Bigthink - Idea Comments Feed

Comment on: Re: is suicide a final act of bravery or cowardice?

Bigthink — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 02:38:18 +0100

The truth is we dont know what happens when we die and the living never will. Suicide was once considered the ultimate sacrifice for love and honor. The only true philosophical question we really have to ask ourselves is life really worth living. Its for each person to decide no one has the right to call another persons loss of will to survive, cowardice or bravery.

Comment on: Re: is suicide a final act of bravery or cowardice?

Bigthink — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 01:12:06 +0100

Suicide is a False Door, there is still existence afterwards, not nothingness.

Imagine being trapped in a nightmare for a long time, not forever but a time as long as your ignorance allows... This is what happens after suicide.

Comment on: Re: is suicide a final act of bravery or cowardice?

Bigthink — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 05:22:03 +0100

I think this is a great query! Besides the pure desire to trudge onward, there is no other "purpose" or meaning in life. That's why i try to follow the Epicurean model for experiencing as much pleasure as I can but also, OPTIMIZING that pleasure through deliberate periods of abstinance such as not drinking during work or eating rich foods constantly, because those acts make the pleasure meaningful.

However, it's all ultimately futile and we can attach whatever simplistic or complicated meanings we want to it. Anyone, of any age, of any health should be allowed to end their life if they so desire, and access to humane assistance in doing so is a human right.

Comment on: Re: is suicide a final act of bravery or cowardice?

Bigthink — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 03:30:22 +0100

My brother decided to end his life 5 years ago and his best friend (from when we were teenagers) told me that the moment he found out, he had a very strong sensation that he wanted to reach into that "void" and pull my brother back because he knew that he'd realized his mistake at the absolute last second. On the actual night of his death, his friend had a strange dream about my other oldest brother who is still alive, where they met after many years and my oldest brother was wearing a long black coat and didn't seem to see our friend. My brother who is dead came to me in a dream about 8 months after he died and my overwhelming grief diminished tremendously after that. My brother was acutely aware of the eventual effects of his mental illness (he was bipolar) and did not want to suffer any longer. He was a university graduate and a wonderful brother. It's taken all of this time for me to think of him and not cry. My brother was not cruel to leave us, he didn't think he had a choice. Now I feel that it had nothing to do with anyone else. I too have experienced those terrible times where it doesn't seem to make sense to go on, but they passed and I am very glad now that they did. It's almost like weather, not to sound flip, but it does keep changing.

Comment on: Re: is suicide a final act of bravery or cowardice?

Bigthink — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 17:17:56 +0100

I think we have lost our greatest freedom, to put an end to life when our conversation bores even our best friends (I love this quote from classic Roman literature). In the past free men and women would gather the counsel of family and friends when they believed life was no longer enjoyable and lacked human dignity. After talking and listening to counsel, often friends and family would agree on the principle of dignity, gave a farewell and stood there in the final moment. This freedom has been lost.