According to The World Health Organization (WHO), more than 700,000 people die by suicide every year, and that accounted for 1.3 per cent of all deaths in 2019. Among the countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), South Korea had the highest suicide rate for the period 2003 to 2019 (24.6 per 100,000 persons). As a matter of fact, suicide is the fifth leading cause of death in South Korea particularly in the younger population aged 10–59 years and the first and second leading cause of death in people aged 10–39 years and aged 40–59 years, respectively. Meanwhile, in Malaysia, 683 suicide cases were reported from January to July 2021, an increase of 143 per cent compared to the same period of the previous year. Suicide has, in fact, become a public health priority, and various factors that may contribute towards it have to be examined.
Often, suicidal thoughts are triggered by the feeling of hopelessness in coping with an overwhelming life situation such as the loss of a loved one, a break up, or a financial or legal problem. In the midst of crisis, one may mistakenly believe that suicide is the only way out. Other factors that may contribute to suicide are like substance abuse, mental disorders and chronic disease. One who is so consumed by suicidal thoughts can not function in daily life, while those left behind after a suicide often have to deal with grief, anger, depression and guilt.
To prevent suicide, suicidal thoughts must be stopped, and that means getting right treatment for the underlying causes. The right treatment can help a person regain confidence and hope, and according to many studies, religious beliefs and involvement in religious practices often lead to less depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts. The officially reported cases of suicide death in Muslim countries is lower than in non-Muslim countries, and this is perhaps due to strong condemnation of suicide in Islam. In fact, Islam unequivocally prohibits suicide, which is considered a grave sin. So, for a true Muslim, suicide will never be considered as a way out from any problem. A true Muslim must not lose hope in Divine Mercy because regardless of his situation, he is certain that life in this temporal world is subject to tests and tribulations, whereas the true life that should be his ultimate aim is the eternal life in the Hereafter.
But belief in God and in the eternal life is completely antithetical to what modern secular worldview is advocating. The only thing that matters to a secular person is this world and life in it. Hence, one can only put hope in this worldly life because there is only this world and this life. If that is true, there is no reason to continue living when one perceives there is no more hope for ever achieving success and happiness in this world, and suicide then becomes a logical option. Hence, the problem of suicide is basically rooted in the person’s worldview, that is, how he perceives his existence and the purpose of his life. If he denies God, the soul and afterlife, his only hope for happiness is the here and now. But, not everybody is fortunate enough to enjoy the life of ease and luxury, whereas others have to endure poverty and great suffering. Such is exactly the reason why some people question and doubt the existence of God.
Nietzsche believes that it is actually suffering that causes hatred towards this world and inspires imagination of a more valuable and desirable world in the Hereafter. Christianity, according to him, arises from the fear of suffering and based on that, it builds its view of morality. This is, to him, a sickness and its cure is to surrender any moral justification of life. To live, according to Nietzsche, thus means to embrace evil and suffering.
Nietzsche, no doubt, was trying to answer the fundamental problem of life and death. In his analysis, he has rejected various answers offered by world religions. Having rejected religion, his only advice to those who want to continue living this “meaningless” and “purposeless” life is to have courage in the face of the chaos of existence. Otherwise, death is the only answer. With such a bleak view of life, no wonder suicide is so common today.