Is suicide cowardly, brave, depends or just meh?

[WelderDan]

Let me relate my experience. My dad was a schizophrenic. He was in and out of mental institutions for several years.

He committed suicide by putting a shotgun under his chin. I was 18. From the perspective of my family, it was devastating.

He did not leave a note, and my neighbor is the one that found him. I know he was tormented by his illness. I don't know his state of mind when he did it.

I've given this a lot of thought, and here is my take: He either had a moment of clarity, and decided he didn't want to live like that, or, he was tired of living with mental illness and said screw it.

What bothered me the most was not knowing why.

I can say I would never do that to my family, because I know what it feels like. But I don't judge people that do make that decision. You have to be in a bad place to make that choice. I don't think bravery or cowardice plays into it. It's a state of mind.

 

[White Beard]

My opinion has mutated over the centuries...I agree with Dan: there’s no good, easy place in which you decide you have to pull your own plug. “Dying with dignity” would be different.

Probably hasn’t been a day in the last ten years I haven’t wondered if it was time to go. Like happens sometimes, my friends and family all died within a narrow span of years. I live in marginal circumstances with disagreeable people and literally no means out but for charity in some form. I was well-prepared for retirement, I thought, but the Bush Sub-prime crash brought that to an end. When I lost my home, I stopped being able to sleep. Ten years ago. That got better, but then I started resenting waking up. I spend my days like a tiger pacing my cage. I study. I practice. I work as many hours as I physically can. I save. Ten years. Thank science for sleeping pills...except they wear off.

No, this *isn’t* me being depressed or suicidal. Some significant part of me still believes there’s something worth waking up for ahead, so I go through the motions and get as much out and put as much in, and yadda yadda yadda, and lather, rinse, repeat.

I really hear all the voices of those who have been left behind by suicide. Gotta tell you though, being left behind doesn’t improve from the method. It will kick your ass every time, until you have no ass left. No time of life is “better”, no way is kinder to the survivors, we never “get over” any of it.

We just keep waking up. Until we don’t.

 

[Gypsy Nirvana]

Yeah - its a personal choice - kinda like when a close friend, brother or sister gets married and moves away - leaves you suddenly - alone in this world - so you grieve - as you might when someone decides to take their own life - its your loss - but their choice -

 

[stoned-trout]

I am going with meh.!!!!. The people left behind can end up with issues to deal with .especially the ones who find your body..But some people just want it to end and I can respect that...Yeehaw

 

[White Beard]

It was put to me that there *must* be a way to get over the death of someone important

Well, there is, but it doesn’t sound like one. Let grief take you. Let it soak you and wring you out - it will anyway, but don’t fight it. Cry all the tears, say all the hurtful things, be MAD they left you, howl in the night, mourn for the things you never got around to saying, or doing, miss them until your bones crack. Don’t stifle it. Don’t hide it. Don’t schedule it.

If you let it have its way with you, you may recover, but you’ll never be the same. Too bad. If you try and master grief, you may not recover - but you’ll break anyway.

 

[Capra ibex]

It was put to me that there *must* be a way to get over the death of someone important

Well, there is, but it doesn’t sound like one. Let grief take you. Let it soak you and wring you out - it will anyway, but don’t fight it. Cry all the tears, say all the hurtful things, be MAD they left you, howl in the night, mourn for the things you never got around to saying, or doing, miss them until your bones crack. Don’t stifle it. Don’t hide it. Don’t schedule it.

If you let it have its way with you, you may recover, but you’ll never be the same. Too bad. If you try and master grief, you may not recover - but you’ll break anyway.

My neighbour recently died from cancer, i didn't know her very well we spoke a little every now and then but not a lot.
About 5 or so years ago i was in my back yard and i could hear wailing coming from her house, terrible wailing and i could tell just from how it kept going, then a short pause and then back to wailing that it was something major that had happened.
I thought maybe she lost a very close loved one or bad news about her health but i didn't know her well enough to ask, and i wouldn't really know how to ask anyway.
I saw her in a shopping centre a few months later and she was talking a bit differently and said something about her limited time left, so i just put 2 and 2 together that she was dying.
Every now and then i could hear her in her garden crying and i think her chickens started to mimic her crying.
It was hard to hear her crying while i'm just hanging clothes out or moving the sprinkler and not knowing whether i should do something or not, or if she just wanted to be left in peace.

 

[shithawk420]

This is gonna probably sound dumb but I've been playing this video game lately.its about a guy who has lived a a thousand years.and in his travales he meets thousands of people he meets that are kids and meets them when they are old and die.he helps them die peacefully as he knows there is nothing he can do but keep on living and keep traveling.for he has seen thousands of deaths."cause when people die they simply go away.but if thier soul lives in their memories they live with you forever".it doesn't matter who what or when this is the best we can do.i believe that is the best we can do.so if you care about someone put them in YOUR memories! That's just the best we can do

 

[Hermanthegerman]

Since some days, i am a little bit sad. Before 2 years i lost a life long friend by a car accident. Now i had heard it was suicide. They say, it was clear that he wasn´t going very old and than he killed his self, that Family gets the accident insurence money. If he died by heart attack, the family had get nothing.

