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The tragedy of Xiang Dalan's suicide
That day, when the neighbor in charge of delivering medicine to Dalan knocked on her door, there was no answer for a long time. The neighbor felt faintly uneasy, and hurriedly went to find Xiang Dalan's sister, and the two rushed to Xiang Dalan's residence together.
The moment he opened the door, the scene in front of him was chilling - Xiang Dalan was already hanging from his bed, and his body was even beginning to decompose. Xiang Dalan's sister hesitated, clutching the key in her hand tightly, tears slowly flowing down her old face.
She never imagined that her dearest sister would leave this world in such a way.
When Xiang Dalan's children learned the news, although they confessed that they did not spend enough time with their mother, they remained silent about the cause of her death. They don't seem to have much mourning and reflection on the tragedy.
In the eyes of many people, death seems to have become a kind of "belonging" for the elderly. However, when this heinous incident was reported by the media, it sparked a heated discussion among the majority of netizens.
"I can't imagine that my parents were so lonely and helpless. A netizen's emotion shows the true portrayal of many people's hearts. For an old man like Xiang Dalan, the deepest sorrow is nothing more than raising children, hard work, and self-denial, but in the end it has become a lonely island that has been forgotten.
A year ago, someone calculated a shocking statistic – if an elderly parent is 60 years old, by the time they are actually old, we will only spend a short 64 days with them.
These old data have undoubtedly sounded the alarm bell for our treatment of parents again.
Lin Muwen's family tragedy
That day, Lin Muwen returned home with his son Xiaolin and his daughter-in-law. They all had heavy corns in their hands and returned with a full load. This was supposed to be a warm time spent together as a family, but it was broken by a small episode.
I saw that the daughter-in-law directly handed over this heavy responsibility to the elderly Lin Muwen, and let him carry the heavy burden on his back alone. Xiao Lin stood aside, watching his father move forward with difficulty, and his heart couldn't help but hurt, so he couldn't help but say, "Dad, let me help you share some of the burden, so that we can complete the task faster."
However, unexpectedly, his daughter-in-law gave him a cold shower: "Didn't you sprain your waist a few days ago, how can you carry it again?" At this moment, Xiao Lin's face was full of confusion, and he couldn't understand when he sprained his waist, it turned out that the seemingly gentle and virtuous wife was so ruthless, and she simply wanted to use this to embarrass Lin Muwen.
At this moment, the village residents passing by couldn't see it, and they immediately decided to lend a hand and took the initiative to help Lin Muwen onto the tricycle, hoping to reduce his burden.
However, Xiao Lin was silent on the side, as if this matter had nothing to do with him.
What's even more shocking is that every time the grain harvest season, all the work falls on Lin Muwen alone, while his son and daughter-in-law turn a blind eye to this and never lend a helping hand.
On the contrary, after receiving the grain, Lin Muwen's daughter-in-law actually pocketed the cash directly, and did not even leave a penny to Lin Muwen.
Once, Lin Muwen reasoned with her daughter-in-law about this matter, but she actually spoke fiercely, and even did something to Lin Muwen, without considering the safety of this old man.
In the face of his daughter-in-law's various dissatisfaction and blame, Lin Muwen still chose to forbear and tried his best to avoid the expansion of the matter, because he was worried that it might affect his son's career and the future of their family.
In the end, Lin Muwen silently couldn't bear the pressure of life, and with deep regret and unwillingness, he chose to end his life with his own hands.
His son Xiaolin sat beside him indifferently, without justifying his father or admonishing his wife. Seeing his son's indifferent attitude, Lin Muwen's heart instantly fell into endless disappointment.
Investigation of suicide among the elderly in rural areas
In 2008, Liu Yanwu, a professor at Wuhan University, was conducting an in-depth study.
Shockingly, Professor Liu Yanwu was surprised by the answer to him: "Over the years, even the 'normal' death of the elderly has become so rare.
