Suicide

If it's a car crash or old age then no your right it's not optional, but with suicide there is always an option, it's an intense battle with your mind, one that you should have some control over, and a battle you can still lose of course. Suicide will affect those people you leave behind a great deal as well ( the suffering your going through is much worse of course). Sure it will all be over for you, but not for the people who care about you (if there are still people like that in your life).

dear ScarTissue,
My partner and I have discussed suicide in the event our health should go seriously tits up. We are in our early sixties. We have witnessed the deterioration and suffering of the generation preceding us to the grave; i.e. our parents and older friends. Old age is a scary prospect! There is another post in the Alzheimer's forum from a 67 year old woman who is facing needing long term care for herself, but with limited resources to obtain it. What could be more terrifying than becoming feeble and helpless, like a wounded creature in the jungle. That is what old age can look like to a younger person who has become aware of his own mortality. And when one is already wounded by mental illness, the fear can be unbearable.
Well, babe, I don't have any advice on how to stave off the ravishes of time. Alls I can say is live in the here and now. If there is any little thing you can salvage out of your life now that will bring you a little joy, do it.
Besides, the future is unknowable; you might get run over by a truck tomorrow, and have the whole affair taken out of your hands.

Also for your 'atheism' i believe its the same type of paradigm shift that is a religion. Otherwise the word wouldnt be an ism.

ScarTissue wrote:

Portilloizay wrote:Also for your 'atheism' i believe its the same type of paradigm shift that is a religion. Otherwise the word wouldnt be an ism.

The topic of "isms" is a meaningless distinction that I never bother with. If you prefer to consider atheism to be a religion, why would it bother me ?

I suppose in your world vegetarianism could be a religion also..... ..So?

So then you agree that you receive your moral and spiritual advice from atheism. Your belief system may very well be chaos and randomness through survival of the fittest social darwinism. Or maybe you are currently living in a postmodern world?

I don't really understand why there is a need to argue with Scartissue about religion and atheism. He (she?) came here, I presume, for help around depression and AvPD. This isn't a religion board. Leave the guy alone.

I believe in God, and that seems to be a big help to me, overall. But it's also been a hardship in many areas, getting rid of false guilt, etc. That's the problem with religion, it is so laden with guilt that no wonder people can't believe in a higher power.

Scartissue, I don't know if this will be of any use to you, but just in case, I highly recommend anything by Albert Ellis, founder of REBT, Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy. His idea that we make ourselves unhappy, depressed, anxious etc, has been very helpful to me. The idea of Unconditional Self Acceptance has also been very helpful. You may be able to relate to him better since he is also an atheist.

I never meant to be argumentive, you came up with that. As a god believer though and a more philosophy and theology related believer it can become apparent that those who find no meaning for their lives end up going crazy or killing themselves.