Suicide in Jordan

 

 

As The Abdoun Bridge was being constructed, many equated it with giant bridges in the West, such as the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco. It was the country's biggest, the most efficient, connecting parts of the big city that were far apart, and a masterpiece of design that improved the view of the cramped environment. And just like the Golden Gate Bridge, it was where young people went to kill themselves. Recently they found another one, a 27-year old man underneath the bridge. In 2010 they found another guy. Others try. Women too. Suicides also occurred in 2010.

In the 1980s, I remember reading the Guinness World Records books, and Jordan used to be mentioned only once.  It was in the suicide section. We had the lowest rates of suicides in the world with only one reported case in the history. Even as a child then I could tell this was a lie, because I had personally known of two Jordanians who had killed themselves years before: Author Tayseer Al-Sboul in 1973 and my mother's neighbor in Salt who threw herself off the balcony when Abdil Haleem Hafiz unexpectedly died in 1977. We had a problem then that we still have now: we under-report numbers that may indicate that our nation, God forbid, may have problems, especially when it comes to suicide.

Since we like comparing our bridges to the West, let's see what the West does when it comes to suicides. First, they admit they have a major problem with it. They analyze why do people kill themselves. They try to prevent it. For example, they found out that kids being bullied in schools have a much higher risk of committing suicide. They now have fierce anti-bullying campaigns in schools. They found out that military personnel tend to have very high rates as well, so they expanded programs allowing for soldiers to receive psychiatric consultations (maybe a better strategy would be: don't start more wars?). They still have a big problem with it, but at least they acknowledge it.

For every person who kills himself, there are many others who want to but failed or still didn't have the plan or energy to do it, but they will one day.

What can you we do as Jordanians?

First, don't say it's not your problem. There are people around you who are depressed who the thought of suicide came across their minds one day. Start with stressed out Tawjihi students and end up with wrist-slashing unmarried women in their 40s. Rarely ever will someone tell you "I'm depressed". But you'll be a fool not to note it with every conversation you have with them.

Secondly, don't make it a crime to see a psychiatrist or a counselor. If you have never felt too stressed in your life to the point of breaking down, then you haven't done anything challenging in your life. People react differently to stress. Even those who are able to handle it well have learned how to do it after some tough times.

Third, don't tell people it's their fault that they're depressed. Don't blame their parents or their siblings. Plenty of Jordanians suffer from pathological depression and they're not being treated. Being depressed doesn't mean you're less religious or that your family doesn't care about you. Sometimes, people just get "messed up" in the head. They can be very poor or very rich. They can be men or women. They can be the most sophisticated guy you know or a simple-minded person who can't form a single thought in his head.

Jordan is going through tough times, and many people in it have seen a lot of horrendous struggles in the past few years from the Iraq war to the overwhelming Israeli aggression to the mass murders in Syria. Even in Jordan there are more kids being born whose future is unlikely to be bright. We will have more people than ever who will think of life as not being worth living. It's not their fault , but it's your fault if not only you fail to reach out, but also deny their existence.

Picture of the Year: 2011

King Abdullah Just Said This

King Abdullah suggested today, very clearly, that Bashar Al-Assad should step down.

This is huge, unprecedented, and surprising, for two reasons, two very good reasons, in my opinion.

ONE

Correct if I'm wrong, but this is the first time a Jordanian king ever asks for any other leader to step down, let alone be an Arab leader, let lone be it the Syrian leader. Late King Hussein had hoped for many Arab leaders to vanish , in Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Palestine...etc. These were not only posing a threat to the monarchy, but to the stability of Jordan itself. But he never went public, for several reasons, in claiming that these regimes had to go. He supported the Islamic opposition to Hafiz Assad but he didn't claim Assad must go for the better of the Syrian people.

So today, things changed. We have finally asked the leader of a "brotherly" country to step down.

TWO

if you read exactly what his majesty said about Syria,

"If it was me, I would step down and make sure whoever comes behind me has the ability to change the status quo that we're seeing,"

He said, "I would step down if......"

Correct me again if I'm wrong, but I don't think any Jordanian king has ever said "I would step down " for whatever reason. Never. I haven't heard every single speech or read every public letter for all the Jordanian monarchs, but I don't think such language was ever used before.

