48 Villanueva, Kaye Cee M.

May 05, 2019

BSAc-1
1615 CFE 102 8:00-9:30 TTH D507 Mr, Joey Soliman Jr.

Human rights is one of the moral issues that the world is facing right now. The article enttled,
“Death is our life” by Kathy Fairfax, explains that in the ancient times, suicide was rare among
Aboriginal people but in the year 1990’s the statistics began with 5% until it rose up to 50% in
2010. This appalling statistics have prompted the National Aboriginal Community Controlled
Health Care Community to call on the federal government to launch a royal commission into
why so many Aboriginal people, particularly young people are committing suicide.

As the issue magnifies the scenario. The chairperson named Mathew Cooke stated that suicide
accounted of one in every 10 Aboriginal deaths is a national disgrace. In any other country this
would cause of national shame and soul-searching. Also he added that the failure of full royal
commission have drove the people to the levels of despair, that committing suicide is the only
answer. Cooke derives that in order to reverse the situation, the royal commisiion must be
examined. In the mourning and sadness of the young people who lost their lives, a South
Australian elder, Tauto Sansbury described that ‘Death is our life’.

Fairfax points of evidence led to deeper visualization of why people commit suicide, the single
biggest killer of Aboriginal Australians. The number of victims are rapidly increased by the youth
which is becoming a normalisation in the community. According to the statistics conducted, the
suicide is the second leading cause of death to the children aged from 14 years and below due
to the non-Aboriginal peers. From the aged 15-35 years old, 30% of this crime act is due to
suicide. Some factors that were stated by the author of people who commit suicide are extreme
poverty, ongoing racism, abuse of alcohol and drugs and living conditions not only these but
there are other reasons behind this tragedy like low/poor level of education , few jobs, welfare
dependency, poor public housing, overcrowded homes and lack of support services.

The author was indeed successful in proving the statements and facts regarding the suicide
matter happening in Australia. The discussions presented the facts that assure the audience
wide range of curiosity. From the very beginning, the statistics and reports of how suicide
became viral for Aboriginal Australians especially the statement from the elder and the
chairperson.

The article for me is an eye opener for all of us especially for us, the students. Before I enter my
college life, there were a lot of news, rumors and sometimes they just create stories for the
people to become aware of what might happen. An example of this is the suicide act of a
freshmen/graduating student due to many factors and my parents and relatives didn’t lack of
some advice to help me cope up with the new environment when I moved here in Baguio. This
also provokes my kind hearted soul which creates a pain within me, putting myself into
someone’s shoes who have lost their loved ones. It was not only a disaster but a thousands of
hurricane that would greatly destroy all of the dreams and happiness of the grieving family.

Another part was the title itself, that death is our life, that was treated as a normalization, this
statement made me to built an anger inside why do people just treat something like a trash and
non sense. Death is not merely our life, in this case we have just proven that we are all waiting
for our death to arrive like we doesn’t have to strive anymore for the good of our lives.

It is connected with the context of my life, I do believe that death is not yet the end.