I do not think Great Happiness is the reason most people would rather live than die.

[Zzzzz]

This is a world of great suffering. All people feel the weight and burden of existence. Some people experience more happiness than others, but all must face the brutal realities of loss,grief,death and decay .People do not prefer life to death because they are exceptionally happy, but rather because they are AFRAID of death,or their Ego tells them "they are too important to die." People seem to rarely say that they are having just too much darn fun to die lol. Most people have many complaints against life and the world. Many people say that there's something specific they want to accomplish before they die. They have unfulfilled desires. This is very telling to their level of happiness. I think It is not unfair to say that the fear of death might just be the primary reason why most people on Earth wake up in the morning and attempt to keep themselves alive and/or accomplish anything in life. The evidence is quite clear that life is not primarily geared towards happiness OR longevity, but rather creatures are forced into a brutal and often predatory system where life forms compete and harm/kill each other for survival. Most people probably know this, they're just too arrogant, selfish or egotistical to admit it. They lie and pretend life is fair when they know it's not. They pretend that happiness is a choice when all evidence is to the contrary. In such a cruel system, how can some people NOT feel suicidal?

 

[Soapie]

thtas a really interesting point. everyone suffers to a degree so wheres the line between that and suicidality ? what keeps a single mom with 3 kids and a minimum wage job going while a billionaire who has everything they want is miserably suicidal? ?

 

[Zzzzz]

thtas a really interesting point. everyone suffers to a degree so wheres the line between that and suicidality ? what keeps a single mom with 3 kids and a minimum wage job going while a billionaire who has everything they want is miserably suicidal? ?

I assume parents feel a strong sense of obligation. They will suffer and live in misery for the sake of their children, to a significant degree I think.

 

[Rogue Proxy]

Fear undoubtedly plays a pivotal role in life preservation. Afterall, this mechanism is ingrained in most animal species to help steer them away from life-threatening situations. This enables the animal to survive and reproduce as much as possible. However, there are multiple sources and layers of fear that go beyond mortality, hedonism, and egotism. Belief systems are another source that intensifies the terror of death, whether it's being excluded from a utopian afterlife, condemned to eternal suffering, or reincarnated into another miserable life.

 

[Arrow]

if i die i have nothing, not even myself, and idk what that means, so out of fear i will just desperately continue to cling to life despite how shitty it gets. i'm trapped in a meatsuit and the only thing outside of it is a void. i will delay my entry into the void as much as possible.

 

[SuicideRun]

For people who do not fit, for free people, this world is just a big toilet to be cleaned every day by working, eating, sleeping. I hate all of this.

 

[Pluto]

The worst lie that people tell is that everything is great and we should continue business as usual, including procreation. They wear masks of happiness just because others are doing the same. This is the mindset that marginalises those of us who fall through the cracks and no longer find this crappy game worth playing.

That is not to say that there are no people who do find some genuine meaning or purpose, but the bulk of the mainstream is quite insane when you view it critically.

 

[blueclover_.]

My profile picture agrees with you.

 

[FuneralCry]

I think people who want to live are delusional, after all life is suffering and there is no limit as to how horrible things can get. I think many of them are fortunate enough to be in a position where they have not suffered enough, so they are able to be blind to the true horrors of life and are in denial that things can get that bad that one would consider ctb. Many of these people therefore dismiss all suicides as being irrational.

I do believe many are held here out of fear of death, as after all, existence is all we know, and we cannot comprehend what it is like to not exist. Humans are naturally programmed to survive and live and to try to find solutions to their problems. I do believe if ctb was easier, more people would probably exit.

 

[stupidldiot]

it does seem strange that some people endure unimaginable suffering for years and others kill themselves over virtually nothing

 

[Hercules]

it does seem strange that some people endure unimaginable suffering for years and others kill themselves over virtually nothing

It's not really strange. Everyone is different. Everyone has different life experiences, and everyone has a different limit to what they can cope with until they reach their breaking point. It isn't fair to invalidate someone else's suffering. You may think that someone else's problem isn't a big deal, and if you were in a similar situation, you could handle it and would be fine. The truth is that you have never been in their situation. You don't know what their life is like, and what suffering they have to go through everyday. What's seems like an insignificant problem to you, may be a big deal to someone else.

