Look Into stoicism!

[moonsafari]

Stoicism is arguably one of the best philosophies to deal with the hardships of life. Might sound ironic coming from a suicidal person, but I want to invest more time into practicing it. For those who've heard of it and think it doesn't work for you, it's because you're not practicing it. The philosophy does take time to understand and effort to implement into your way of thinking and life.

But if you're looking for a speedy recovery or some long-term and effective way of keeping away from suicidal thoughts, I suggest you seriously look into Stoicism.

 

[HelensNepenthe]

There are a handful of Stoics who ended up punching their ticket in. I don't think it is ironic to support stoicism when you're suicidal. A general consensus of stoics is that suicidal is an option as long as it is dignified.



There are a few contemporary examples but are not limited to that can be illustrated of what dignifies a death. Since you're still reading on Stoic philosophy, I'd encourage to critically think on it. Hint: Depression

 

[InTheAirTonight]

I should just ignore my problems and they'll go away right?

 

[GoodPersonEffed]

But if you're looking for a speedy recovery or some long-term and effective way of keeping away from suicidal thoughts, I suggest you seriously look into Stoicism.

I am well-versed in the philosophy.

Can you elaborate how you apply Stoicism to a speedy recovery and keeping away from suicidal thoughts?

 

[oneside]

I tried, both stoicism and hedonism, didn't work. While still alive, I'm living better with the nihilist philosophy.

 

[HelensNepenthe]

I am well-versed in the philosophy.

Can you elaborate how you apply Stoicism to a speedy recovery and keeping away from suicidal thoughts?

Moral letters to Lucilius, particularly Letter 95, might have been their perspective. I personally believe that "Suicide" should be removed from discussing the topic and reframed into something about how Stoicism could benefit me of a life where I am suffering.

Personally, I do not think any philosophy of life is going to change your thoughts of suicide at all or provide any benefit for someone wanting to recover.

 

[GoodPersonEffed]

how Stoicism could benefit me of a life where I am suffering.

I recommend Michael Farnsworth's book The Practicing Stoic.

 

[Jon86]

Doesn't work, i've been stoic for years not by choice but because it's easier to simply escape pain and pretend it's not a big deal than to react to all of it.

However, that pain/loss is still there and will grow whether you acknowledge it or not.

 

[Notabadguy]

Stoicism doesn't give a closed set of cases when suicide is justified. Seneca says that it's an option, but sometimes you must keep yourself alive in order to keep your duty as social being, for example, to not inflict pain on your beloved ones, which was the case of Seneca, who didn't want to inflict pain on his father.

 

[GoodPersonEffed]

Doesn't work, i've been stoic for years not by choice but because it's easier to simply escape pain and pretend it's not a big deal than to react to all of it.

However, that pain/loss is still there and will grow whether you acknowledge it or not.

From the way you've written about it, I think you might be confusing being stoic (adjective) with being a Stoic, a person who follows the Stoic philosophy. A Stoic faces and acknowledges things, but tries to limit how emotionally impacted s/he is based on whether or not it is in their control and what is or is not their responsibility. The goal is eudaimonia, well-being. Much like Buddhism, there is a focus on equanimity and judging what is worthy of being attached to. The Serenity Prayer in the OP's signature fits well in Stoic philosophy.

 

[moonsafari]

I should just ignore my problems and they'll go away right?

No, ignoring your problems definitely isn't a good idea. It doesn't vanish magically like that.

 

[Yomyom]

Sorry for the lame joke, but I had to
Stoicism-

 

[KiraLittleOwl]

Being a stoic can work if you have something meaningful to live for...

 

[timf]

I am not sure I understand stoicism correctly. Could it be phrased as "Suck it up, tough it out, and do what is right"?

I think Marcus Aurelius (sp?) was a Stoic and his recitation of the failings of those he had to work with was somewhat depressing. I think Kiralittleowl is right that Stoicism would need a complementary value system to offset seeing the reality of human failings.

Solomon was supposed to have wisdom, but if you read Ecclesiastes, you find a very depressing view of life. He seemed to have disconnected himself from his value system and suffered for it.

 

[eksded]

I agree that stoicism is a very useful philosophy to strive towards, it just is not so easy to but it into practice. I recommend getting a copy of Marcus Aurelius: Meditations. It's an incredibly "modern" book even though it was written two thousand years ago. I guess some things never change.

 

[Cashewmilk]

Doesn't work, i've been stoic for years not by choice but because it's easier to simply escape pain and pretend it's not a big deal than to react to all of it.

However, that pain/loss is still there and will grow whether you acknowledge it or not.

Same. I've never heard of stoicism until today. It sounds like something I've been doing for a few years. Or I don't understand it yet, I'm a slow learner. I'm just desensitized? Just immune I guess. I no longer cry, I don't spend a single minute fuming or showing negative emotion. I guess I have ways of coping, drugs, and online forums and posting my thoughts anonymously, I use reddit, Facebook groups, and now SS. However, my life is still shit and I just can't be successful in the way society wants. I'm mentally disabled and have learning disabilities, extreme anxiety and confusion, so I can cope with the hardships of life, but I can't live a normal productive life.