Too Much

The Coroner recently released a joint finding on four suicides in a 13 month period (The Dominion Post, May 12,2016). The suicides all had these things in common:

• teenage girls aged 15
• from the same impoverished suburb of the same city
• ethnic Maori (indigenous people)
• from violent and dysfunctional homes
• difficult or non-existent relationships with a biological parent
• lack of parental control
• high level of responsibility for younger siblings
• alcohol & drug use
• negative & destructive social media communications.

The coroner’s findings mainly blamed the tradgedies on the failure of social services.

I’d call that the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff. We need better parenting, greater individual accountability, a better sharing of wealth, and re-emphasis on good moral behaviour instead of self-centred selfishness.

All of which is easy to say but would require a major societal shift in attitude.

Do we all find the world less than ideal? Then let’s change it by being better people ourselves.