Help The many worlds interpretation and suicide

[FlatHead]

So...this is an extremely unusual concern that I have. I've discussed it with multiple therapists/psychiatrists, as well as people close to me (not necessarily how this plays into the idea of death), but most don't really seem to take it seriously as a real thing, which honestly I understand-it does certainly FEEL like pop pseudoscience, closer to science fiction than anything. But it still is a major concern I have, all the same.

I'm sure we've all heard of the idea, or one of its many variants, but I'll explain the original idea all the same, for posterity. In physics, there seem to be many phenomena where the outcomes are random. Mostly involving individual particles colliding and the exact results being not entirely deterministic, but having some randomness to it. There exists a commonly discussed hypothesis that, when these random things happen, it is in fact the case that ALL possible outcomes occur. That the world itself branches or splinters, with every single possible result from every one of these "random" events all happening simultaneously, but in separate branches.

It's not something that has been confirmed. For the time being, there's no real way of proving or disproving it. And, to be perfectly honest, a lot of the math and science behind it is completely beyond my grasp. But...from what I've read, it has a high certainty of being true, and if it's NOT true, than we simply have to accept even stranger and (to me), even more contrived explanations.

Here's the thing: suicide methods generally have some % chance of failing. Even the seemingly most effective ones have a surprisingly high rate of failure. I've seen studies indicating that up to 20% of people who attempt death by gunshot survive. Now, some of that may be up to factors that the person could have controlled. But I worry that some truly, or close to truly random factors may influence things. A slight twitch of the hand at the last moment, a misfire of the gun, the bullet taking a slightly different than expected trajectory, the same happening to the wave of damage from it's impact...

The same applies to the pills that are commonly discussed here. There's so many small things that can happen with how your body reacts to stuff, that people do end up surviving. Even if they follow guides to the letter, it seems to sometimes just happen.

I've been researching different suicide methods and their % chances of completion. And I honestly can't really find one with a 100% chance. The best I can find is certain studies saying that certain methods were like 98% successful.

And, when combined with the MWI, this becomes extremely concerning. Whatever I try, I will ALWAYS survive. That is to say, there will be branches of the timeline where I die, as well as branches where I live. The branches where I live happen to be branches where I could experience tremendous amounts of pain, as well as very likely permanent injuries, perhaps including lifelong paralysis that prevents me from doing so again (which sounds like hell) and being locked up or physically restrained for my attempt.

What I am looking for is something with a true, 100% chance of killing me.

Right now, what I'm looking into is methods of instantly and completely destroying the brain. Specifically, the quick and instantaneous flattening of my head. If my brain gets completely and utterly obliterated, there should simply be no way that I continue living.

Initially, I was considering just dropping a very heavy object on my head-my couch, or perhaps my oven or laundry machines, especially if I can load them up with stuff. But, I think that even that has too high of a chance of survival (that is to say, any chance higher than 0%). Apparently, human bone is stronger than steel. The human body is shockingly and very inconveniently resistant to damage.

I'm looking into machinery, often industrial machinery, that I could use to crush my head. I've been researching hydraulic and pneumatic presses, but it's tricky to find accessible information as I am not familiar with a lot of the jargon. I would need something capable of applying enough force to crush the human skull (and the brain inside of it), and I would need it to do it FAST-fast enough that I wouldn't even perceive it happening, y'know? If the process is slow than that creates the opportunity for me to perceive and be aware of a crushing force being applied to my head, and the pain involved in that, even if it's only for a few moments. I've seen ones that move very slowly, as well as ones that move with insane speed to the point that it's hard to track them with your eye-the latter is more useful to me, as I wouldn't even have time to process what is happening. I'd also like to be able to have it time delayed so that this process can happen while I am asleep with my head under it. Even better, if I can have it controlled by a computer-that way I'd be able to set it up with one of those apps that detect once you're asleep, and make it so that that triggers the crushing of my head, as well as triggering automated messages to my loved ones shortly after. It would also be for the best if it was big enough to crush my entire head at once, as opposed to small and moreso punching a hole THROUGH my head, as I worry that the surrounding unsquished parts of my brain would remain conscious. However, I think it might be possible to simply attach a large metal plate to it if it was small so that it would cover my entire head properly.

I've also considered using explosives for a similar purpose, but Canadian laws make those much harder to acquire, and I'd prefer not to run afoul of the law. However, it is a possibility, and I am open to other possibilities along the lines of "quick and total destruction of the brain"/"0% chance of survival plan" other than flattening or exploding my head, if anyone has any suggestions.

I would greatly appreciate if anyone could offer any help or suggestions for this method, such as directing me towards any tools or products that you think might be usable, or explaining to me details of their use or operation or secondary tools that might not be immediately obvious to me. I have, at most...a couple hundred, possibly a thousand plus a couple hundred dollars to spend. Canadian dollars.

