The 17-year-old addresses these symbolic words to her parents., before taking her own life. And I think that this world is not… for us either! Who, I wonder, considers that today's living conditions are normal? We live in a toxic environment, in an unjust state, which tramples on institutions, devalues citizens, while tolerating arbitrariness, audacity, unmeritedness, corruption and fraud. And the phenomena are not limited to our country.
The roots, however, of the Greeks refer to the passage of Menander: "How graceful is man, when he is a man" (how graceful is man, when he is a man). This assessment of Menander prevailed in antiquity, today, alas, the exact opposite prevails.
Humanity, respect for one another, respect for Justice, respect for the principles of our ancestors have disappeared.
Today the ideal is not the "man" but the "rich man" in material goods, even if these were acquired by deceit. Man is not valued by his real value.
So, young people today start out with the goal of making money, and when they are even asked to choose a science, their concern is how they won't end up in a job that won't pay them after their studies.
Moreover, our educational system, in terms of admission to higher education institutions, has not managed to keep up with European standards, resulting in Nationwide to constitute an examination committee that judges the fate of the candidates by essentially a single process. The discussion about the National Baccalaureate, while it is characterized as urgent, it is postponed, and postponed for many years…
All political parties point out the injustice of the Panhellenic parties every now and then, they disagree with each other, and the main argument for their reservations regarding the change of the system remains the "immutability"! Of course, the "immutability" is necessary, and is considered a given for these
exams. And let's not forget that it is difficult to comply with, and not only in the field of entrance exams but... in general in this country... our national flaw! However, "immutable" is not the only criterion for the exam system, and there is always a way to ensure it, let's finally move forward!
This is the society in which the 17-year-olds lived. The note left by one of the young women before deciding to abandon the worldly is essentially a mirror of today's society, which is suffering, as is recorded, from the increase in suicides among teenagers aged 15-17. However, the joint suicide of the two girls raises questions that require relevant research.
The stress of exams, which was mentioned in the note, is not in itself a reason for girls' suicide. Stress about exams is a first battle that young people face, it is not the end of the world, and parents should realize this too. At the same time, the conditions prevailing in the family are important.
Contact between young people and their parents is difficult, and often not achieved. Due to the forced overwork and exploitation they face in their workplace in order for the family to survive, parents return exhausted to the home, which also requires management, and then their stamina for dialogue with their children is minimal.
However, the demand of their parents to achieve their admission to the University remains. Our erroneous mentality that higher education is necessary for the recognition of both children and parents, regardless of qualifications, even against the goals of the children, is, unfortunately, a very negative factor. Moreover, the school does not help sufficiently in the psychological support of children and parents.
These difficult conditions, which I mentioned, are being exacerbated by uncontrolled and galloping technology. Young people are losing their minds on the internet, hindering the development of their critical thinking and often neglecting the human, live contact with their peers, which is essential for their mental health. The bans that are beginning to be imposed are not leading to the desired result. The problem must be addressed as a whole and not in isolation.
However, the above reasons do not completely justify suicide. Suicide is a multifactorial process. It has been observed that a problematic mental state of adolescents is difficult to recognize by their environment, even by their parents themselves, who do not seek timely help from specialists.
There is no room for tolerance for conditions that lead to family tragedies. The state must take its measures quickly and effectively. These are difficult times!
photo GoranH, https://pixabay.com