 

[chilliwilli]

there was a time i would say it's a persons free choice to do what ever he likes including suizide but that changed a lot after watching "choosing to die" from terry pratchett.
it's a documentary about dignitas in switzerland where people get help with assisted suizide. you see a person drinking the death cup and you know after the next scene he is gone. watching a stranger pass away was emotional very challengin for me.

there are emotional bonds between you and the people around you that make a big impact. could not imagine how i would feel about the suizide of a person i have an emotional bond to.

if someone leaves without a note or a clue it's very selfish but on the other hand how do you talk with your loved ones about the wish to die? and i'm also not sure if someone close to me is suffering and wants help what i would accept to help him.

but are there situations leaving the life early is ok?like terminal painfull disease that will 100% kill u after a short time. i think so but it's also hard to decide.

 

[Weird]

sounds like most of you have had it all too easy this lifetime to have a truly educated opinion on the manner

 

[White Beard]

So, *you’re* here to ‘splain to us what wimps we are, Mister Savage?

“Thank Gawd, a reel man, come to set us straight!!!”

 

[Capra ibex]

sounds like most of you have had it all too easy this lifetime to have a truly educated opinion on the manner

This is a lame perspective.

One thing i have learned in my 40 years is that you never really know the depth of what things other people have been through, unless you know them very well, and even then people will surprise you.

If you have such a profound perspective why don't you share some of it?

 

[Bobby Boucher]

I don't even understand the depth of all that I've been through.

I would bet my bottom dollar that I had an easy life in the grand scheme of things, just on principle. Buut.. I mean.. lol. That's just on principle.

I've noticed that complaining about my pain or comparing it to others isn't worth the breath I waste. Ya'll would think I was sick or straight up lying if I went on to complain about how "hard" my life has been.

It'd just be a cry for attention, anyways.

 

[shithawk420]

If you don't have kids or family to take care of who the fuck has any right to say someone shouldn't kill themselves? Just because someone looks ok on the outside doesn't mean they are ok on the inside.whos to say they won't snap and pull a murder suicide? Happens all the time

 

[ESTERCHASER]

Im a paradox i guess.........i adore life.....i HATE seeing anything living suffering. I wont lie ive gone to jail taking a TERRIFIED dog from a douchebag who was kicking and punching him in a park. My neighbor still owns that dog by gawd! glad i stepped in! Wow am i stoned total ramble right there........moving right along here

ive thought about it in my life............but those times were in "emotional distress" and certainly not what i would consider to be a "good frame of mind" .....In all honesty if i dont come back as an ORCA when i die.....im gonna be seriously pissed and dispointed. saying it now! Everyone is born with their existance once the umbilical cord is cut...its their choice how they wanna drive it!

 

[BadTicket]

"Depends".

Here's a funny suicide story told by Doug Stanhope about his mother:

Farewell, Mother

 

[Weird]

This is a lame perspective.

One thing i have learned in my 40 years is that you never really know the depth of what things other people have been through, unless you know them very well, and even then people will surprise you.

If you have such a profound perspective why don't you share some of it?

Lame is thinking every human experience and condition is equal due to relativity.

Do white people suffer the same from racism in America because of relativity?

Some people suffer mental illnesses such as those with a 10% + suicide rate. Some people have had multiple family members and friends successfully commit suicide. Some people also have the same illness.

Many ignorant stoners have nothing better to do than conceptualize reality as if they are drinking directly from a fountain of reality they nothing of.

Go talk to some survivors both those who tried and those who suffered loss and understand the causation a bit more succinctly. Better yet suffer the illnesses that drive people to such things.

 

[Capra ibex]

Lame is thinking every human experience and condition is equal due to relativity.

Do white people suffer the same from racism in America because of relativity?

Some people suffer mental illnesses such as those with a 10% + suicide rate. Some people have had multiple family members and friends successfully commit suicide. Some people also have the same illness.

Many ignorant stoners have nothing better to do than conceptualize reality as if they are drinking directly from a fountain of reality they nothing of.

Go talk to some survivors both those who tried and those who suffered loss and understand the causation a bit more succinctly. Better yet suffer the illnesses that drive people to such things.

I appreciate that MANY people have mental illnesses.
I HAVE MENTAL ILLNESS.
Maybe you are having a tough time at the moment, i appreciate that too, but you are coming off as pompous, Jedi master.
Not every conversation has to be, or should be a genius-fest of depth and profound.... whatever you are thinking.

 

[Bobby Boucher]

Go talk to some survivors both those who tried and those who suffered loss and understand the causation a bit more succinctly. Better yet suffer the illnesses that drive people to such things.

^^^ I would fit into both of those categories. Sick people aren't required to identify themselves as survivors or wallow in their illness. My opinions on the matter are still just opinions, and hardly worth the breath they're spoken on.

Trying to make sense of something as mysterious as life and death.. GL.

Better off just dancing like the fool.

 

[shithawk420]

No.wierd is right guys.sometimes it's better to end it swift and fast than cause any more problems.people don't bat an eye when it comes to animals like cats or dogs but when it's a person it becomes a whole different subject.we let men become women but it's not ok to end a suffering that can't be cured? The only reason the government don't like suicide is because they want your money till you die.hell they even tax you AFTER you die! It's true