Contentment

The world searches for meaning, for happiness and contentment but comes up lacking time and again. What we once thought was the solution turns out to be fleeting at best and then we are looking for something new to solve the age old problems. It is unfortunate but too many people choose to escape rather than persevere in their search for meaning or contentment. Living here in Korea, suicide is an all too common occurance with a suicide rate in 2009 of 31 per 100,000 people (the OECD average is 11.1 per 100,000 people). Its a very real and pressing problem.

The call-centre for Seoul's emergency services is a windowless bunker, buried alongside the forested slopes of Namsan hill. 

It used to be the home of South Korea's spy agency. Now it is where the city's emergency calls come in: reports of traffic accidents, crimes, and - increasingly - suicides. 

According to the government, more than 40 South Koreans a day are taking their own lives - five times as many as in their parents' day. 

Unsurprisingly, the operators here say calls from people wanting to commit suicide - or witnesses to it - are increasing. 

Giant screens flash details of all the calls coming in to the rows of operators. They sit surrounded by dashboards of coloured lights and communications equipment. There is a constant blur of noise. 

It does not take long before the first suicide call flashes up. 

"There's a person trying to jump off a building," the caller says, "and he has a knife in his hand." 

One of the team, Ki-jong Gwan, says the operators have had no formal training in handling these kinds of calls, but that staff often share tips amongst themselves. 

"I think there's a limit to what we can do," he said. "Some of the calls I remember were from people who'd already decided to take their lives and just wanted to ask that their bodies be taken care of. 

"Others call up seeking advice on the best way to commit suicide. There are some situations where we've intervened and helped stop the person taking their life. But I think there needs to be a more fundamental solution." 

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But the real question is why this is happening at all in a country that is richer, more stable and more influential than at any time in its history? 

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"From the beginning of childhood, the importance of money and achievement are emphasised by their parents, so they feel that unless you are successful in school grades and a good job, good prestigious college, you're not successful, and the parents behave as if 'you're not my child'," Dr Hong said.

A Korean blogger has taken up the issue and tries to explore why its so high in Korea.

Although over a century old, Durkheim's initial insight about the social causes of suicide is still valid for the most part. Durkheim believed that essentially, suicide is a disease of modernity. Durkheim formulated his thoughts by observing France of the late 19th century, which -- along with the rest of Europe -- was witnessing both a spectacular economic growth and an astonishing rise in suicide rate. (In earlier 1840s, France's suicide rate was around 10 suicides per 100,000 people. By mid-1890s, the same rate was around 24 suicides per 100,000 people.) And regardless of the significant diversity among various European states, suicide rate rose in almost all European countries. Moreover, again across most European countries, suicide rate rose more dramatically in the cities while remaining stable in rural areas. 

What is it about economic development that leads to suicide? Durkheim noted these factors: individualism, spirit of free inquiry, diversified economy, freedom of choice and greater wealth. At a first glance, these reasons make sense -- suicide is a highly individual act, and is often a result of a rational calculation. And Durkheim's insight has been proven to be broadly correct. In late-developing countries such as India and China, suicide rate rose like a clockwork, particularly in cities where the economic development was the most vibrant. In case of India, the suicide rate rose from 6.8 to 9.9 per 100,000 between 1985 and 1995. The highest suicide rates appeared Bangalore (30.3), Indore (30.1), Nagpur (22.1), and other cities with the most dynamic industrial revolution. In 2000, Indian people with high school degrees committed suicide at a rate more than twice of illiterate Indians. (19.8 versus 8.4 per 100,000) 

A lot of Durkheim's more specific insights proved to be correct as well. Durkheim believed that the deterioration of the traditional family contributed to suicide. Sure enough, there is a clear negative correlation between the number of children and the rate of suicide. Likewise, there is a fairly clear positive correlation between the rate of divorce and the rate of suicide.

It seems weird that what many point to as being the solutions to life's problems (individualism, the spirit of free inquiry, a diversified economy, freedom of choice, greater wealth and education) tend to increase the suicide rate. Of course as a Christian I'm struck by how this contrasts with what the Apostle Paul has to say in Philippians 4:11-13.

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

The Bible has been telling us for nearly two thousand years that money is not the solution, that self indulgence and narcissism are not the answer, but rather humility and self sacrifice. Luke 9:23-25

Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?

Is it any wonder that when people buy into the materialist mantra of more is better never achieve contentment, and that he who has the most wins leaves everyone feeling like a loser.