Society must be more forgiving of failure

I agree with the writer of “Suicide law can have deterrent effect on survivors” (Sept 15) but would like to stress the following points.

Family support is vital to combat the desire to commit suicide; religious and personal beliefs, too, play a significant part in the decision-making process; and society as a whole must be forgiving of failure and not belittle persons.

Singapore is now an unforgiving society, and failure — academic or corporate— is not tolerated; there is little room for marginalised folks to move on. The focus should be on learning from failure and on how we can improve, instead of being reminded that we failed, or of being forgotten and left behind as another statistic.

The Government can only provide a platform to assist, but we must take the bull by the horns, cherish our life and make the best of it.

Understanding the meaning of life and why we are here is key, and not laws that tell us whether we can or cannot attempt suicide. We should not be doing things only because of the law; rather, we should do the right thing even when no one is watching. The supporting infrastructure, from the public and private sectors, must be robust.

Like the writer, I am a suicide survivor, and I am very thankful for the support from family and friends.

There are always telltale signs, and it is important that qualified professionals pick up on these to address the cause of the problem, and not just scratch the surface.