For some reason that escapes me right now, I recently Googled the question, "Is suicide wrong?" The number of hits was astounding. A lot of people mull the philosphical considerations of this question, apparently.There's one site where you can post answers, so I put in my two cents. I had to do something to counteract all of the Bible thumpers who, no matter how things turn out for me, believe I'm going to hell anyway. I don't think atheists can go to hell. One person wrote that only atheists commit suicide. Really? I'd like to see the empirical evidence supporting that assertion.
No, suicide is not wrong. It is just one more path to the inevitable death all humans eventually experience. Our own death is not a moral issue. It is just death. Having been born does not obligate us to keep living. Our birth is biological happenstance, but we have a lot more control over how our life ends.
It is possible some may mourn the successful suicide, but wouldn't they also mourn if the person died unexpectedly in a car accident or from a sudden heart attack? Is living a risky and unhealthy life that shortens life span any different than suicide? No, it just takes longer and burdens the caretakers.
Suicide is not about weakness or character. It is about pain. Unbearable, relentless pain. Everyone experiences pain differently and it seems damned arrogant to say a person's pain is not valid. It is ignorant to say that another's pain is temporary. If it's not you, then you don't know that. Not all pain can be alleviated, not all problems can be fixed.
We have only one thing that we truly, totally own, and that is the body we live in and the life in which we exist. Nobody, absolutely nobody, has the right to overtake a person who has decided to control this most fundamental of life--or end-of-life--decisions. Frankly, it's nobody's business except for the person who feels it is the appropriate choice for him- or herSELF to be free of unrelenting emotional or physical burdens.
The time to care is before the person commits suicide, but not even love can fix everything.
If you believe you are morally superior to those who commit suicide, consider a really insightful Dear Abby column on the subject. http://www.uexpress.com/dearabby/
Dying isn't wrong. Suicide isn't wrong. It's meant to bring relief--finally.
2 comments:
That really was insightful. Thank you.
You're welcome. The Dear Abby was originally forwarded to me by one of the few "real" friends I found I had when my life started tanking. She was appalled by the others' behavior and thought this column really summed things up nicely for my situation.
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