Discussion Is suicide a mistake?

[dogemn]

When someone considers suicide, they often imagine it bringing them peace or relief, but peace and relief are things only a living person can experience. So are they making a logical mistake by imagining a future they won't be there to have?

Is it even possible for someone to choose suicide based purely on the abstract idea that they will simply stop existing, with no mental image of rest, escape, or benefit at all? Or does the human mind always sneak in some kind of forward-looking thought, even without realizing it?

 

[aufrechtm7]

I'd argue that most people aren't necessarily doing it for literal peace or relief because those things rely on having consciousness, unless you believe in an afterlife. The more often sought objective is to bring about an end to constant suffering.

Lack of consciousness=non existence=absence of suffering.

 

[TransilvanianHunger]

I think it's possible to choose "non-existence" without attaching any ideas of rest or similar to it. The fact that people look forward to a state of peace or relief is, I think, really a reflection of the fact that they don't want to die, but rather that they cannot bear live in their current circumstances, and they cannot imagine a future where life isn't as bad or worse. Death becomes that symbol of peace and freedom from suffering, even though the dead cannot enjoy such things.

If you were to offer a suicidal person a magic wand to fix whatever is causing them to suffer so much, I believe most would take it over actual death.

 

[dogemn]

I'd argue that most people aren't necessarily doing it for literal peace or relief because those things rely on having consciousness, unless you believe in an afterlife. The more often sought objective is to bring about an end to constant suffering.

Lack of consciousness=non existence=absence of suffering.

I think that what you're saying is coherent. It can be said that it is better that suffering cease than that consciousness continue. Especially in cases of intractable suffering.

 

[capi]

When someone considers suicide, they often imagine it bringing them peace or relief, but peace and relief are things only a living person can experience. So are they making a logical mistake by imagining a future they won't be there to have?

Is it even possible for someone to choose suicide based purely on the abstract idea that they will simply stop existing, with no mental image of rest, escape, or benefit at all? Or does the human mind always sneak in some kind of forward-looking thought, even without realizing it?

Thats me. I know very well how i wont experience relief. I thought on this for a while. For some people, it is a logical mistake.

But, for me, thats kind of what i want. I dont want to experience anything, even positive emotions. Im so tired. I genuinely want nonexistentance. I dont know, if someone told me after tomorrow i would be happy everyday, im not sure if i would take it. I would still choose to die. And like other people said, while its not experienced relief it still is undoubtedly an end to suffering.
I went under anesthesia before and yea basically i would just like to be like that forever.

 

[aufrechtm7]

I think that what you're saying is coherent. It can be said that it is better that suffering cease than that consciousness continue.

Thanks. It's just my interpretation, so it could mean nothing to a believer of something else. I hope that everyone who has ctb'd or is looking to ctb thinks about questions like the one you asked to avoid falling victim to logical mistakes.

 

[Forever Sleep]

Are we able to regret something after we die? Will we experience the sense of having made mistakes in life, after we die? If death is nothing- rather than a sense of peace- then surely- it also deletes regret at having made a 'mistake'.

If I eat food past it's sell by date- will that affect me this evening or tomorrow? We can predict what might happen. Some foods are more hazardous than others to consume past the sell by date. But ultimately- we're taking a gamble on a possible future. We either eat the food and brave the consequences or, we throw it out.

I think contemplating suicide isn't so different. From our experience of life, we may ascertain that our present and future appears riddled with pain. If we can see no way to avoid that via living, death can appear to be a way to avoid all that so- we effectively, throw life out.

Our decision is surely based on an assessment of our current situation and a prediction of our future. We could be wrong in that assessment I suppose. Perhaps there was another life path we could have taken.

I'm not so sure it's opting for peace instead of (likely) harm though. I think people do it simply to avoid harm. Similar to chucking out mouldy food. There's not exactly a great benefit to us. It's unlikely to make us happy. In fact- we wasted the food and money we spent on it. There again- we may have just saved ourselves pain. We can't fully appreciate the peace or satisfaction of that decision- even when we are alive because- it was a gamble ultimately. A way to avoid danger.

