I QUIT:Indian teens succumbing to pressure to grasp up in the rat race.

8/3/2019 I QUIT:Indian teens succumbing to pressure to grasp up in the rat race.

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I QUIT....Indian teens succumbing to pressure to grasp up

in the rat race.Shah Muneeb Raza

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Suicides, the fourth leading cause of death globally in 15 to 18 age

group, is a major problem worldwide which has seen an increasing

inclination in India in the recent past, leading to enormous socio-

economic loss due to the death of the young population. The wastage

of young lives is in fact an indication to us, of the world we have

created for ourselves. Indian teens, presumed to be the future torch

bearers of the country, have imbibed a lot of alien downbeat things

from western world besides clothes like drug abuse, substance abuse,

pre-martial relations, suicides etc. The teenagers of this millennium are

growing up in a vibrant world with innumerable options before them in

careers, leisure and lifestyle, but sometimes such glut of choices

generate a lot of confusion and conflict in their lives forcing them to

take the ugly course of life towards doom on their own accord. The

recent rise in teenage suicides has moved ahead of being just a few

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erratic cases into an alarming disturbing trend, which needs to be

curbed quickly so that it doesnt transform the country into suicide

teens graveyard.

Though adolescence is the time of great prospects, it can be a period of

great bewilderment and fretfulness as there are several reasons

attributed for such negative actions by teens which range from

biological-mental disorders, to environmental and socio-cultural

problems- a drifter, difficulty in school, death of a family member and

lack of social support. Strong parental pressure to perform

extraordinarily well, as parents discuss only career issues with their

wards, is one of the prime reasons coercing teens to take up that final

fatal step, as adolescents whose parents do not understand what they

are going through are the most vulnerable lot. The helicopter parents,

who hover overhead rarely out of reach, expect their child to be 100%

in 100 fields, compelling them to revolve their life around a seemingly

endless cycle of extra classes-English, science, maths, history,

geography, guitar, football, swimming, dance, chess and even reality

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shows, unlike 1% in 100 fields since it has a deep alliance with their

social image. Parents need to realize that if their children are cars they

can run at a bullet speed on road but in no case can fly; unfortunately

what they actually expect them to do- as somewhere along the line the

parents' transfer their own unachieved goals on to the child. There are

numerous lessons to be drawn by parents from Amir Khan starring

films like, Taree Zameen Par and 3 Idiots as they communicated

several messages to parents in augmenting that kids should be allowed

to follow their hearts and be self-educated rather than self-trained.

The young generation is fearless and bold but fierce competition and

peer pressure still manages to rupture the strongest teenage souls.

Exam time too heightens the pressures when friends in groups

continuously compare marks and discuss the extent of revisions done.

Infatuation seems to be another causative factor, as teenagers have to

cope up with the new trend of having a special friend from the opposite

sex, endowing additional pressure to kids who do not have a steady

partner, and if turned down or rejected students opt toslit their wristas

to them its not about being dead but a way of ending pain and solving

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a problem. The pressure to fit in socially, to act responsibly, growing

self-identity and need for self independence often clashes with the rules

and expectations set by others too have dangerous insinuation. The

other crushing burden, to which teens are obliged to bow, is that there

exist certain schools where the drive to secure excellent records results

in teachers themselves intentionally or unintentionally putting a lot of

pressure on youngsters even taking the form of intimidation and

threats. Teachers as an outcome fail to deal with students on an

individual basis and students who spend a large part of their time in

schools require appropriate feedback from their teachers as it is

imperative to build their self-esteem. Corporal punishment, insults and

humiliations by teachers in front of their mates proves to be detrimental

whereas a positive feedback raises the self-esteem of the student. As

the children are unripe, suicide of a schoolmate or friend receiving

media coverage can encourage suicidal impulses as imitation through

exposure makes adolescents more vulnerable to suicide.

Teens on the other hand cant shun away from the responsibility, they

have to contribute to, and choose an anti-religion way of bidding adieu

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to this vicious competitive world,Islam for instanceviews suicide as

one of the greatest sins and utterly detrimental to one's spiritual

journey.The prohibition of suicide has also been recorded in authentic

statements of Hadith. For example "He who commits suicide by

throttling shall keep on throttling himself in the Fire (Hell), and he who

commits suicide by stabbing himself, he shall keep stabbing himself in

the Fire (Hell)."Teenagers have to acquaint themselves with the fact

that they are not matured enough to solve their crises, instead they pave

a way for letting themselves caught up in terrible predicament if they

endeavour to solve their problem on their own and henceforth should

approach their parents as they are their best well wishers. The teens

need to fight out to the ugly situation rather than succumbing to it as he

conquers who endures. The adolescents have no right to take their

parents legitimate expectations for a ride and do whatever they wish to.

This extravagance of hundreds of teenage lives out of terror and fret

can only be most effectively tackled inside the home. Parents, school

personnel and peers can recognise the warning signs and take

immediate action to keep the child safe and for this to be achieved,

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadithhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadith


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parents need to be in constant touch with school authorities. The

parents should desist from continuous scolding of their children and

superfluous reminders to study as half of the children get irked by this

unwarranted behaviour. On seeing the signs, parents should remain

calm, ask the child directly about what he/she is thinking, listen and not

accuse them, show concern and assure them of help, not judge and

provide constant supervision. The parents should discuss specific

experiences-exam tension, institution and experiences within this

institution-friendship with their kins. If child seems constantly

depressed, angry, or withdrawn, parents need to pay attention and

encourage communication. Parents should approach doctors and

counsellors for falling grades of their children and signs of stress,

depression and anxiety, if any. These healthier ways of approaching

kids can circumvent their looming future crises and save a precious and

functional person, as he may be hiding in himself a future patriot, artist,

painter, doctor, engineer, journalist, social engineer, sportsperson,

academician or even a president.

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Concluding, if you want your child to walk the ramp perfectly you

need to walk besides him rather than directing him to walk perfectly.

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1 Student, B.A.LL.B. (Hons.) II, Faculty of Law, AMU- Aligarh.202002 [email protected]

I QUIT:Indian teens succumbing to pressure to grasp up in the rat race.

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