Posted by zipnull on July 16, 2001, at 20:57:34
In reply to is suicide ever rational?, posted by geekUK on July 3, 2001, at 14:17:52
> hands up all who have read the suicide...read this first web page. It talks of pain exceeding coping strategies. so my question is
> if pain is greater than the level you can cope with, and is likely to be so for the forseeable future is suicide a rational choise? or is suicide never rational in this situation?
> I was thinking this might be an interesting (if morbid)thread of dicussion.I'll quickly grant that for some people, the pain/coping ratio becomes too large. They need release and that's it. However, such decisions have nothing to do with what we call 'reason'. I've looked long and hard at this - I think that's what we call 'rationalization'. When I'm in my right mind (such as it is) I can't rationalize my suicide.
First, there are some people (besides my ex, who would readily supply the gun) who would miss me. I'm particularly worried about my children. A couple of them have too many of my genes - with the same depressive tendency. I always wanted them to have a better life than me. My suicide may make it easier for them to do the same (I checked - it happens).
Second, suicide is selfish. It's focused on me and my pain. I have always hated selfish people and my own selfishness. Life often stinks, I've got to make it better for others if I can. That actually makes me feel better! And, I've seen too many people with shocking physical and mental disabilities, who make the world around them glow with vitality. It's very humbling.
Third, the BIG questions. Why am I here, and what's over the wall? I'm a scientist; I try to look at the cosmos in a rational way. My rational mind says - no way is this incredible complexity a long odds crapshoot. It is far more rational to say that it's deterministic and created. There must be a god out there. AND, I seem to have this god-shaped space in my conscience. We spent much of the twentieth century trying to erase that god-shaped space from our worldwide conscience. It didn't work. That god awareness is still there. That same conscience (when I still listen to it) tells me that self-destruction is not god's will for my life. Which takes me back to points one and two…
Just my 2-ce3nts, sorry it was so long long.
poster:zipnull
thread:7031
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20010706/msgs/7524.html