A Terrible Trend

Ever heard of the new trend(?) in Japan today? After the Nargis in Myanmar and earthquake in China, now, I read in the news about the new technique of suicide being used mostly of Japanese. It is a mixture of detergent and bath salt that produce a poisonous gas, hydrogen sulfide, that can cause death when inhaled. I read also that it is the fad in Japan today. I couldn’t believe this. How could “suicide” be a fad? Life is too precious to be wasted. While all other else strive to survive, others are taking away their own lives for as a mean of escaping depression, failures, or other personal reasons.

Clearly, this is an act of murder. Suicide (Self-murder) is the act of intentionally terminating one's own life. We may never know their reasons for doing this act. Suicide is known and believed to be as a "cry of help" and is psychologically associated. It is a medical condition that needs medical attention. That's why I find it hard to understand how this thing becomes a fad or trend. This is something as a "high-class", "high-tech" way of committing suicide since it came from the internet.

Life is really precious. It is a wonderful gift from God that is why it is sacred. We are being asked to take care of our body and live our life according to His will and purpose. Negative experiences such as defeat, loss, depression are just factors that enhance our way of life. When faced with difficulties, person to person interaction is very important. Unloading our burdens through social contact help a lot. But some depressed people tend to isolate themselves. That's the time it becomes our moral responsibility to be sensitive with others. We don't help only when we are being asked to. Sometimes, we can offer help and sympathy and offer them voluntarily.

"It is not always the people with worriesshould come to us for help...sometimes we need to be sensitive enough to know when to make the first move."

Every experience is a learning experience.

Lifted this article from an internet source (mahalo.com)

A lethal gas is increasingly being used as a method of suicide in Japan. The concoction is created by mixing a certain brand of detergent with bath salts. Police in Japan are urging internet service providers to block websites which publish instructions on how to produce the hydrogen sulfide gas.

On May 1, 2008, 350 people had to be evacuated from their homes in Otaru, northern Japan a man used this technique to killed himself.

On April 23, 2008, in Konan, Japan, a 14-year-old girl killed herself by mixing laundry detergent with a liquid cleanser. The gas seeped out a window and into neighboring apartments, sickening 90 people and causing 10 to be admitted to the hospital.
Japan has one of the developed world's highest suicide rates.

Fast Facts:

Suicide method reportedly gained popularity via instructions posted on the Internet
Japan has the ninth highest suicide rate in the world
Since 1998, the annual number of suicides in Japan has exceeded 30,000

A Trend:

Police say they have dealt with several other similar suicides in 2008. A 31-year-old man outside Tokyo reportedly committed suicide in a car by mixing detergent with bath salts. On the same day, a 42-year-old woman reportedly killed herself in a bathtub in Nagoya, Japan, by mixing toilet cleaner and bath powder. According to The Australian, this method of suicide has killed around 50 people in 2008.

Warnings Posted:

Both the man outside Tokyo and the woman in Nagoya posted signs to warn passers-by. The man's read simply, "Stay away," while the woman's read, "Poisonous gas being emitted. Caution."

Hydrogen Sulfide Gas:

Colorless
Smells like rotten eggs

Highly toxic
Inhalation leads to suffocation or brain damage
In small doses causes sore throat, nausea, irritated eyes