Countdown (27)

There are over 8 billion people in the world. That is a lot of people. Taking up a lot of space. And yet in a crowded world so many of us are lonely, or feel detached.

According to the World Health Organisation in 2024, 720,00 people took their own lives. That is the number of people who were successful. There were many more who failed. To put it into perspective 1 in 100 deaths in 2019 was by suicide.

Suicide is the third biggest killer among 15 – 29 year-olds. That is a lot of youth lost. It is clear that more work needs to be done to provide tools for young people to manage their mental health. Much more also needs to be done to provide assistance when they are in a crisis.

You would think that governments would invest more in organisations that work with young people. They provide them with positive experience and the chance to share and discuss their issues. Yet whenever budget cuts are made, youth programs are often hit hard.

Many of them depend on private donations and fund raising activities. The fact that they manage to get by and do such important work is amazing. When are governments going to realise that investing in today’s youth is absolutely essential?

I believe that suicide awareness, and the stigma around suicide, have been tackled more than when I was a youth. But there is so much more that can be done.

I meet a lot of younger poets at poetry events. Their poetry gives a great perspective on the issues that concern them most.

I believe that more people from my generation should listen to what they have to say. They should have an open mic event at every parliament in the world. It would be an eye opener for many.

Earlier this year I was invited to an event in Antwerp focusing on the mental health of young men. There were a series of workshops discussing topics such as the place of men in modern society. I was the guest performer and performed poems around the theme of mental health.

One of the poems was about how men bottle up their emotions. And the damage that can cause. I decided to keep a very simple format to make sure the message was not lost in verbal intricacy. This is the poem:

And while you are here please consider visiting the MSF website and giving them a donation. It is a charity that I support. I know that any donation is greatly appreciated no matter how small.

Thank you.

This blog is the twenty-seventh in a series of 30 leading up to my sixtieth birthday.  Not every one will be about time travel. Please consider subscribing to my blog to keep up to date with my posts.

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