One final thing: the main issue where I could see this failing is, of course, a mechanical failure. However, it is important to note that, if the machine were to simply fail and not activate, I wouldn't be injured whatsoever, and nobody would ever know that I did anything. In that sense, having a 0% survival rate isn't so much important, as long as it's either I fully die or I fully survive. However, I do worry that these machines could somehow fail partway through pressing me, or alternatively not press with the amount of force that they were supposed to. From my understanding of how they work, I'm not sure if that's possible-it seems to be all very physical stuff involving air and pressure and stuff, which...many worlds interpretation aside, the laws of physics will ALWAYS continue to apply, and if something trips off such an extreme amount of pressure, it simply MUST be released one way or another. That is to say, I don't think that it can only "half crush" me, I think that a mechanical failure would instead be more like the machine as a whole fails to activate altogether, which as I said would actually be fine. But I'm not completely confident that I am correct.

Any help, guidance, or answers to any of my questions is immensely appreciated. Thank you for your time.

 

[Endeavour]

It's been discussed here many times before, to cut to the chase either you believe it or you don't.

No one here will be able to give you a definitive answer.

This should really be in off topic.

 

[FlatHead]

It's been discussed here many times before, to cut to the chase either you believe it or you don't.

No one here will be able to give you a definitive answer.

This should really be in off topic.

I searched for it, but I wasn't able to find anything really relevant to my concerns.

In any event, this isn't meant to be a discussion about whether or not it's true or not. This is me asking for advice and guidance on specific methods to ctb, so it's not really any different than the many threads asking about N, the exit bag, or other methods.

 

[k75]

I honestly have no idea how you'd reasonably accomplish any of those things. But if it brings you any peace at all, even if the theory is true, you are the only you in this universe. You can't possibly control anything else, but you won't experience any of those other hypothetical realities either. If reality splinters, you won't feel it. Because you're HERE. There's always an opposite outcome, even if you're completely obliterated here. There's already a version where you never even made this post.

I realize this probably just adds to your worries, but my point is it doesn't need to be as complicated, stressful, or destructive as you're thinking. The outcome will be the same. There are no guarantees, but simpler is usually the way to go. Less points of failure.

 

[FlatHead]

I honestly have no idea how you'd reasonably accomplish any of those things. But if it brings you any peace at all, even if the theory is true, you are the only you in this universe. You can't possibly control anything else, but you won't experience any of those other hypothetical realities either. If reality splinters, you won't feel it. Because you're HERE. There's always an opposite outcome, even if you're completely obliterated here. There's already a version where you never even made this post.

I realize this probably just adds to your worries, but my point is it doesn't need to be as complicated, stressful, or destructive as you're thinking. The outcome will be the same. There are no guarantees, but simpler is usually the way to go. Less points of failure.

When reality splinters, it duplicates me. One here, one there. Every single time. If MWI is true, than I will certainly experience all possible outcomes of every decision I make.

Keep in mind, the splintering hasn't happened yet. There would be many other splinterings happening right now, if MWI is true, but the splinter from me crushing my head hasn't happened yet because I haven't done it yet. Once I actually do it, I will be duplicated, and there will be many, many slight variations of the event, each filled with duplicates of me. None of the duplicates of me in these other splinters have a special "me-ness" property to them that makes them more me than the others. ALL are just as equally me. So I'll experience whatever awful outcomes that come from me surviving by accident.

I've been able to find pneumatic press devices being sold on online retailers for several hundred dollars. And hydraulic presses. And hydro-pneumatic presses. To be honest, I'm not super clear what the distinction is. But some of them seem to be able to press with both extreme force and, crucially, extreme SPEED, fast enough that once they are triggered I wouldn't be able to process what was happening before I died. I would have no awareness of what transpires because it would happen so quickly, especially if I'm asleep during. This is my thinking in regards to how I would reasonably accomplish any of these things.

 

[k75]

Keep in mind, the splintering hasn't happened yet. There would be many other splinterings happening right now, if MWI is true, but the splinter from me crushing my head hasn't happened yet because I haven't done it yet. Once I actually do it, I will be duplicated, and there will be many, many slight variations of the event, each filled with duplicates of me. None of the duplicates of me in these other splinters have a special "me-ness" property to them that makes them more me than the others. ALL are just as equally me. So I'll experience whatever awful outcomes that come from me surviving by accident.

Yeah, except you won't experience it. Are you feeling those other realities now? Do you feel their pain or joy? They might or might not exist, but they do not matter.

I feel like you're torturing yourself with this. By your own logic, it probably actually has happened. You could be a splinter that survived when another did what you're contemplating here.

