Blue Monday

For the first time, I heard that the third Monday of January is considered Blue Monday. All over the world, this is the day when most people feel depressed, sad or even desperate.

I was watching this program on TV. A Chinese business man had survived two suicide attempts, after his companies went out of business. He thought his experience could help other people and he started to give seminars to suicidal peers. His classes were packed and the audience was focused. There were coffins in the auditorium. The attendees were asked to have their "last" picture taken and to write their own eulogy. They changed the clothes they were wearing for graveclothes, before they crawled into their coffin in deep silence. The lids were being put on top and the coffins were nailed down. For some time, they were being left inside their coffins, to reflect over their lives. Meanwhile, their family and friends were gathering in the same room, to attend the fake funeral. The "dead" person could hear the grief and the sorrow of their beloved ones. It made them aware of how fortunate they were to have so many wonderful people around them. Not of one the attendees has made a new suicide attempt since the classes they took. Spooky.. but effective..