Suicide By Jumping Tracks (2004-06-18)
The latest report on suicide is out. There were more people committing suicide last year than previous years. Out of over 30,000 people who killed themselves, many were in their 50's, the hardest hit due to a sluggish economy. Suicide is the sixth leading cause of death in Japan.
A common way people choose to end their lives is by jumping off
buildings or train tracks. I don't ride on many JR trains, but
out of the limited times I did, there had been disruption caused by
track jumpers on the Keihintouhoku Line and Saikyo Line. In a
suicide situation, the driver would announce through the PA
system that there was a "Body Accident" and the train would make a
sudden stop at the next station. Every passenger would remain
very quiet and no one would grumble or even pull a long face.
Most people would wait it out till the train resumes operation, a few
would get off and take other trains. The situation is constantly
up-dated, every coupla minutes or so. Passengers would be
informed of the progress of the clean-up and when the train would
restart. It's all done with practiced precision and incredible
speed.
When someone commits suicide by jumping tracks, his/her family has
to pay a fine to the train company for disrupting traffic and causing
inconvenience to fellow passengers. The bigger the disruption,
the heftier the fine. Thus rush hour suicide incurs the steepest
penalty. When I first learned this, I was shocked. Not only
does a family have to cope with grief over a lost loved one, they have
to worry about shelling out money to make amends.
I wish people would think twice before killing themselves.
Suicide does not solve problems, it creates them and burdens grieving
families and friends to clean up the mess and trouble they leave
behind. There are many words I can use to describe people who
commit suicide, "selfish" is without a doubt one of them.
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