I think we need perspective.

[Weebster]

I think the shame and negative feelings associated with suicide is very much a modern phenomenon influenced by religions like Christianity. This doesn't help us.

How did the ancients view suicide? Any famous quotes? I know many viewed it as honorable and brave and a way out of personal and familial disgrace.

 

[Smart No More]

I think these days we've become blinded and shielded by our current state of 'civilisation' and are not confronted by the stark realities of nature as we were in less privileged times. It's much easier and a bit too convenient to turn our heads away from it during the good times and assume it's never going to be us. Of course we all get old, ill and die eventually but when you don't have to face it it's easy to choose not to until the time comes that we have no choice. There's various walks of life where this can be seen. For example look how quickly we become used to having info on tap at our finger tips and how much of our infrastructure would crumble if the net was suddenly vanished. We're creatures of convenience and comfort and stepping out of our comfort zones takes more work than many are prepared to enter into prematurely/voluntarily.

 

[Weebster]

I think these days we've become blinded and shielded by civilisation and are not confronted by the stark realities of nature as we were in less privileged times. It's much easier and a bit too convenient to turn our heads away from it during the good times and assume it's never going to be us. Of course we all get old, ill and die eventually but when you don't have to face it it's easy to choose not to until the time comes that we have no choice. There's various walks of life where this can be seen. For example look how quickly we become used to having info on tap at our finger tips and how much of our infrastructure would crumble if the net was suddenly vanished. We're creatures of convenience and comfort and stepping out of our comfort zones takes more work than many are prepared to enter into prematurely/voluntarily.

People are often irrational and overly emotional losers who need to play superhero to have meaning because they think they're the main character.

 

[hopelessdreams]

yeah, the ancient greeks weren't too keen on suicide. there were a lot of them whom only thought about the impact on society and loved ones when one committed suicide. they were also against anyone who was pro-choice, someone who recognized that someone kills himself to escape his misfortunes.

later on, in the ancient greek medicines, doctors dealt with it as insane behavior in the development of the mental diseases, of melancholia and mania. they also thought suicide was more likely to happen "to" women, elderly and young people. notice the "to", because suicide was viewed as a error in the body that stemmed from irregularities, not from their lives.

 

[indica]

Religious views on suicide - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[☆AwaitingEntropy☆]

Now I'm very curious. I've never looked into historical cultural beliefs on suicide aside from briefly reading about how it would be used to escape a terrible fate in war times, or to restore honor, redeem a failure, etc, as in seppuku.

I imagine some ancient cultures may not have supported the idea, as suicide is, by nature, very individualistic and does not support societal growth. But, I'll definitely look into this more, and report back if I find anything interesting.

 

[Unwr!tten]

I find thinking about things such as Abortion, The Right to Die and other Human Rights a really interesting way to spend time when lost in thought.

For context, I am a Christian, a Member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (a Mormon).

I believe in personal agency, meaning that one is in charge of and owns their own body. I believe that how someone lives their life and what they do is none of my business. It's only my job to love others and treat them the way I would want to be treated. If someone wants to die, it is none of my business to deny those feelings and shut them down. Now, that doesn't mean I won't offer them my shoulder, I won't offer them love and kindness, it means that if there's nothing more I can do, then I must step back and support their decision. Continue to be kind to them and continue to love them.

Someone who wants to die shouldn't be denied kindness and love, but they should receive even more of it. They should receive everything that you can offer and even if they go through with their plans, this should still be given that love and respect, even in their memory.

I've even thought about this in a secular sense— removing religion from the equation and I still get the same answers in my heart. If someone has mental illness and wants to die, then why not let them? Isn't that natural selection? Isn't that science? Basic biology? If someone wants to die, that removes mental illness from the gene pool and thus benefits humanity.

In short, no matter how you look at it. Suicide is a fundamental human right and shouldn't be denied to those who want it.