IT was only last month that a young man in his 30s took his own life. The man in question, the second son of the famous and widely loved religious scholar Maulana Tariq Jamil was a struggling Asim Jamil (May Allah bless his soul)
Asim Jamil’s sad and untimely death made the rounds because of his famous father. His death, however, serves a bigger purpose and that happens to be the scope of this article. To some, perhaps the above may sound a bit harsh and insensitive as what good could anyone’s passing bring to the world? For the sake of not being misunderstood, I clarify that I do not intend to say anything but that there are lessons to be learned from the death of yet another valuable soul lost to this world. A world where human beings have understood so much but so little about each other and themselves.
The death of Asim Jamil and an estimated 132 suicides on a daily basis globally serve as a stark reminder of struggle and silence. Focusing on the former first i.e. struggle, a good point of departure would perhaps be the understanding of what depression really is. It is no secret that all human beings feel low from time to time for a plethora of reasons. It should also be no secret that sometimes you just feel sad and that’s all there is to it, no reason attached. But in most cases, the feeling passes and a return of normalcy is experienced. However, a prolonged progressive feeling of sadness, emptiness, or a general low is where the feeling is not just a momentary feeling but more of what is often referred to as a depressive disorder requiring professional intervention and assistance.
In simpler words for those that still find it difficult to wrap their head around the concept, mental health is just like physical wellbeing. To put it even more simply, a momentary feeling of low is like having a common cold which generally stays for a few odd days and then passes. However, sometimes this cold lingers and turns into a respiratory tract infection requiring antimicrobial treatment. Sometimes, if left untreated, it holds the potential to even turn into life-threatening pneumonia, as did Asim Jamil’s chronic depression by the end of his life.
Now onto silence. While I still struggle to understand depression to its fullest extent and thereby do not claim to have an overarching understanding of the subject, hence this rather simple article, I, with my limited knowledge do feel like many are still unaware or semi-aware (like myself). There seems to be a general lack of understanding about mental disorders, including depression, even among those who happen to have a fair grasp on things otherwise. One prime example is that of an otherwise educated, senior, and popular media anchor who very callously in his vlog described depression as a special kind of madness and a contagious condition. It is this mindset, this ignorance, and this blatant disregard that causes people suffering from mental illnesses to be stigmatized, mocked, and mistreated. It is this that forces patients to move on with dear life with a smile of normality on their faces till it gets too much to handle.
Last but very importantly, Asim Jamil’s death despite being born and raised in a religious household debugs the narrative that the sole cause of depression is your fragile relationship with Allah SWT. While this is not to say that prayer and fulfilling religious duties dont bring an abundance of inner peace, it is also not to say that that alone is the sole determinant of being depressed or not!
—The writer is Assistant Editor, daily Pakistan Observer, Islamabad.
Email: [email protected]
views expressed are writer’s own.
