I just think it intensely illustrates our different perspective on life itself a lot of the time. Why play a dangerous, risky and painful game if your view of the game is that it is corrupt, not worth your effort and pointless?
Is it 'cowardly' to resign from a chess match because you know you've lost or- you're at a stale mate and it will go on forever? Depends how much you care about the game I guess.
Same deal with life really. Something has to feel worth fighting for to put the effort in and appreciate the reward- if you even get one. Quite possibly you may not if things like anhedonia/ depression are at play. You may just hang on for a whole lot more monotony. Is that really all that brave? It probably feels kind of foolish to someone who places so little value on life itself.
Obviously, life is going to seem less trivial than a chess match to most people and where I suppose it does differ is- a suicide can devastate loved ones. I doubt it's many people's priority to hurt other people with their suicide though. It's a very unfortunate side effect and, some of us will hang on for years- even decades to spare them that pain. Will they consider that brave? Unlikely. They'll probably just take it for granted till you aren't there anymore. I think many of us are too selfishly wrapped up in our own lives to care that much about others. It's when things affect us we start to take notice.
It's not to say I think continuing to live can't be brave. I do actually admire elderly grandparents in my family who it seemed to me did hang on for as long as they could to be there for us. That was natural death rather than suicide. I do admire suicidal parents who are trying to hang on to be there for their children.
Beyond that though- actually creating a lifeform here that will be dependant on you, I do actually think it's kind of unfair to put this burden on people: 'Your death- especially suicide will upset other people so- don't do it.' Not that we shouldn't take it into account of course but ultimately- we didn't choose this.
We didn't choose or maybe even want people to care and become dependant on us. Perhaps to some extent, we invited it in- if we went out looking for friends and partners. A lot of the time though, we were in situations we couldn't have avoided and these relationships occurred as a result. We were born into families, went to school, college, uni, went to work. It's hard to avoid people completely and avoid some bonds forming. Those choices weren't really choices for us. Our parents made the choice to bring us here. Then, it's pretty much illegal or inviting in destitution if you don't get an education and then a job.
Maybe it's extreme to say but, I feel like we're born into a trap basically and, we're held here via emotional blackmail. I think that's utterly unreasonable. People seem to accept it because I suppose natilism is so normalised. They see life as the status quo that you simply have to accept and do what you can to work with.
We don't though and ultimately, no amount of shaming- calling it cowardly or, guilt tripping- calling it selfish is going to hold back the most desperate of us.