 

[Rogue Proxy]

It's not really strange. Everyone is different. Everyone has different life experiences, and everyone has a different limit to what they can cope with until they reach their breaking point. It isn't fair to invalidate someone else's suffering. You may think that someone else's problem isn't a big deal, and if you were in a similar situation, you could handle it and would be fine. The truth is that you have never been in their situation. You don't know what their life is like, and what suffering they have to go through everyday. What's seems like an insignificant problem to you, may be a big deal to someone else.

Likewise, you could be experiencing a breaking point or tragedy that deeply impacts you while others could perceive your suffering as insignificant and in turn, minimize, ridicule, ignore, silence, or berate your pain.

 

[onlyanimalsaregood]

It's not really strange. Everyone is different. Everyone has different life experiences, and everyone has a different limit to what they can cope with until they reach their breaking point. It isn't fair to invalidate someone else's suffering. You may think that someone else's problem isn't a big deal, and if you were in a similar situation, you could handle it and would be fine. The truth is that you have never been in their situation. You don't know what their life is like, and what suffering they have to go through everyday. What's seems like an insignificant problem to you, may be a big deal to someone else.

Totally agree. Love your profile picture btw

 

[Of The Universe]

Some people cling to life for the love of another. Or love of country. Or love of "God."
I have no one. If my "someone" was still here,I wouldn't be here at SS.

 

[Meretlein]

People do not find life worthy because they feel that pleasure outweighs suffering, they live because they believe life is meaningful. Sarah Perry explains this brilliantly in her essay "Living in the epilogue".

 

[stupidldiot]

People do not find life worthy because they feel that pleasure outweighs suffering, they live because they believe life is meaningful. Sarah Perry explains this brilliantly in her essay "Living in the epilogue".

not true, people might just be scared of death and the dying process. their lives might be god awful but still taking that step is too terrifying

It's not really strange. Everyone is different. Everyone has different life experiences, and everyone has a different limit to what they can cope with until they reach their breaking point. It isn't fair to invalidate someone else's suffering. You may think that someone else's problem isn't a big deal, and if you were in a similar situation, you could handle it and would be fine. The truth is that you have never been in their situation. You don't know what their life is like, and what suffering they have to go through everyday. What's seems like an insignificant problem to you, may be a big deal to someone else.

true but there are people out there who killed themselves because of say a demotion at work or whatever. then there are others who have no money and are in excruciating pain every day that somehow hang on. i get it though everyone's completely different.

 

[Pain In The Ass]

Many people say that there's something specific they want to accomplish before they die. They have unfulfilled desires.

This is me. This is THE thing that makes me sad about dying. Rationality tells me that it makes no difference if I accomplish this thing or not, because I will die either way, but there is this will to feel the accomplishment before I go. I think it is this mysterious 'will to power' that lurks in every particle in the universe, and in us, as we ARE the universe. The 'will' that caused life to begin, and the 'will' that causes survival instinct. Something tells me I must contribute to this mysterious thing the human race is trying to get to, whatever it is, this end-game.

 

[Hercules]

This is me. This is THE thing that makes me sad about dying. Rationality tells me that it makes no difference if I accomplish this thing or not, because I will die either way, but there is this will to feel the accomplishment before I go. I think it is this mysterious 'will to power' that lurks in every particle in the universe, and in us, as we ARE the universe. The 'will' that caused life to begin, and the 'will' that causes survival instinct. Something tells me I must contribute to this mysterious thing the human race is trying to get to, whatever it is, this end-game.

You are only going to live once. You should make the most of it. Just because you are going to die one day, doesn't mean that your life is meaningless, and you shouldn't do anything with your life. Setting goals for yourself and trying to fulfill your dreams gives you a purpose in life and is what makes your life meaningful. You should definitely try to fill your dreams. You have nothing to lose by trying.

 

[Pain In The Ass]

You are only going to live once. You should make the most of it. Just because you are going to die one day, doesn't mean that your life is meaningless, and you shouldn't do anything with your life. Setting goals for yourself and trying to fulfill your dreams gives you a purpose in life and is what makes your life meaningful.

Of course, that's how I view life, when I'm not in constant pain. Even the meaning you create is probably meaningless fantasy, such as nationalism, standing for the anthem, stuff like that, but if it gives you the motivation to get up and work towards something, THAT'S where positive emotion comes from, so make the most of it whilst you're in good health. Long-term, sustainable, positive emotion does not come from parties and drinking and having 'fun', that's for sure. It comes from incentive reward from working towards something that seems meaningful.