Late on the night of April 25, A Ming committed suicide after having a normal video conversation with his mother.
A Ming worked in Guangdong and had to remain there because of the COVID-19 outbreak. In late April when the lockdown was removed, he returned to his hometown in Hubei, but he stayed in a hotel without telling his Christian parents.
After finishing a facetime chat with him, his parents found nothing unusual nor knew that he had returned to Hubei. After his suicide, his mother realized that it was abnormal that he called them at midnight.
Having lost contact with their son, they called the police, but the local station didn’t record their concern because Ming was no longer a minor.
On April 30, the owner of the hotel found Ming dead in a room. According to surveillance videos, he killed himself in the wee hours of April 26.
Ming’s parents are believers who attend a local church. When Ming was in high school, he wanted to go to church, but his parents refused as they felt it would affect his studies. It is not known whether he became a Christian at some point in time.
“A Ming wasn’t infected with the coronavirus, but he failed to endure the social pressure that came with the virus. In a posthumous letter he said farewell to his family”, said Pastor X from the church.
“This generation lacks faith,” he added.
Pastor X said that his parents told the church the sad news because they could hardly accept the reality—Ming, the only child of his family, left them. Church co-workers visited to give company and comfort.
Working away from home, Ming never shared any difficulty with his parents. However, his last letter implied that he was overwhelmed by severe social barriers, intense social competition, heavy work pressure, and inner emptiness. When facing his parents, he could only force himself to smile.
Teacher L from a Christian psychological center held that in this case, his parents did not understand his heart. Apparently, Ming suffered from psychological problems much earlier, but his parents did not recognize them or completely neglected them.
He said that parents should focus more on their children’s emotions, feelings, their state of mind, and the pressure they may be under. The Christian parent might have been too selfish to bring their son to God. Many Chinese parents care too more about their children’s financial state and study conditions.
Since the tragedy has happened, church pastors will try to give counsel to his parents.
- Translated by Karen Luo
年轻人啊，你的心里藏了多少忧伤？
4月25日深夜，90后的阿明（化名）在与母亲视频聊天后不久，选择了默默地离开这个世界。
阿明一直在广东打工，由于疫情爆发滞留在广东。
4月下旬，他回到湖北老家，找了一间旅馆住下，没有告知父母。
在视频聊天之后，他的父母没有发现任何异样，也仍然不知道他已回湖北。
他的母亲事后才意识到，儿子大半夜打来视频电话，是有些反常。
后来阿明失联，父母报了警，派出所以阿明是成年人为由没有立案。
4月30日，旅馆老板在房间内发现阿明已经死亡，经调看监控录像发现，阿明是26日凌晨自杀的。
阿明的父母是湖北省一个县城教会的信徒。
阿明高中时提出过要去教会，父母当时顾虑会影响阿明学习，就没让他去。
后来阿明有没有通过其他渠道接受信仰，不得而知。
“躲过了新冠病毒，却没有顶住社会的压力，一封遗书告别了亲人……”该教会的X传道为阿明的逝去深感惋惜。
同时，他也感慨“这个世代的人缺少信仰！”
据X传道分享，阿明是这个家庭的独子，他的父母难以接受这个事实，极其痛苦才告诉了教会。
教会同工前去探访，陪伴、安慰他们。
由于疫情的影响，大家无法聚集和见面，教会对一些信徒的情况了解也难免比较被动。
在毫无预兆的情况下，做出结束自己生命的选择，阿明心里到底藏了多少忧伤与绝望？
阿明一直在外地工作，从来没有和父母说过什么难处。
而从他的遗书中看到，严重的社交障碍、激烈的社会竞争、巨大的工作压力、空虚的心灵，这一切都让他难以承受，面对父母也只是强颜欢笑。金灯台社会关怀中心的L老师接触过诸多类似的案例。
他认为，在阿明的自杀案例中，阿明的父母显然不了解阿明的心。
很明显阿明很早就有心理困扰，但是他的父母不懂，也没有认识，完全给忽略掉了。
L老师认为，对父母来说，要多去关注子女的心情、状态、情绪、压力，多关心他们的生命。
悲剧一再发生，父母和子女之间情感交流的缺失已不容忽视。
有信仰的父母，是否又出于私心，没有把子女带到神面前呢？
有多少父母在养育子女的过程中，更多的是关心他们的吃穿问题、学习情况，电话里常常问的是“还有钱花吗？”
常常叮嘱的是“好好学习，以后找个好工作。”
又有多少子女在外工作，对父母从来都是报喜不报忧，一边暗自忧伤，一边说着“都挺好”？
多么希望，在绝望之际，阿明还有另一种选择。
在基督里没有绝望，若他早早接受了信仰，找到了灵魂的依靠，他的生命或许会是另一番样式。
正如广东一位牧师所说，今天是520，一个表达爱意的日子，“请你好好爱自己，不要轻易说放弃。”
“生活有时会叫人透不过气来，但是这世上真的找不到值得活下去的理由吗？
如果有人帮助他们认识神，认识神的爱，学习信靠神，他们在‘那一天’是否会有不一样的选择？”
悲剧已经发生，教会牧者接下来将着重对阿明的父母进行哀伤辅导。
愿阿明的父母得着灵魂深处的安慰，信仰生命也来到水深之处。
Late on the night of April 25, A Ming committed suicide after having a normal video conversation with his mother.
A Ming worked in Guangdong and had to remain there because of the COVID-19 outbreak. In late April when the lockdown was removed, he returned to his hometown in Hubei, but he stayed in a hotel without telling his Christian parents.
After finishing a facetime chat with him, his parents found nothing unusual nor knew that he had returned to Hubei. After his suicide, his mother realized that it was abnormal that he called them at midnight.
Having lost contact with their son, they called the police, but the local station didn’t record their concern because Ming was no longer a minor.
On April 30, the owner of the hotel found Ming dead in a room. According to surveillance videos, he killed himself in the wee hours of April 26.
Ming’s parents are believers who attend a local church. When Ming was in high school, he wanted to go to church, but his parents refused as they felt it would affect his studies. It is not known whether he became a Christian at some point in time.
“A Ming wasn’t infected with the coronavirus, but he failed to endure the social pressure that came with the virus. In a posthumous letter he said farewell to his family”, said Pastor X from the church.
“This generation lacks faith,” he added.
Pastor X said that his parents told the church the sad news because they could hardly accept the reality—Ming, the only child of his family, left them. Church co-workers visited to give company and comfort.
Working away from home, Ming never shared any difficulty with his parents. However, his last letter implied that he was overwhelmed by severe social barriers, intense social competition, heavy work pressure, and inner emptiness. When facing his parents, he could only force himself to smile.
Teacher L from a Christian psychological center held that in this case, his parents did not understand his heart. Apparently, Ming suffered from psychological problems much earlier, but his parents did not recognize them or completely neglected them.
He said that parents should focus more on their children’s emotions, feelings, their state of mind, and the pressure they may be under. The Christian parent might have been too selfish to bring their son to God. Many Chinese parents care too more about their children’s financial state and study conditions.
Since the tragedy has happened, church pastors will try to give counsel to his parents.
- Translated by Karen Luo
Born into Christian Family, Young Millennial Kills Himself
