How would you like to die?

undergroundman wrote:Zeno, I totally agree with your angle, I share your bother about this keyboard nihilism, indeed I have specified between those I judge rational choices (life can become an evaluation between pros and cons, in some desperate cases), from those that are romantic (and stupid) outbursts, and I hope I'll not find myself in such issues. When I was 16 I saw a girl of my age hanging herself after being left by her boyfriend, and I thought the worst things upon her.

A couple years ago, back when I had a girlfriend, she "sort of tried to kill herself" after a big argument. I think that that borderline area between actual suicide and a fantasized escape is the most common and most problematic. She knew she probably wasn't going to die from what she was doing, but she knew that she very well might. Later I learned that it wasn't the first time that she had done that, and it wasn't the last either. She got used to it. And it goes hand in hand with other things like substance abuse in particular.

She used to tell herself "I'll end up killing myself on purpose or by accident before I'm 30 anyway", and then one day she realized that she was in her mid-20s already. She got used to the idea that she had no control over the outcome, and that she could only dull the pain. Which is very frustrating to deal with. And people in despair tend to be suggestible, so the way how it's approached matters. Suggestion without proper context is part of how the spiral begins. Even worse when it becomes a sort of badge of honor like it is here (let's be honest: it is).

However, I'm convinced by the importance of institutions such living will, euthanasia and assisted suicide. Besides, I think that, within the wide range between the rational choice and the romantic outburst, there are many shades of grey. Every person has its own method to cope with life and death, and the decision of a man to put an end to his life may be such a poorly dramatic choice compared to the story of another man who has achieved 100 after a miserable existence.

I'm not concerned with that kind of thing myself, but I certainly have nothing against it. And anyway, when people know that they'll be free to do drastic things when it makes sense, they become less preoccupied with those things when they don't actually make sense. Everybody wins. I think any controversy on those issues is essentially political. Just factions defending something that symbolizes and identifies them.

Death (particularly suicide) has excited a much bigger response than other subjects.
I wonder if that's a function of being SPD, or a reflection of the ages of the contributors?

I don't want to know when I'm going to die. I fear the fear of death and having to face my mortality for an extended period of time before I'm gone more than I fear actual death. So, not knowing I'm going to die is my answer.

UK SPD wrote:Death (particularly suicide) has excited a much bigger response than other subjects.
I wonder if that's a function of being SPD, or a reflection of the ages of the contributors?

That's what I've been wondering. Maybe people here are able to approach the subject more logically.

Suicide is perfectly rational.

Also, maybe my narcisistic traits would say 'you can't fire me, I quit'.

In part, I think it's because, when life is devoid of meaningful exchanges with other people, you look up ahead and the next milestone you see is death. So it becomes an easily accessible theme in your head that keeps coming up one way or another. I don't think logical ability has anything to do with it.

zeno wrote:In part, I think it's because, when life is devoid of meaningful exchanges with other people, you look up ahead and the next milestone you see is death. So it becomes an easily accessible theme in your head that keeps coming up one way or another.

My life is mostly devoid of meaningful exchanges with others, but that's the way I prefer it and am most comfortable. Most people are wired to want and need such exchanges, and when (for whatever reason) they are unable to have them, loneliness arises and spurs on depression.

If I were forced to work in customer service, or had three roommates, I would get depressed for the opposite reason. I doubt I'd get suicidal, because before that happened I would try to move, or get another job. Anything to get out of the situation.

I don't think logical ability has anything to do with it.

Unless I am misunderstanding what you mean, I disagree. For me, suicide would be preferable to being homeless (which would be like having thousands of roommates) or stuck in some poorly run hospital, two situations which, while not very likely (at least at this point) are not unforeseeable. I always read stories in the paper about middle aged Wall Street execs jumping out of windows because they were financially ruined, or in legal trouble. Not because they're sad or because 'their baby left them'. But because they've reached a point where the road ahead is too difficult, or simply unacceptable. To me that's logic at work.

naps wrote:To me that's logic at work.

To me that's tunnel vision at work. Either way, logical or not, that has little to do with the recurrence of the theme of death.

I want my head to be chopped off via sword or guillotine. Either when I'm senile or wanting to snuff it.
Hearing is the last sense to go and I've seen people's eyeballs rolling around after the old chop chop.