrbanWire

April Fool’s Day they call it. That’s how April always starts. It seems silly when you think of it. What’s the purpose of playing practical jokes on others? It’s all in the name of good fun you say. Lighten up and take things easy ya? After all what harm can a few laughs do?

Somehow though, this year’s April fool’s day reminds me not of pranks and harmless jokes but of an event that most certainly was no laughing matter. Yes, most of you might be familiar with the suicide of Leslie Cheung, well known Hong Kong singer cum movie star. He leapt to his death last April Fool’s.

On Apr 1 this year, Singaporeans at large will be horrified at another death. One that took place almost 2 thousand years ago, and plays out on the big screen as The Passion of the Christ.

In the case of Jesus, the decision to die, if biblical accounts are believed, was also entirely voluntary and was seen to be the ultimate solution to a problem. Yet how different were the outcomes.

That one death set into motion the hatred that saw Jews gassed and treated inhumanely, as it also caused the over-protection of latter Jews from similar treatment and love to spread across the world in missions, hospitals and orphanages set up by Christian organisations. The death, while painful to recall, is also celebrated yearly by millions as a horrendous sacrifice that has brought a priceless gift to the ones who believe their eternal salvation is tied up with that one noble act of obedience.

In most cases, people sympathise with the desperation and lament the wasted lives, or in less kind cases the foolishness of the person.

Even though we may not be very exposed to suicides in Singapore, according to The Sunday Times on Mar 28, “there’s a suicide a day in Singapore”, an improvement over 1995, when the number reached 400, according to the Singapore Immigration & Registration (now part of the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority).

The most recent one before the report involved a 34-year-old cancer-stricken mother of 2 didn’t want to suffer any longer, hence the decision to end her life. It’s sad news indeed. But what was even more heart-wrenching was that both her children were made to join her in death. They were only 1- and 2-year-olds.

Is it the fault of our society and the pressure it places on us to succeed, or even just to survive? Or are we just less able to weather bad storms? Unfortunately, the many who succeed in their attempts to end their lives never tell, and if they do, in farewell notes, it’s already too late to help them.

Only so much can be said of the value of life itself, and even that may sound very empty to someone who feels that there is nothing worth holding on to in life.

We at UrbanWire hope you find some relief from stress. We have done the legwork for you; from sifting through the cheap eats, to keeping you informed about what’s in and what’s not. Whatever it is you do, remember to live.