Using Philoosophy to combat suicide

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/tabloid/all-rounders/using-philosophy-combat-suicide-057#.TtN8CR9o57x.facebook Using philosophy to combat suicide June 8, 2011 By Cris Seetha K.C. Eldho may look like a typical lawyer engrossed in his work, sitting at his office in Ernakulam. But for years, he has been concerned about a disturbing subject — suicide. And Kerala’s alarming suicide rates have only worsened his worries. He pondered over one question — why? On one of those unhappy days when his work didn’t let him contribute more to this concern, Eldho came across a newspaper ad calling for volunteers to work with Mythri, the local wing of ‘Samaritans’, an international suicide prevention group. There he learnt the concept of ‘befriending’. He says: “I realised that most often, suicides are well-designed, planned and executed, not spur-of-the-moment actions. They may have their own justifiable reasons, and not have anyone they could speak to.” The Mythri volunteers devoted themselves to listening to the problems of depressed souls on the verge of suicide. The callers needn’t give any personal details, they can directly plunge into their worries. Eldho talked to scores of people, helping them unburden their fears and tensions. Even as he derived satisfaction in helping in a small way, Eldho continued to read and research on suicide. Soon after the September 11 attacks of 2001, his thoughts focussed on suicide terrorists. “They are all well educated people. So why are they doing it? They gain nothing out of it because they die. They are also financially sound, so it is not for money or for their families. I formed a hypothesis based on a theory by Gideon Rosen, professor of philosophy — that cases of action out of ignorance are not blameworthy, there is a possibility of blameless ignorance. I expanded the theory to include suicide terrorists. If you are not culpable for an act out of ignorance and your ignorance is not culpable, then your action is not culpable.” Eldho brings in various examples to explain his theory. “Sathi, at the time it was practiced, was considered right by everyone. It is only later we realised it is wrong. So then can we blame those who urged a widow to commit suicide, thinking it was the right thing to do?” Applying the theory to suicide terrorists, he says: “Indoctrination and brainwash are used on the victims for religious reasons (Jihad), cause of the land (LTTE) and so on.” He went on to apply to the Manchester University to put his hypothesis to test, and in a year, completed his Master of Research course (equivalent to M Phil). Coming back, he put his thoughts and theories in a book, Are Suicide Terrorists Culpable, which was released recently in Ernakulam. The book includes his thesis paper at the Manchester verbatim and also ‘the way forward’ — philosophy as a compulsory subject in the educational curriculum to prevent suicide terrorism.