Pet Sounds: A series in which teaching staff and students from the English Department reflect on a piece of music or song. [Read all entries.] [Revisit the “Headspace” series.] [Revisit the “Ongoing” series.] [Revisit the “Interrogative” series.]

Swing’s “The Other Side”
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You know what? Over the past two decades, around 1000 people per year have taken their own life in Hong Kong. When people see news reports about people committing suicide, the commonest reactions are…

• ‘Why?’
• ‘That’s so stupid of him/her!’
• ‘There is always a way out!’
• ‘R.I.P.’
• ‘If you have the courage to kill yourself, why can’t you be courageous enough to face your problems?’

However, the majority of people can never understand that there must be a reason behind a suicide. We do not know the story but we are wilfully making judgments. Of course, there are cases of people killing themselves out of an impetuous thought. However, there are actually many other cases where people really consider dying as a better option than living.

Instead of passing irresponsible and unhelpful judgments, shall we take a step back to think of why our world is so devastating for some of us in society? Are you one of the architects that helps construct this hellish atmosphere?

‘R.I.P.’ means nothing. Let’s think of how we can stop posting R.I.P. on social media.

To all the fellas there, I am sorry for what you had gone through. Really, really sorry.

有些朋友想見面
Some friends say they want to meet
有些承諾講了廿年
Some promises are made and renewed for twenty years
有些遊戲玩到一半 未完
Some games are only half-played, incomplete
也只能那邊見
See you on the other side

原來沒更好的一邊
There is never a better side
行前行後只差一線
Going forward or back is divided by a thin line
時辰來又怎可挑戰 自然
When time is up, you can’t challenge nature
閤眼衝線
Cross the finishing line with your eyes closed

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Lam Man Tsun is a graduate of the Department of English and Department of Education (Class of 2016).  [Click here to read all entries by Tsun.]