For years, it was accepted that the little creature known as the lemming harbored some sort of unfathomable propensity for irrational self-destruction. Legend held that every few years, vast numbers of these plump, mouselike denizens of northern climes would mindlessly set out on a one-way journey to Lemming's Leap, whence they would cast themselves from clifftops into the sea. Most don't even get to enjoy their short-term seaside vacation. They die of starvation on the way, or eaten by other animals. One was thirteen, the other eleven.
Evidence suggests that economic difficulties spur an increase in suicidal behavior.
This is understandable, as we are conditioned to view the Price System as the supplier of all our wants and needs. But this is too easy, too simple. This was a highly promising youth, a consistent achiever, a model of self-motivation. Yet underlying it all was a sense of futility. His parents would remember that, in spite of his achievements, he would constantly point out the stupidity of it all, the falseness.