Doesn't everyone have something they fear worse than death?
If living gets too painful, and there's at least a 90% chance that it's never going to get any better, isn't it fine to follow the path of the least resistance?

I can think of several scenarios where I think I'd be better off dead.

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People say suicide shouldn't be allowed because "what about the people who'll grieve when you're dead!" except the death penalty also gives the same result. That man or woman who is executed also had people who loved them, and by killing them, are made sad, if not more because maybe they did deserve it. The idea of someone you love doing something evil enough to warrant death is very hard to deal with.

But back to the point. I think it's the individual's choice. Perhaps it's cold of me to say it, but people will move on. That is how humans are made, and sure it hurts, but it's probably the fault of those people "left behind" that the person committed suicide in the first place. If the suicidal person had proper support and love, or even a person who reached out and noticed the signs/cries of help, then maybe, they wouldn't have gone through it, or failed in the act.

However, sometimes, even with all those proper things in place, people still commit suicide. For me, it's more a contemplation of the purpose of life, the meaning of living, and what might lie after death, or how nothingness might feel.

As it is, I have thought of it seriously through various points of my life, even if I have never done it. Yes, in the early times, I thought suicide was the perfect revenge. Make them feel pain through my death because they cause me pain everyday. However, I did not go through with it (cause cutting just seems so painful, and drawn out). Later on, I thought of suicide in terms of the purpose of my life. How easy, if I were to die, I wouldn't have to live anymore. Except, I was lazy, thought I was just trying to escape and didn't want to lose to myself, and besides, I could die at any time. I didn't think of wishing grief this time around, because it was mostly self-contemplation/an escape.

Anyway, I haven't contemplated suicide ever since. I want to die peacefully, in my sleep, in old age. But I don't condemn anyone who does it. All things live to die. Suicide is just choosing your own TPO. Your choice, your business.

Now, I've glanced through some posts, and I wanted to reply about some topics discussed, mostly because I have to play devil's advocate. Plus, there is nothing wrong with contemplating suicide. Not like you're doing it, just thinking about it. And, I don't think there is anything wrong with the act, but I do think we should help those who are thinking of doing it. Life is short anyways, so if possible, one should try to get some joy out of it. So...

Someone said something about "temporary problem", or "it's not your life", except, it is, and while the problem might be temporary sometimes, the effects are usually forever.

Legally, my life is my own. Yes, my parents aided in my creation, but in the end, I was the sperm cell that reached the egg first, through my own strength. If every time we receive aid we become conjoined to that person, then one isn't just their parents possession, but their teachers, friends, even people you don't know but have invented things that help us through our daily lives. I think such an ideal is naive.

And sure, going through rape, or domestic violence, or verbal abuse might be temporary problems, because the cause of the problems can be removed, but one has to consider the effects they have on the victim. Just saying "you're going to be alright" or "it's going to get better" or whatever words of consolation are used is not going to help the person get better. I mean, aren't you being irresponsible by saying "it's going to get better" when it actually doesn't? Some people do have really crappy lives that stay crappy.

And words are pretty, but useless. These people have nightmares, and they are much more sensitive to how others react to them, especially in the negative sense. It's not even their fault. It's just natural for them to feel this way, which might lead to suicide. Empty words definitely won't help them get over these issues.

So if one really wants to help suicidal people, act. Be positive, and help change their thoughts to positive thoughts. Being optimistic isn't so easy, especially in a world full of greed and self-importance. Don't just point fingers and say it's because suicidal people are weak. Some of these people have gone through things worse than what most people face throughout their entire life. It's the people who point finger who is truly weak and pathetic because that's all they can do.

You want to decrease suicide rates? Go and live a positive life, be a positive influence, and reach out. Don't ostracize or bully, be kind and forgiving, listen and try to understand. Be sympathetic and empathetic.

... so, I think I ended up preaching. xD This is what happens when you have a psychology major and leave out religion, because really, not everyone believes.

I just don't get it, no matter how crappy your life is, you can always change that. Also, for those who think they have no purpose to live for. Well invent that damn purpose, at least you have the God damn freedom of making whatever you want. Now I'm going to sound repetitive but just look at this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcoSgKIDMSw&feature= related
Is your life really that bad, even worse that these two kids and God knows that there are thousands more, that you wan't to kill yourself?

