This is NOT a post about suicide.

Japan’s fight to change suicide culture hurt by latest recession

“The economy plays a big role,” in the nation’s suicide rate, said Mafumi Usui, a psychology professor at Niigata Seiryo University. That compounds the problem in Japan, because “the notion lingers that taking your own life is something resolute and decisive, something that’s not wrong,” he said.

There’s a reason this caught my attention. Earlier in the day I had seen one of those social media statements that float around, that said surveys on fears put FAILURE as number one ahead of DEATH.

I have no idea of the truth of that statement, it may or may not be correct.

Putting this together:

We know that New Zealand’s suicide rate is comparatively low compared to Japan’s and even internationally.

We also know that New Zealand’s suicide rate used to be substantially lower but male suicide rates boomed out of control to four times that of female suicide, over recent decades.

In both cases above the common denominator may be failure rather than economy or effects of feminist society.

How important is succeeding to the emotional wellbeing of an individual.

What do you think?