After an in-depth analysis, Liu Yanwu commented that he believes that the severity of the phenomenon of unnatural deaths among the elderly in the vast rural areas of the mainland is enough to be called "extremely serious".
In the course of her research, Liu Yanwu personally witnessed countless family tragedies. These heinous incidents undoubtedly reveal the deep reasons why the elderly in rural areas choose "unnatural death".
According to Liu Yanwu, there are two main reasons why many elderly people make such a choice: first, they are unwilling to add too much burden to their children; The second is that he is afraid that he will become a lonely old man who is helpless.
Lin Muwen is a typical example. His greatest wish is not to cause any trouble to his children. But when the reality is not so good, what kind of pain and despair does he endure in his heart when facing the indifference and incomprehension of his children.
Xiang Dalan's experience is even more bleak. She raised three children on her own, and after the children started their own families, her life fell into unprecedented loneliness. Even though the children wanted to take Xiang Dalan into the city, she still felt out of place in the hustle and bustle of the city, and finally chose to return to her hometown alone.
However, after returning to the familiar environment, Xiang Dalan found that he was still lonely and helpless, and even the messages and hugs of his relatives became out of reach. During the long period of loneliness, she gradually felt hopeless, until she finally chose to commit suicide.
These shocking cases have undoubtedly sounded the alarm once again about how we treat our parents.
The underlying causes of suicide among the elderly in rural areas
Through an in-depth analysis of these cases, it is not difficult for us to find out what is the root cause of the "unnatural death" chosen by the elderly in rural areas.
First of all, they are not born with suicidal tendencies, but gradually lose their yearning for life due to long-term family pressure and life difficulties. As Lin Muwen said, the reason why he chose to self-destruct was to reduce the burden on his son.
In the face of their children's indifference and incomprehension, their hearts are undoubtedly full of disappointment and despair. Lin Muwen's son was obviously able to lend a hand, but he always turned a blind eye.
The same is true for Xiang Dalan's children, who are too busy with work to pay attention to their mother's situation.
Such an encounter undoubtedly made these old people feel lonely and helpless like never before. Not only do they fear that their lives will be a burden to their children, but they also fear that they will end up being lonely and helpless.
For these elderly people, illness and the end of life are undoubtedly the greatest fears.
As mentioned in the article, Professor Liu Yanwu found in the survey that many elderly people choose to commit suicide because of this extreme fear and helplessness. They would rather end themselves than bring more troubles and troubles to their children.
Lin Muwen's situation is not much better. He chose to prepare everything alone before he died, including offering the underworld coin, which undoubtedly reflected the loneliness and despair in his heart.
This old man, who used to be a father, had nothing else to worry about in his last days except for making a wish to solve the affairs of the underworld.
Social concern and reflection
When this shocking incident was disclosed by the media, the majority of netizens spoke out, feeling angry and saddened by what happened to these old people.
"I can't imagine that my parents were so lonely and helpless. A netizen's emotion shows the true portrayal of many people's hearts.
In the eyes of many people, death seems to have become a kind of "belonging" for the elderly. However, when we feel the tragic plight of these old people, we can't help but feel angry and guilty about the indifference and disregard of society.
What is it that alienates us from our parents' lives, and what makes us lose sight of their deepest desires?
The data tells us that if an elderly parent is 60 years old, by the time they are really old, we will only spend a short 64 days with them.
This shocking fact has undoubtedly sounded the alarm bell for us to treat our parents once again.
We must face up to this problem and reflect on where we have lost the love and attention we deserve for them. Everyone should reflect on themselves and see if they have ever been indifferent to their parents and neglected their deepest needs.
We should be more aware that the suicide of these elderly people is not only a personal tragedy, but also a microcosm of the whole society. We must face up to this problem and call on all sectors of society to pay attention to and attach importance to the living conditions of the elderly group, and strive to solve the various difficulties they face.
Only in this way will we be able to avoid more tragedies like this as much as possible. Let's work together to build a warmer and more caring society for the elderly.