I've thought about suicide numerous times before, but I've never had a serious plan of how I was going to do it. I just get to the point where I'm like, it seems so much easier to just die. But I'm afraid of death, and pain, so I haven't gone through with it.

I've known people who committed suicide but I was never really close to any of them. Like this summer this guy that I went to middle school and high school with, and who dated one of my friends, killed himself. Its sad because he was married and had kids.

I've also had some of my close friends tell me that they've contemplated suicide. Its weird because this was happening around one of the times I was also thinking about suicide. But I would just tell them how they shouldn't do it, and how sad I would be if they were gone, etc. And as I was saying it, I knew my words were basically meaningless. I would be sad if they were gone, but I don't think that's enough justification to argue against suicide. I just said what I thought would be the right thing to say.

As far as my position on suicide, I hate when people talk about how selfish it is. I think it can be more selfish for someone to say, don't commit suicide because I want you around, I would be hurt if you were gone, etc. If you really cared, you wouldn't want your loved one to continue being around if they are miserable just so you can be happy.

I also think its unfair to look at a person's life and say "what do you have to complain about? you have it so much better than other people". I don't think the specific conditions in a person's life are as important as how that person feels. Each person deals with things differently, each person has a different mental state. I just think its unfair to always judge someone.

Last edited by KaoriNite at 12:47 pm, Nov 22 2011

I am pro-euthanasia.
Have realtives who have done it but not really why they did it. In the end iwas their choice and i respect it but there should be more dignified options instead of actions that cause trauma to others (jump infornt of a train, hang yourself in your appartment etc).
I see suicide as a shortcut through life and no i am not religious so i don't belive in heaven or hell or reincarnation or rebirth.

Can't say I've ever seriously contemplated suicide before. As said above to me also it seems like a "shortcut" through life. No matter how bad my life gets I can guarantee there are plenty of others out there whos lives are far worse than my own. I've been through some pretty shitty times, Michigan (where I grew up and just left a little over a year ago) was hit really hard by the economy, lost my house and job etc... It was likely the hardest time of my life so far. I didnt sit around feeling sorry for myself I found a job down here in Florida and moved.

That being said I would not kill myself because my life got hard, or over a girl. There is so much to see and do in this world if something doesnt fit well with you, pack it up and move on.

People's who decided to commit suicide are very stupid.... if it were me. no matter what I'll never do something like that, my life sucks but I'll never do that... I can always change my life but if I die, nothing going to change!

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I Love You

think its something like if you can keep on laughing about life or .. if it just doesnt work anymore. i got friends which got some i would call it pulsing affection with it .. :/ think everybody has his/her own unique "bits" with it. but like i said, think its something like that what i stated: to laugh or not to laugh .. its like some crossroad with two outcomes: one "positive" and one which is hard to leave which will drag you down to dunnowhat, maybe even to suicide. think i managed to switch to the first one in my past, but i know many many others which failed though. the lenght of these roads may vary from person to person, and other crossroads may appear more or less often.

and i must say i can keep on "laughing" at many things that "mr/s my hamsters dead cry cry the world is gona end" propably couldnt. hope you dont take this offensive, but "people who commit suicide are stupid" .. think this states that someone didnt reach his personal abyss, or even got a idea of it.

I get really annoyed when people say stuff like this. They're not stupid. Sure, sometimes people commit suicide because of a hasty decision which is poorly thought through, sometimes the circumstances which led to their decision to commit suicide could change with effort or medical help, but by no means is everyone who decides to commit suicide stupid. I think suicide can be an entirely valid action to take for some people, in some circumstances. Perhaps their reasons seem stupid to you but I think it's disrespectful to make such a huge generalisation. In the end, their life belongs to them and it's their choice what to do with it. Many who commit suicide are mentally ill or suffering a great deal and suicide feels like their only option, or at least the best one. I don't think you can understand that state of mind unless you've been there. And some people put a great deal of thought and consideration into their decision, and they are [reasonably] sane, entirely capable of rational thought, probably quite intelligent, and still choose to die. I don't think you can call that stupid.

