Discussion Why is there more respect for the slow suicide?

[Forever Sleep]

Like alcoholism, chain smoking, extremely dangerous sports even.

I worked in a care home for a short period and I remember in the training, they did cover the issue of autonomy In the Mental Capacity Act. That- it protects the individual's right to make choices about their own care and treatment. Even if their choices appear unwise- they should be respected- unless the person's mental capacity can be determined to be unsound I suppose. If there were a test for mental capacity, I wonder how many of us would pass.

But anyway, it is kind of curious how we will effectively sit back and watch people poison themselves slowly because we respect their right to choose. Whether that be smoking and drinking excessively, gorging on junk food or, the other extreme- fantatically exercising. People may drop the odd comment but, how many go out their way to intervene?

I wonder why we see it as more acceptable though- to very likely bring death forward substantially. Yet- we won't accept an immediate decision to die.

Do you suppose it's because so many people rely on one substance or another to get them through life? So- they'll sympathise with someone who needs something to help them through- even if it means shortening their lives.

Dangerous hobbies/ sports are even more curious in a way. Cave divers or mountaineers who have gotten into trouble have I imagine resulted in further people's deaths- as others go out looking for them. It seems strange to me- that we'll accept some very selfish decisions but, not others.

Do you suppose our societies/ big corporations/ governments have an effect? Do they really want everyone to only consume things in moderation? Think how much money is generated by everyone that over indulges. Are we in fact encouraged to pursue indulgent lifestyles and to lean on addictive substances? That those lifestyles have the right to be respected- because they presumably generate so much money. Even if they result in early deaths.

 

[Mirelight]

Outside money and corporate interests I'm guessing it's because the harm's long term and not as visual as suicide or self harm. Plus it's seen as something someone can turn back from and eventually recover.

 

[NormallyNeurotic]

Most people don't even realize that alcohol is poison, so they often miss signs of slow suicides. A drink on the weekends can be a sign, believe it or not. Drinking just a little poison on your day-off-from-capitalism shouldn't be as normalized as it is. Everyone has the right to drink, but people really don't even blink twice at it, do they?

And similar with dangerous sports... it depends how normalized or "cool" they are. Football? Normalized. Skydiving, rock climbing, dirtbiking? "Cool."

 

[ColorlessTrees]

because for the majority of people, one or more of these vices are how they cope with living long enough for it to be a slow suicide. oftentimes theyre hypocrites and point it out but only to make themselves feel better about their vice, to make it "less bad".

it's not the same because even after a lifetime of doing these things there's technically no guarantee of a specific outcome, even if early death or severe illness is much more likely as a result. and it's not literally immediate before their eyes. humans are terrible at visualizing long term vs immediate pleasures or catastrophes, probably a byproduct of evolution and i don't know why people are so shamed for that "weakness" considering it seems to be biological or most people wouldn't struggle so much with these impulses. but that's another topic.

also most people don't actually care, they just want to feel morally superior over the person killing themselves with substance of choice, the same as how people virtue signal about suicide. but for those who actually care, liek family or friends, im sure plenty more would force their afflicted person into rehab if it was possible or easier to legally enforce it the way you can with suicide attempts.