Hannes Jung (University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hannover)
How is life?
Midges in the air on a lake near Kupiskus. Vilma, a woman who is living there lost her husbind 5 years ago through suicide. She wrote: "After five-year-long grief, I have an interest in life again. I discovered a new feeling in myself – I am interested. I am interested in going to a theater or opera, canoeing and taking part in Rotary club activities, even watching the sunset, again. This is my story."
Story: How is life?
Midges
Midges in the air on a lake near Kupiskus. Vilma, a woman who is living there lost her husbind 5 years ago through suicide. She wrote: "After five-year-long grief, I have an interest in life again. I discovered a new feeling in myself – I am interested. I am interested in going to a theater or opera, canoeing and taking part in Rotary club activities, even watching the sunset, again. This is my story."
Story: How is life?
Edita
Edita sits with her husband Darius in their living room. Editas father commited suicide January 2016. She wrote:"I’m sitting exactly where I sat when I got your text and found out that you had killed yourself. This is the place where I sat, trembling and praying that this weren’t true.I am sorry for not being an ideal daughter. I WANT you to know that I love you. I miss you dearly. Sometimes I still call your number and wait for your call on Sundays. Sometimes I curl into a ball and cry in my bed, because I miss you so much. Why did you tell me that you’ll always stand by me? When you are gone, who should I go to?I remember you as I ride my bike – you gave me the freedom to ride it =) THANK YOU. I am happy, but I miss you so much. I no longer have a dad, and I’m angry at you. You left me. I love you and dream of you often. You are my daddy. Farewell. I love you."
Story: How is life?
Katiliškiai
A well in the garde of D. D's husbind tried to commit suicide in the well. She wrote: "When I saw my husband descending into the well, I got very scared, but I no longer remember what I thought.As I asked him to get out of there, he told me he could no longer do it.With the help of my mother and daughter we pulled him up."
Story: How is life?
Youthline
Volunteers of the helpline "youthline" at their desks. The youthline provides round the clock emotional support by phone and e-mail. Antanas, a volunteer wrote: "While working for the Youth Line, I keep meditating over the phenomenon of human free will.To what extent is suicide an impulsive, mechanical reaction to suffering, and to what extent is it a person’s choice to give up?Would all people, faced with immense suffering, choose suicide?I don’t know… But I increasingly want to respect the person’s choice, whatever it may be.To stand by them and to respect them."
Story: How is life?
Drunken
A policeman arrests a man next to a parking place of a supermarket. The man was drunken and beat up other teeanagers. Violence against other and violence against himself is often related.
Story: How is life?
Donata
Portrait of Donata with her dog Mikutis in bed. Donata has suffered from depression 18 years ago, during and after the divorce from her then-husband. Her dog has been helpful to her to leave the bed every morning in order to go for walks with him. Donata wrote: "I thank Mikutis for bringing life back to me, and for the immense love he gave us. For sixteen years, we all shared daily life and festive moments, we grew, we lived, we learned. Mikutis is now in the hunting grounds of eternity, and we carry on living. My daughter studies at a university, I work and have her back, as the dog used to have our back at a certain point in time. It never asked questions, it never said anything, it never judged, only cuddled up to me and warmed me until all ‘ice’ melted." (Her dog died in April 2016, I took the picture January 2016 and asked her for the text May 2016).
Story: How is life?
Local shop
A shelf with alcohol bottles in a small shop in Varena, the district with the highest suicide rate in Lithuania. According to the WHO, Lithuania is one of the countries with the highest levels of alcohol consumption in the world.
Story: How is life?
Racing
A ralleycar drives at a selfmade training race course in Varena, the district with the highest suicide rate in Lithuania. Gintautas, the founder of the local car/youthclub wrote: "My favorite colors are black and white, so I dive head down, passionately, into all activities I engage in.
I strive to help children under my guidance to learn to recognize and be guided by the roadsigns of life as soon as possible."
Story: How is life?
Priest Justinas
Priest Justinas gives a sacramental bread to women at the end of a service. His predecessor as a priest in Varena commited suicide six years ago. Priest Justinas wrote: " In early 2010, the parish priest of VarÄ—na decided to end his own life. It was hard to believe the news, as I personally knew the priest. I attended his funeral and then returned to continue my work. Totally unexpectedly, I was ordered to take over his parish. I noticed after settling here that parishioners were having an equally hard time dealing with this news. I began to inquire what happened and found obvious signs of past disease. Unfortunately, it was too late to change anything. This incident encouraged me not only to pray for the dead more, but also to be more alert and attentive in communicating with people."
Story: How is life?
Living room
A wallpaper with a beautiful landscape in the livingroom of a farmers family. In Lithuania, more people commit suicide on the countryside.
Story: How is life?
Teresa
Portrait of Teresa dancing in her kitchen. Teresas husband commited suicide 19 yeas ago. Teresa wrote: "When I’m sad, I sing, play and listen to music, I relax with a good mood, I dance, I love jokes.
I try to smile at all times."
Story: How is life?
Audience
The audience during a concert of the lithuanian rockstar Andrius Mamontovas at Litexpo. Mamontovas tries to raise awareness for social problems. Andrius wrote: "In 1992-1994 I worked for a radio program called Voices of the Night at M-1 radio. As the program’s host, I used to work there several times a week. The idea was simple – people would call my work phone and I would just put them live. They could say whatever they wanted.Once a young guy called me and said that after talking to me live he was going to kill himself. The only thing I knew was that one must speak to a suicidal person as long as possible. This way the person may pass that critical limit when he is ready to harm himself. I talked to him more than an hour. After that he suddenly hung up. I didn’t know how it all ended, but while talking to him live, I asked various things just to extend this conversation as long as possible.A few weeks later he called me and thanked me for our conversation. He said it had helped him. It was exactly that case when I clearly understood how powerful a simple conversation can be. Recently I got a message from him: “Do you remember how we talked on the phone 20 years ago? Well, I’m still alive.â€"