What is suicide?

pegembara

Theswingisyellow said:

pegembara said:

Theswingisyellow said:

"What is suicide?"
Self absorption.

The victim may not want to be a burden to his/her family and choose suicide as a way out. He/she may actually not be acting out of selfish reasons at all. For example a soldier who throw himself on a grenade to protect his mates. Is that self absorption?

Psychologically at it's heart its an egotistical act. Kamikaze pilots, suicide bombers and guys who throw themselves on grenades are indeed a different sort of suicide but the willingness to destroy oneself for some sort of greater cause is tied into your sense of self , that of worthlessness. It is still tied to egoism. Someone who's mental view of themselves of their "I" when this does not comport with reality, is too much for some to handle. When one buys too heavily into an idea of who they are and this changes, be it sickness, financial or social issues, suicide may results. To me it gets down to wrong view, to believe one is either their form, their feelings, their mental formations, perceptions or their consciousness. If you buy into this wrong view, suicide is possible.
I am not trying to dismiss the gravity that suicide entails or how desperate some may become. I see it daily in the emergency room but I still feel it's root lies in wrong view, as opposed to right view-dukkha, annata, annica.

I know what you are getting at. Strictly speaking, all acts are "selfish" as long as they are rooted in greed, hatred and delusion. Only those who have uprooted them can be said to act unselfishly.

The patrotic soldier will sacrifice his own life for the greater "self" be it his mates, his country, his beliefs in freedom etc. But speaking conventionally such acts are normally considered "selfless".

Wisdom23

I think we can argue for and against all we like but until i can fully understand their mind set. i mean how awful must they be feeling to think that they can't take life anymore so they are going to exit life early.

i am not really a Buddhist who believes in reincarnation i also don't think karmic forces are that strong. Which is even the more sadder because they may have not been responsible for their situation.

I have known people who have attempted it and they can't really explain why apart from the fact they felt really really unhappy. tis a sad state of affairs

Silouan

The act of suicide is not is not the same as the letting go of the self, as we understand it. It is a literal self-destructive act stemming from an extreme case of egoism turned inward that is rooted in depression and irrational thinking. Depression is a mood disorder that causes feelings of hopelessness, despair, and extreme emotional suffering where without help or intervention suicide can be seen as the only way to end one's suffering, stop causing pain for others, stop being a burden on others, etc.

I suffer from social anxiety order, and I do recognize how irrational the behavior associated with my disorder is, but that doesn’t mean I no longer experience it in some way or another, because there are a lot of factors involved. I can only imagine what someone in a deep pit of depression must be going through.

As far as assisted suicide goes, I’m in agreement with many organizations that advocate disability rights on the issue. To find out more about “Why Assisted Suicide Must Not Be Legalized” here is a link:
dredf.org/assisted_suicide/assistedsuicide.html

riverflow

The desire to commit suicide indicates deep suffering--they feel cornered by life, unable at the moment to see any alternatives. Calling this a moral shortcoming, narcissism, cowardice or heaping on guilt does not help. Categorizing the desire or act as "good" or "bad" only exacerbates the suffering.

This person already has been thrown into a hell to endure one day to the next, without any hope. I can't put that hell in a nice little judgmental box. It seems easier to do when people haven't endured it themselves. I used to say the same things-- "Suicide is an act of cowardice," or "its self-centered," or "its immoral because it hurts family and friends." I thought I already had it figured out. Until I went to that hell myself.

For one whole year I lived in that condition, so I cannot judge. To me it represents the precise opposite of "peace that passes all understanding"-- in other words, "suffering that passes all understanding."

Such a person doesn't need more judgments heaped upon him or her-- which probably got the individual there in the first place--living in pain, fear, and confusion. Such a person desperately needs a compassionate ear, to know they do not suffer in isolation. You can do nothing else but help unburden that person's suffering as a listening presence who will try, as much as possible, to understand compassionately rather than to judge.

federica

Thread closed at OP's request. John is happy with all information provided.

many thanks to all who took part.