A lot of people mention selfishness when asked about suicide-well, what if someone has no family or?

Question

just one sibling who lives far away and isn't interested and who has alienated themselves from the miniscule amount of friends they had and they can no longer afford to live and have nothing and have no home and no life outside of struggling to survive. They aren't choosing suicide out of depression, but out of an inability to survive without shelter, etc. Basically, they don't have a life. What are your thoughts on this?

Answer 1

I am responding because I found some of your answers disturbing. Like Rox's answer is a great example of the Catch-22 that many run into in the kind of situation that you have expressed. She tells you there is help, says things like seek and ye shall find and then when you want to contact her there is no access. No e-mail address, no open question, nothing. It's always, there is help, but not from me. So, who then? If everyone is so busy passing the buck, who then? She is a prime example of how the system works-they call you a coward, tell you that there is help everywhere, but when you try to find it you hit a wall.
Or, Mitchell's disturbing response.
This person, that you have written about, whether it be you or not needs understanding, compassion and a kindred spirit. Perhaps they might consider going to a 12-step meeting. It costs nothing and there are many people who will relate.

Answer 2

I think the reason selfishness plays a role is because the person is committing suicide because of the 'self'. Most people agree that we're not here just to fulfill our own self's needs and wants but to help others. If our life has little meaning or is difficult, why not dedicate it to helping others? Only then does life take on meaning. A person could solve the shelter issue by volunteering his services to a homeless shelter. By helping others he'd have shelter. When we give of ourselves the universe gives back. When we come to know that each of can make a big difference in the lives of others, we see the selfishness in extinguishing our life that could've done so much for so many.

Answer 3

Suicide is not selfish any way you turn it. If there is no "self" anymore due to killing, then how it can be selfish. There is no benefit to self, so it cannot be called sefish. Still, it is not a good idea, regarding other people. If somebody cares to feed this person in the shelter, if somebody cared to build the shelter in the first place, then it is like spitting in the face of those good people. It feels to a suicider like noone cares, but it is not so.

My friend was an officer in the army. His subordinate commited suicide. It was 18 years ago. The retired officer still cannot forgive himself. No, he didn't push the soldier or anything like that. The only thing he blames himself for is for overlooking how much the guy suffered and not realizing it, not acting on it. He says that he knew that the guy was unhappy. He says, "Only if I talked to the guy on that day. Only if he talked to me. It could hav ebeen all diffrent."

I simply can't imagine that absolutely noone cares. Even if that's the case, one shoudn't give up their life. If one is relatively healthy they can do so much with their lives that they don't realize or think about. OK, live in a shelter.... That's pretty bad, doesn't get any worse. No salary, no job, no house, no money. So, really why go away if it can't get any worse? Nothing to lose, that's what it means. Ultimate freedom. Why not go volunteer for local animal shelter? One can get so much appreciation and love out of animals - all the thoughts of suicide will leave their heads forever. Really, if they are healthy enough to move around it is like stealing a good capable body from Nature and killing it. Don't take your life, donate it if you don't want it.

Selfishness has nothing to do with suicide, IMHO. Selfisheness implies "GOOD for you, (who cares about others)". Suicide means "No more you, (who cares about others)" I put it in parethesis because it is less important, it is secondary. But people tend to put it first. "Good for you" cannot possibly be equal to "No more you" because it fails the logic. If there is no more you, how can it be good for you.

Answer 4

Suicide is never selfish, because the people who are planning on doing it or have done it, their minds are on a one way track. People do it for all kinds of reasons, some because they are sick, some because, they think they are doing everyone a favor (which is never true) and some have a chemical imblance in their brain. they fall in such a deep depression that they believe that is the only way out. Like they have gone into a tunnel and can not turn back around and are forced to do such a horrible thing. my father committed suicide on Oct 19,04. And that day is soon coming up. I understand what its like to have a loved one committ such a thing and it is not lovely, but now i understand that he thought that was the only way out. He was fighting with demons as he put it in his letter and this time he could not over come them.

If you are talking about yourself or someone you know just know that you may really believe noone will miss you, noone loves you and that you maybe doing some people a favor. But, it isn't true at all. People will miss you and people do love you.

Sweetie, only someone depressed would let themselves fall into something like this, and I know what depression is, i knew it before my father and after my father. If you need anyone to talk to you may email me. I understand what its like to want to take my life I have been down that road but, I now understand that people will miss me and that I am loved.

Suicide is perment. There of course is no turning back once you do it. But, just think that there is tomarrow. There is ALWAYS tomarrow, and you can start over whenever you feel like it.

Ps, you always have a life.

Answer 5

It's an interesting question...My thoughts on it are that no matter how few people are in your life, it is still selfish to kill yourself. That's because you can't take what's not yours. God gave us each the lives we are living, and He loves us each so much. He has wonderful plans for us, and taking our lives is not part of that plan. It is selfish to take away what is not yours to take.
No matter what state a person is in, how much money they have, and how many loved ones they have, you have to hold on. Many of us entertain the idea of suicide, but in every way it is the worst answer to any problem you face.

Answer 6

So I guess I'm not the only one to ask questions on death Ha Ha.
Seriously, I hope this is not you in the question and this is purely hypothetical. I would think that it would be horrible to be in this situation. How could you not have any friends who would want to help out? I don't feel like I can really answer this, but would like to say that this person sounds like they would make a great artist of some sort. Not joking at all. I think great art comes out of great suffering.

Answer 7

It is the lack of desire to seek a better reason, purpose , the lack of urge to reach the fundamentals of life.
Even a casual look around convinces us that animals are cheerful , peaceful with no sense of relationship even, to others of its kind.... only the young ones till some time, manages to hover around just one of its kind, the mother !
So human has much more capability than to just hang around seeking the 'herd' like company !
Any person who has taken trouble to experience that he CAN indeed feel that everything around is a part of him, will never feel alone or even lonely (be it a crowd too ! )....
A simple way (not easy though) , is to become a loving person, starting with love to self !

Answer 8

This is a sad sad thing. My father committed sucide about 8 years ago, and I hated him for it. But now I realize it was his choice, and at times I also think about it. It hurts if you have family but they will get over it. They have to understand how you were feeling. I don't condone it , but sometimes you are so depressed you can't fight it off.. God bless them and I hope they find a happier place. Lee

Answer 9

You would have to be a idiot to get that way in the first place. Unless you had no arms and legs, yea your still being selfish cause you could work at burger king or something. Sounds like they would be to lazy even to kill thier self.

Answer 10

Suicide is immoral, but a Rabbi who wrote a book was asked this question, and he responded by saying that it is wrong to deliberately kill yourself, but if it is caused by untreated depression or mental illness, it cannot be considered true suicide.

If you or anyone you know is having problems, you should call a counsellor or go to emergency for help.

http://www.save.org

http://www.afsp.org