Semicolon – A Symbol for Hope

We are the writer of our own story. As a writer, we use different punctuation marks in creating sentences. A Semicolon is used when you want to have a pause in your sentence, but not to fully stop it. This punctuation mark is now being used as a symbol to spread awareness and advocacy regarding suicides.

Some people already ended their lives; some are still in the middle of suicidal thoughts. A Psychology graduate from Centro Escolar University, Carla Santiago, defined the reasons of this phenomenon: “Suicide is the outlet of people with different kinds of problems. For people with personal problems, most of them are introverts [sic]. At times, suicide is their escape for the problems they are encountering. For those people with mental problems, they usually have episodes of hallucination or hearing/seeing something bizarre.”

The movement against suicide was established by Project Semicolon, a non-profit mental health organization. Their mission was posted in their own website-Projectsemicolon; and it is to prevent and reduce suicides. They are spreading the meaning of semicolon through tattoos and changing the profile pictures in Social Media with semicolon filter.

Project Semicolon was founded by Amy Bleuel in 2013. Amy also fought to conquer mental health challenges in her life as she wrote her short bio at the website of Project Semicolon. Her early life was traumatically painful, for she experienced physical and emotional abuse when she was six. She also faced sexual assault at 13 and at the age of 18, her father died due to suicide. Amy started this project to honour her father. However, after building this project, she also ended her own life due to depression. Therefore, the project Semicolon spreads widely even up to these days.

In the Philippines, this project is also quite present. Two persons explained their reasons why they engaged in this project through changing their profile picture on Facebook with semicolon filter: Angelica Satparam, a Psychology graduate at Lyceum College of Alabang and Bart Mendoza, a Communication and Social Science Professor at Malayan Colleges Laguna.

“Kasi I have been there too, sobrang depressed ako. As a Psych graduate, minotivate ko yung sarili ko to go on. Laban lang kahit mahirap na.” –Angelica Satparam

“I joined the campaign, because this is one of my advocacies. I want those people who are struggling in this issue to feel that there are people who understand what they feel.” - Bart Mendoza

Shirlyn Tan, a guidance counselor of St. Paul Montessori School, on the other hand, explained why people are engaging in this movement. As Ms. Tan said, “One of the reasons why these people engage in this campaign is to give sympathy to other people… They let people feel that there are still someone who is at their side.”

With these answers, we can see that semicolon symbol is about two stories; the victim and the encourager. There are people who participated in this campaign to spread awareness and to say hopeful words to others. On other angle, there are some people who join because it is their story; because they have been there too.

Trying to help and spread about certain issue can be done in a very simple way. We see our friends changing their profile pictures, tweeting their emotions and typing status about suicide thoughts. Encouraging words and warm care can change perspectives and somehow can save lives.

It is a very brilliant idea to start a campaign in a very simple punctuation mark. It is very powerful and perhaps can change everything. In our reality, we cannot avoid the negativities in our lives- they will always come. This symbol reminds us that we can do something for a person who is silently crying for a help. As this semicolon says, always tell yourself and others that you can take a break in your journey and never stop writing the next sentence of your life. Do not stumble, just keep going on. Great chapters are waiting for you. See it and write it, the pen is yours.