I'm pro-euthanasia and even beyond that. I think all reasonably sane adults should have the right to decide the time and method of their death and receive, after a lengthy and thorough, unbiased procedure to ensure the validity of their decision, the means to have a painless death, without being stigmatised or marked as insane or extremely mentally ill just for wanting to die. I admit it would be extremely difficult to implement appropriate checks to ensure the system wouldn't be abused or mistaken or whatever. It will probably never happen but I can see euthanasia (in the case of terminally ill patients) being legalised in more countries in the future and I think that's definitely a good thing.

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世界のどこかに 必ず
キミの居場所が ある筈

Well said. and agree with what you posted.
I feel that today people are kept alive only for the sake of living no matter how ill or in pain they are. When the most humane thing would be to let them go.

Euthanasia --> I'm all for it
Others --> depends on the circumstances, but I wouldn't be so quick to judge those who have committed such an act as being selfish.

I've contemplated such thoughts in the past, but no matter how bad the circumstances, I want to keep on believing that there's hope - that I would find my personal contentment one day. To do so, I have to take the necessary steps and make the changes myself - no amount of sweet talk from others will help unless you're really willing to take charge of your own life and dig yourself out of that hell hole.

I tend to hate it when people pass judgement on those who have committed suicide. There's that old adage: try walking in someone else's shoes, but even then, two people who might've been through the exact same events might still react differently - that's what make us so unique, no two people are the same. Personally, I can be rather sensitive to those who are close to me and if I were to seek help/confide in someone, the worst thing that can happen would be for them to brush my problems off and label it as "not a big deal." Why is there a need to compare who's got it worse? Yes, there's famine going on in third world countries. Yes, there's dire poverty and many other misfortunes in the world. But that doesn't give you the right to belittle others - their feelings were genuine at the time and they must have felt so strongly about the matter that they decided to take such drastic measures and saw no other ways beyond that. (Although I'm only making generalisations here. There are exceptions, of course...)



Ah, same here. I felt like such a cu** for even considering this. (But I've never taken it seriously, because no amount of shit I've been subjected to can justify such an action). In the past, there were times when I loathed a certain individual so much that I toyed with the idea of inflicting as much pain on them as possible - by making them repent for the rest of their lives. I was wallowing in such self-pity back then . I'm just glad I wasn't stupid enough to go through with it. No one deserves to be on the receiving end of that.

never "contemplated" the act of committing suicide, seriously i literally am the glue that's holding my fambam together lol.

Euthanasia? sure, why not let the doctor pull the plug, we do it to the animals we love, why not to humans as well and end their suffering.

Suicide...for revenge/depression, dont really agree with it. Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

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"when i'm sad, i stop being sad and be awesome instead."
- Barney Stinson

Too much self-preservation in me to consider... Have seriously considered homicide though (must be my sadistic tendencies trying to manifest). ツ

As for what I think of people who have tried to do it or have done it, I don't want to be around anyone who could/would off themselves at any time. If they're crazy enough for that, who else might they try and take with them...

Had a neighbor kid put a 12ga. in his mouth, left a nice mess for his parents to clean up. Had a couple of cousins do it, one hung himself and the other slit her wrists. Knew one kid in high school that did, and knew about a couple others. The rest of us are better off without them.

Generally, suicidal people only target their destructive behaviours toward themselves. Being suicidal doesn't equal being homicidal or full of violent rage. For most suicidal people, their mental illness is not like that and the only one they want to kill is themselves. In my experience suicidal people tend towards very depressed and sensitive & they wouldn't hurt a fly.

I mean. sure, sometimes you hear about suicidal people trying/succeeding in killing their close family before they commit suicide themselves, the victims are usually their kids or their spouse, but I think it's fairly rare and you'd have to be very, very mentally ill to do that, very irrational and confused. I'm not saying it's ok for them to do that but often their intent is to "save" the other people they take with them and it probably breaks their heart to do it. It's not like they're violent sadistic & insane murderers. Being suicidal does not equate to insanity

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世界のどこかに 必ず
キミの居場所が ある筈

Did any of the above try and take others with them? If not I don't see what gave you that idea in the first place. I agree with mogiks.