The unbearable lightness of obligations

A 42-YEAR-OLD PROGRAMMER threw himself out of the window of the 26th floor of an office building of a telecommunications company in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province, last week. Beijing News commented on Monday:

It is said that the man committed suicide after he lost his job. It would not be that easy for a programmer of his age to secure another well-paid job when the industry is laying off employees. And with two children and two pairs of elder parents to care for, the man and his wife had a heavy financial burden.

The man's death has drawn attention to the crisis of the middle-aged in big cities, many of whom are under great pressure from work, life and health, especially in rapidly changing industries such as information technology.