I sometimes hear foreigners wonder why so many Japanese commit suicide. Japan is a top-10 country when it comes to suicide rates. Japan is wealthy and lacks for nothing, so the large number of suicides is surprising. Financial problems could be a reason, but can we simply put the blame on economic recession that causes high unemployment, lower incomes, mounting debt and bankruptcies?
Most of the people in Japan today haven't experienced a war. So we don't know the bitterness and pain of war. People during wartime must have lived hand to mouth. They saw many people dying with their own eyes. The value we place on life is low compared with that of people who have lived through war.
We must understand the importance of life, and not take our days and the abundance around us for granted. We have to live life to its fullest, because we only have it once.
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