During past couple of months, I have heard of several incidents and news about death of individuals in our Iranian – Canadian community that unfortunetly have gone unnoticed. This note intends to raise awareness and explore ways in which we can do more in future to help those who are in pain or those having difficult times.
We should be concerned and be willing to rise above and beyond to discuss why there is silent suffering within our community. We should feel sorry for how we as a community could be doing more, yet at times we are all caught in details and superficialities.
Out of respect for these people, no one should be allowed to disclose their identity or feel sorry for them. Each one of us goes through life differently and individually.
Just two months ago, I heard about the sudden death of a young Iranian woman who lived in Vancouver. Many of us must have passed her by and some of us may have known her. She was in her mid-40’s. She died in silence. She was a single mother, divorced, depressed, unemployed, ill, and in grief for many unknown reasons. She was found dead by her relatives. The autopsy showed that she died of natural reasons. Her heart had just stopped beating – I am sure her heart was broken because of many issues that many of our fellow Iranian women and men are dealing with.
We can only imagine how she have felt or what she experienced in her young life.
Besides this incident, there have been many suicides in our community during past couple of years, including a young mother who jumped from a bridge just last year.
We all hear these stories. Undoubtedly, there are too many of these stories we constantly hear about, things that are happening for our fellow Iranians either here or elsewhere.
This is devastating to witness this much of pain and suffering among our people.
However we can help one another more, at least for those of us living in resourceful countries like Canada.
The most recent suicide was by a male, someone many of us know. Again we are focused on the circumstances that led to these exhibitions of helplessness, hopelessness, and pain.
Suicide is one of the areas we never want to hear about. It is hard to contemplate how someone can get to that point. People who get into this destructive path, they go through a wide range of emotions such as guilt, shame, anxiety, confusion, anger, depression, isolation, pain, and loss.
If we add the couple of shooting incidents in which our young Iranian (mostly male) individuals have been involved, then we can realize that the list goes on and on.
It is important to know that help is available and we can help those who are suffering in silence.
There are enough researches proving how mental health influences our physical, spiritual, and social life.
Challenges in personal, interpersonal, and social relationships do not need to cause us this much of emotional distress. Divorce, parenting problems, domestic abuse, bullying, dating problems, and harassments are only few areas where individuals and families are affected by without seeking proper help.
Depression is a normal reaction to many abnormal situations.
Therefore, we need to promote help and hope.
Reaching out and asking for help should be encouraged more in our community. It is up to all of us to promote hope.
Help is available.
November 30,2009
www.middlepeace.com