You can't control any of it! But you also aren't even remotely affected by it. So why stress so much when it doesn't affect the version of you that's here, right now, worrying about it?

But if you're so determined, I heard someone made a very effective home guillotine and used it. There's plenty of documentation online.

 

[FlatHead]

Yeah, except you won't experience it. Are you feeling those other realities now? Do you feel their pain or joy?

Yes.

Or, to put it another way, the suffering that those dupes feel counts just as much. If we took MWI out of the equation, and simply said that my suicide device caused another person to experience severe head trauma, pain, and paralysis without dying, then I wouldn't want to do that. I avoid taking actions that hurt others, if possible.

A while back, I got into a car accident, as the passenger when the vehicle I was in moved forward on the green light and another car ran a red and hit us. It wasn't super super serious, but I was pretty severely injured. I was in a LOT of pain for a good long while, and remained in pain to a lesser extreme for the next couple months as I healed. I made a full recovery.

There should exist a splinter where that other car had a mechanical failure that made it stop before hitting us. One where the lights malfunctioned and we never went forward as they never turned green and therefore didn't get hit. One where the car swerved to the side either due to the car malfunctioning or that driver having a sudden spasm to make them turn the wheel. Many, many more. Many splinters where I didn't get into a car accident.

What you're saying is like speaking to my duplicates in those other splinters where I didn't get hit and telling them the splinter where they had an accident doesn't matter because they're not in it. That's great. But here I am, and there I was, screaming in agony at the top of my lungs after getting hit. In that moment, the fact that there exist alternate me's who didn't get hit doesn't reassure me much.

The fact that there are me's who died quickly and painlessly via, say, a gun to the head as a suicide method doesn't at all reassure me when I'm in the hospital paralyzed with half my face gone and locked up for my attempt.

It's funny you mention the guillotine to the head method-that was actually my original plan. I looked up the story and instructions on building one and everything. However, I was concerned about the possibility that the head remains conscious briefly after decapitation, but perhaps more importantly, I didn't have the space to build one (they need a lot of height and I don't want to be seen doing this outside), and also it felt somewhat beyond my building skills. Pneumatic presses can be bought already put together for you. Still, I'm open to any further ideas.

 

[k75]

Yes.

Or, to put it another way, the suffering that those dupes feel counts just as much. If we took MWI out of the equation, and simply said that my suicide device caused another person to experience severe head trauma, pain, and paralysis without dying, then I wouldn't want to do that. I avoid taking actions that hurt others, if possible.

A while back, I got into a car accident, as the passenger when the vehicle I was in moved forward on the green light and another car ran a red and hit us. It wasn't super super serious, but I was pretty severely injured. I was in a LOT of pain for a good long while, and remained in pain to a lesser extreme for the next couple months as I healed. I made a full recovery.

There should exist a splinter where that other car had a mechanical failure that made it stop before hitting us. One where the lights malfunctioned and we never went forward as they never turned green and therefore didn't get hit. One where the car swerved to the side either due to the car malfunctioning or that driver having a sudden spasm to make them turn the wheel. Many, many more. Many splinters where I didn't get into a car accident.

What you're saying is like speaking to my duplicates in those other splinters where I didn't get hit and telling them the splinter where they had an accident doesn't matter because they're not in it. That's great. But here I am, and there I was, screaming in agony at the top of my lungs after getting hit. In that moment, the fact that there exist alternate me's who didn't get hit doesn't reassure me much.

The fact that there are me's who died quickly and painlessly via, say, a gun to the head as a suicide method doesn't at all reassure me when I'm in the hospital paralyzed with half my face gone and locked up for my attempt.

It's funny you mention the guillotine to the head method-that was actually my original plan. I looked up the story and instructions on building one and everything. However, I was concerned about the possibility that the head remains conscious briefly after decapitation, but perhaps more importantly, I didn't have the space to build one (they need a lot of height and I don't want to be seen doing this outside), and also it felt somewhat beyond my building skills. Pneumatic presses can be bought already put together for you. Still, I'm open to any further ideas.

I'm sorry you had to go through that. Wrecks are so scary.

My point actually is that whether or not you do anything, every possible action and outcome is happening, has happened, or will happen anyway. Whatever you do or don't do is a side effect of what another did or didn't do.

By destroying your head, you're going to destroy countless others. Which you say you wouldn't want. And you'll automatically create the "clones" that survive in all the ways, too. The only real way to not cause accidental harm is to not attempt to hurt yourself at all, but even then, there will be branch realities from that where you do with all the outcomes. It's a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. That's why it doesn't matter. For your sanity, my advice would be to try and stop overthinking it.

Anyway, I'll stop now. I'm sorry. I don't want to argue or make you feel bad. I just hate to see you agonizing so much over this possibility.