Certainly Jordan is not like Syria. People are not being killed in the streets and many of the most angry and the dissatisfied Jordanians are not calling for the King to step down. King Hussein faced heavier opposition with crowds screaming in the streets in many Jordanians cities for him to be removed during several rough times in the past, but he had never mentioned that he would step down if something happened.

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Since its independence, King Hussein struggled to prove that he's a true Arab leader who was ready to lead an underdeveloped nation into security and prosperity and prove that it had many good reasonable for existence even when the entire world had many doubts about it. I think that to a great extent he was able to accomplish this. He tried to avoid any kind of confrontation and always took the side of neutrality unless his throne or the the future of the country were be in jeopardy.

The statement from his majesty today, in my opinion, reflects a major shift in our attitude toward the world.
We didn't have to stand against the Syrian regime regardless of how brutal it was. But King Abdullah felt it was necessary for him to be the first Arab leader to make that statement. We all know that Syria has threatened to invade Jordan and in fact did invade Jordan more than any other country besides Israel. For Jordan to take that strong position against Syria, there might be a big a price to pay, but I hope that our moral obligation towards taking the stand is completely worth it.

Ronald Reagan vs. King Hussein

Ronald Reagan was the US president between 1981 to 1989. After the end of his term, in 1994, he announced that he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. However there were some signs suggestive that he had some "concentration issues" , to say the least, while he was still in office. One of these incidents occurred during a meeting with King Hussein.

Richard Viets, the US ambassador to Jordan in 1981, gave an interview reporting a very interesting meeting between the two leaders. Avi Shleim reports:

"On that first visit the Reagans invited the king and Queen Noor to lunch in their private quarters. Viets was also invited. In the middle of this small affair, Reagan suddenly said, "I understand that the Dead Sea is so salty that no fish can survive in it." The comment was not germane to anything that went on before.

Hussein said, "That's correct. No fish can survive there."

Reagan said, "I think we can help you out. We have special fish in California that I think they would love to live in the Dead Sea."

Hussein's eyes went almost into the dome of his head; he could barely believe that this conversation was taking place.

After lunch, Reagan took Viets aside and said he was going to have members of his staff contacted him to arrange the shipment of the fish. The two of them, Reagan said, were going to sort out this problem for Jordan. Viets was embarrassed but the king was characteristically good-humoured. When they met on future occasions, he would often rib Viets by saying, "When are you going to bring the fish?!"

Very Angry Man

Warning before watching this video: Don't watch if you're black, Paraguayan, or a Boca fan.

Basically this man is very upset watching his team, River Plate, getting relegated for the second division in Argentina for the first time in 101 years, yes 101.

You can understands the murders that take place in stadiums over there.

Double Citizenship: The Oath

Here's the Oath of Allegiance to become a US citizen that immigrants repeat on the day they want to become US citizen:

" I hereby renounce under oath all allegiance to any foreign state. My fidelity and allegiance from this day forward is to the United States of America. I pledge to support, honor, and be loyal to the United States, its Constitution, and its laws. Where and if lawfully required, I further commit myself to defend the Constitution and laws of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, either by military, noncombatant, or civilian service. This I do solemnly swear, so help me God"

أقسم أن أنبذ كل الولاء لأية دولة أجنبية.إخلاصي وولائي من هذا اليوم إلى الأمام هو الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية. وأتعهد بأن أدعم وأشرف وأن أكون مخلصا للولايات المتحدة ودستورها وقوانينها. وعند الحاجة تحت الدستور بأن أكرس نفسي للدفاع عن قوانينها ودستورها ضد كل الأعداء ، المحليين والاجانب, سواء عن طريق الخدمة العسكرية أو المدنية, أقسم بذلك فساعدني يا الله

Now Tell me, can you still be an American citizen AND Jordanian? Can you renounce ANY loyalty to Jordan in a serious oath, and then be part of a Jordanian cabinet overlooking the interests of Jordanians?

Can you command Jordanians troops or take control of its budget when you have sworn not to have any relationship with this country?