Madam, - John Waters makes a thoughtful and genuine attempt at addressing the dramatic increase in suicide among men (Opinion, September 10th). It is unfortunate, then, that he is reduced to blaming the lack of adherence to magical prescriptions for this tragic sociological phenomenon. It is not the demise of Christianity that is so affecting the mental health of our young men. It is in fact Christianity's bitter death throes that are handicapping the intellectual and emotional development of men.
The values of our Western civilisation have evolved from the pagan Greeks, to Latin then German Christianity, through the Enlightenment and finally to the universal enfranchisement of reason. This evolution happened in spite of the power wielded by dress-wearing magicians. The vile rearguard action being waged by the self-proclaimed wizards can be seen in our education system. One must merely attend our schools to know how and why young men reach adulthood philosophically retarded.
With 95 per cent of national schools run by and espousing a discredited supernaturalism, it is no wonder that men reach adulthood confused about issues varying from the difference between right and wrong all the way up to why they should continue to endure a seemingly meaningless existence. What option can there be to despair when one is offered nonsense instead of reason? How can one attempt to grapple with the transience of life when one has not been equipped with the philosophical tools to find one's own meaning and purpose? How can we express surprise when young men and young women fall into the traps of narcissism and nihilism when they don't even know what they are?
Suicide has to be addressed as a psychological, sociological and philosophical event. In the absence of scientific approaches all we are offering our young men are the ministrations of witch-doctors and medicine men. - Yours, etc,
PAUL BOWLER, The Bridge, Lixnaw, Co Kerry.