I imagine some of us 'enjoy' peace prior to the event too. Having come to the decision (hope) that I will suicide- I tend to not get so worried about life stuff. I've given up chasing my dream career. That caused me so much anxiety and sense of failure. I've let myself off worrying about building up a pension. Passive ideation can feel calming in the moment- knowing that there is an escape to life- if/ when it becomes too much.

That said, I think anyone who feels like suicide may be a mistake for them- should probably look at what they want to hold on to in life. Presumably it is out of the fear they will be missing out on something if they die early. In which case- what? And, can they steer life in the direction that they experience more of those positive things?

 

[Gustav Hartmann]

Suicide is based on the assumption that beeing dead is better than beeing alive. This assumption can be wrong but the mistake we make cannot be that big as we will all die in the near future unless hell is the punishment for suucide.
Modern science makes us believe that beeing dead is similar to the state prior to our birth. That means when we are dead there will be nobody and nothing that could remember, feel or regret anything. It is like passing out and never come back anymore. This is exactly what I hope for.

 

[aufrechtm7]

Suicide is based on the assumption that beeing dead is better than beeing alive. This assumption can be wrong but the mistake we make cannot be that big as we will all die in the near future unless hell is the punishment for suucide.
Modern science makes us believe that beeing dead is similar to the state prior to our birth. That means when we are dead there will be nobody and nothing that could remember, feel or regret anything. It is like passing out and never come back anymore. This is exactly what I hope for.

If we operate on the idea of the existence of heaven and hell, then the act of suicide through the lens of pretty much every religion wouldn't condemn people to hell.

 

[StryngerX]

You do have a point, most people search peace when plan to ctb, me included, but i know that i will not experience when the time come, since, as you said, its a living experience, but its more about the confort to know that the suffer is about to end, at least for me this work, im experience a chaotic estate of mind right now, my life is falling apart, but since i decided how to end my life two years ago, somehow i feel like im in control, and dont worry so much about it.

 

[FuneralCry]

No, this dreadful, harmful and torturous existence that just causes all this pain and suffering with no limit as to how much one can be tortured is a mistake, existence is just so evil, all that existence does is just cause harm and suffering with no limit as to how much one can be tortured with existing beings in agony every second.

It truly is an abomination to exist and for me every second is torture to be conscious, I just suffer so much as a result of this evil existence, no matter what this existence should just never be imposed and it's so terrible how it was causing all this dreadful cruelty and suffering as a result, existence truly is the problem to me and what I find so horrific is how the torture of existing can continue for decades longer just for one to face the extreme agony of old age, for me ceasing to exist would be the positive solution to find peace from the torture of existing.

 

[pthnrdnojvsc]

To me my suicide is the only rational act I could ever do . It's the best thing I could do by a septillion times.

Suicide is the escape from hell

the constant most unbearable pain far outweighs any pleasurable feeling by a billion times

I do not want to suffer the constant worst unbearable pain or any constant unbearable pain by a billion times more than i could ever want any stupid meaningless implanted fleeting pleasure .

What i want is to get out of this hell called life and this evil world

Plus these pleasure addictions I hate the most because they stole all my time I could have been working on getting my suicide method decided and ready to go

The mistake was me not working most of the time on getting my suicide method ready to go and doing it

Yes If I kill myself I won't exist . But I can't suffer unbearable pain if I don't exist and that is what I want

I don't want anything including any feeling of peace or any pleasure or anything in this world the only exceptions being is if any of these could really move me a lot closer to killing myself and then actually killing myself

We all will die and cease to exist forever 1 micro second after our brain dies

But I want to skip any unbearable pain or extreme torture to reach the safety of Non-existence forever, eternally safe from any pain suffering problems bad memories. Eternal Non-existence is the only guarantee of never suffering so badly the suffering is a trillion times worse than one can imagine

The worst thing was this horror called life being imposed on me

I'm brain cells , a brain that can suffer unending constant unbearable pain, an extreme torture chamber