Love Life

Are there not enough reasons to live in this world that one would take his own life simply because he’s been ditched by someone he’s supposed to meet?  Certainly, this reality is a very sad thing to happen considering that a lot of people will give up everything just to live longer. Not only that it’s immature and selfish but this act in itself is bothersome and emotionally taxing. And in case the subject is an OFW, what comes afterwards are even difficult to bear and more painstaking to deal with.

Yesterday, a Dubai newspaper bannered a story that occurred year ago about a Filipino who committed suicide by jumping off his apartment building after an eyeball never showed up on the date when they were scheduled to meet. Not sure though of the other details surrounding the incident but I can imagine the lengthy trail of actions and documentations needed just to bring his body back home, from the police investigation down to the many speculations hounding his untimely demise, not to mention of course its bigger casualty, the unending grief and sorrow of the family he has unsuspectingly left behind.

Having gone through a time in my life when I felt the world had turned its back on me, pardon me when I say that this accident and its circumstances isn’t something that I would totally embrace and understand. A couple of years back, I lost my job here in Dubai and for a staggering period of 8 months, I have lived a jobless, homeless, penniless existence. That’s probably one of the most heartbreaking and vexing situation to be in and giving up would have been the easiest option for a faint heart. Quit. But I didn’t. Because I knew then, surrendering wasn’t what I was born to do.  That's why I feel bad when people just simply  give up when faced with problems when the truth is, a lot of other people goes through a much tougher ordeal and yet they continue to fight.

We never know what runs in a mind of people with suicidal tendencies but let’s put this way. If you’re an OFW breadwinning for your family, living a more decent life than the average OFWs, with lots of friends, good looking, one day, you met someone in Facebook, decided to meet up, the other party didn’t show up,  would you kill yourself out of  this unnecessary disappointment? Opinion. It might be too shallow, too reactive. Pathetic. Too much love? What the heck? Then again, we never know what runs in a mind of people with suicidal tendencies. Our opinions, might be totally biased.

In incident like this, the victim’s family is the ultimate casualty. Do you realize how much pain our parents have endured when they let us work abroad so that we can earn better to support their financial needs? Triple that pain and still it will fall short of the hurt and misery bet they will feel knowing their son or relatives vanish to a tragic end. Forget about the remittance, never mind the balikbayan box, a person’s life is worth more than all the riches in the world.  The physical distance makes us miss each other. But we try to absolve the longing by constantly communicating with them either thru call, videochat, emails, Facebook, etc. Try to imagine what their lives would be, missing you forever and not having any chance to see you fulfilling dreams for yourself and them. That would be one hell of coping up.

This tragedy involving the suicide of the OFW is even magnified because it involved a gay setting. And as much as we want to extend the sympathy and acceptance this incident deserved, inevitably, one couldn’t help but think how this kind of relationships can prove to be so superficial and tragic. In this country where homosexuality is loathed and the laws can sometimes be unforgiving, instead of condolences , what’s paid is ugly impression, another black paint sprayed on the clean canvass other OFWs have been trying to represent.

Life in itself is undoubtedly, the greatest gift one can receive, that opportunity to experience the joys and pleasure of having a family and the freedom to do what makes you happy, that chance to learn from your mistakes and pick up yourself when you stumble and fall. There is so much with life than just giving up and calling it end. Frustrations, heartaches, betrayals, sorrows, who else doesn’t feel that? We all do. We just need to open our eyes and see the world in a bigger perspective. Think of your family, you friends, your hobbies, think of the environment, the vast sky and the endless universe. Think of love, hope, charity and faith. Our purpose is limitless. So love life.