The June 7 editorial, "One every 15 minutes," made me sad and then angry. The most crushing part of the editorial was about young people — those that represent Japan's future. If you don't have a big dream or hope for your life in your 20s or 30s, then when do you get it?
Japanese are the longest-living people in the world. The writer's observation implies that among those who don't take their lives, many live a long life in quiet desperation. While I think each stage of life is to be enjoyed, shouldn't the 20s or 30s be one of the best times in a person's life? In Japan, clearly the answer is no. No vision equals no hope. As a consequence, people perish by their own hand.
Albert Einstein, not a great theologian, said, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result." The writer of the editorial aptly pointed out that while Japanese leaders are starting to recognize the seriousness of the suicide problem, their solutions fall well short. Simply, their actions to change behavior are not sufficient.
If the leaders of Japan asked, I am sure that Bible-believing people around the world would be pleased to sponsor 126 million Bibles to help save Japanese people's lives. The Bible idea may sound crazy, but what does Japan have to lose? It has changed millions of people's lives for the better.
I hope and pray that we will not be having this same conversation 11 years from now. But in the time it takes us to drink our morning coffee and read through The Japan Times, another Japanese person will have taken his or her life.
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