I've recently found some other good arguments supporting rational CTB and how not all CTB is a result of mental illness, depression, or irrationality.
The user,
u/existentialgoof posted a really thorough argument for rational CTB:
Suicide is normally treated by society as something that could absolutely never be a rational decision, and that the epitome of rationality is to desire to preserve life for as long as possible, regardless of what adversities, discomfort and bodily and mental degradation one has to endure in order to do so.
Even supposedly 'non-religious' people seem to believe that scientists have determined in some laboratory using microscopes and test tubes that life has infinite value, and that anyone who values life at anything less than infinity is by definition incapable of rational decision making, and must therefore be forcibly prevented from investing their own welfare in their own belief that sometimes life is not worth enduring, and the prospective opportunities that it offers simply aren't worth the cost that needs to be paid.
The unsettling truth is that none of us felt bereft and deprived of life before we were born, and there's currently no evidence on which to base the assertion that the situation would be any different after our death. If you agree with the statement that the minds of dead people aren't floating around some limbo somewhere feeling woebegone and deprived of the experiences that they would have enjoyed had they continued to live, then you must concede that there is no lasting cost to be paid for suicide. Which inexorably leads to the conclusion that if one can remove oneself from a position that is unfavourable without cost, then that is a rational decision.
One's natural inclination is to want to enjoy the relief from the adverse conditions that make us unhappy; and therefore from that perspective, suicide doesn't seem satisfactory, because you will not be able to enjoy closure. However, if you look at the matter from a more detached perspective, then you realise that you will be dead, so you will not feel deprived of the closure or satisfaction of finally solving your problems.
I think that this is an unpopular opinion that many people try to suppress, because they are frightened by the implication that there really is no point in staying alive when all you can do is to feed the hunger that life itself generates; and that many people fail to do even that to a satisfactory extent. So in order to buttress their position, everyone who questions the dogma that life is of infinite value and thus inviolable is summarily written off as 'mentally ill', so that any person trying to broach this philosophical perspective is delegitimised and discredited before their arguments even need be addressed. Laws restricting suicide and assistance in suicide, in this sense, are effectively the same as blasphemy laws. The faith that most people are invested in cannot withstand scrutiny, so it's best to suppress all dissent by writing off all dissenters as lunatics who aren't capable of forming coherent thoughts. When in reality, it's probably the rational side of the suicidal person's brain telling them to die, and the primitive lizard brain urging them to cling to life (whilst masquerading as the voice of reason due to the fact that the sanctity of life is the position that is sanctioned by our society and by our instincts).
The last paragraph really highlights the problems of the pro-life majority in society, who of course (are in power and want to stay in power so they) censor such arguments and label them as dangerous or wrong so it would be easy for people to dismiss them without actually listening to opposing perspectives. However, most of us here are more level-headed and open-minded so we are at least able to take a step back and look at the argument objectively and at least understand that
not all CTBs are irrational or a result of a mental illness.
Another insightful post is by
u/e99y0lk where he talks about not only how bad the mental health system is, but also why life isn't always the answer.
Apologies if this post sounds insensitive, in fact I'm very suicidal and have attempted multiple times, each time met with people who stop and prevent it from succeeding. Also what's the point of talking to therapists and doctors when you can't be honest? As soon as you express that you would like to die they lock you up and set you back even further in life. So my original question is how come humans try to stop others from committing suicide when they don't know what's really best for the individual? They would never know what it's been like for the suicidal person throughout every step of their life and what the future holds for them if any. I believe if someone truly wants to die they should have the right and freedom to. Not be locked up in a mental hospital and or forced to confine in everyday life.. on and on every single day is torture and depression from the moment the eyes open till close. The suicidal thoughts never ever leave. So why are you so certain not committing suicide is for the best?
Similarly, this user,
u/Tristan_D_C_Wintle said similar things, and mentioned that if CTB wasn't so stigmatized by society and that people are able to have a way "out" if they choose to, people would overall be happier and not feel as hopeless.
I hate how suicide is so stigmatized by society, and how much guilt-tripping there is surrounding the issue. I am not "mentally ill" for being suicidal, rather my wish is a product of rational choice. I no longer believe that life is worth living and I am not interested in living it. Everything in the whole world dies in the end, and I would rather that end be sooner so as to avoid putting up with all the hardship in between. I can hardly bring myself to be interested in anything anymore, so to me the world is at best boring and at worst painful. I have little interest in "improving" either myself or the world, as both things turn to dust in the final analysis, along with any accomplishments I or anyone else might make. I just want this whole pointless existence to be over already, as I see literally no point in it continuing. I am aware that this might hurt people around me, but honestly their entire existence, let alone any pain they might feel, is as fleeting and pointless as my own. I just wish it was socially acceptable to see that suicide can be a rational decision and to act accordingly. Maybe then people would not feel so trapped in a worthless life, and would be able to commit suicide in a relatively safe and painless manner rather than using their own makeshift methods.
Another reason stated by
u/methylphenidate1 mentions about how the people in power (the elites, the rich, the ones with power, etc.) would lose their (wage) 'slaves' if the truth that life isn't always good and that life is ugly comes out mainstream.
I used to be an idealist: life was innately good and I had to set out and find that goodness. Then I realized that what a load of shit. Life is beautiful and life is ugly but it isn't good or bad. It just *is*. Nobody has the right to judge others if they don't want to embrace existence. If something is defined as a gift there is an implication of the possibility of refusal on the part of the recipient. Life is a gift, hence we have the right to refuse it, and nobody should be able to take that right away from another. The fact that someone would refuse this "gift" is why suicide is seen as such a taboo and instead of questioning the innate "goodness" of life, the person who would forfeit their life or "refuse" it is labeled as crazy and chemically lobotomized so no one else will come to the same conclusion. The rich of the world are too afraid that their slaves will opt-out upon the realization that life is ultimately pointless and not innately good or valuable and many of us will never have the things that make it worthwhile.
Finally, a post by
u/booboobearie (before it was taken down) says:
We didn't ask to be born, we were all basically forced to live in this world without a choice, so why is it wrong to want to leave it on our own terms? I never asked for this. Just because most people like being alive it doesn't mean that everyone should. If someone is honest about wanting to die everyone is quick to call them crazy or irrational, lock them up in an insitution for trying, some of us are just incapable of being happy in a world as fucked up and mundane as this. Why can't they help us and try to understand instead of constantly trying to change our mind? We are all going to die anyway so why the fuck should I continue to live out this painful life if I'm going to end up in a grave anyways.
Her post sums up how twisted and crazy the world is and that anything that challenges or questions the worldview of how "life is great" and "how death is bad, CTB is wrong" gets shut down and/or censored. Furthermore, many people in society always want to change pro-choicers mind to become pro-life or at best, give inadequate, subjective answers.
In short, I believe that whether life is great or not, is rather subjective rather than objective. Life is also a state that no living sentient being chooses but was rather imposed upon, therefore, we should at least have the option to (peacefully) exit this existence. Sadly, we do not and the best we have is to "secretly" gather methods, avoid detection, muster up the courage and override our SI, and then attempt, which still leaves room for error (depending on method). Thus, we are not 'free' if we have to secretly exercise the forbidden act (forbidden by society at large, prolifers) and/or having to gain approval to do so (for the terminally ill - which even then, could still be denied).
