Why might it be considered immoral or unethical to take your own life or one of your own?

Question

In a life threatening event, do different values affect how you think and react before training kicks in ? Is this even valid when it happens to one of your own?


Fielding both casual and earnest opinions.

ABRIDGED
In general, few social conditions justify taking of life, such as Darwin’s survival of the fittest and the method that conscience brings to bear.(Jazz) Considerations include:
- Existentialist accountability of self to the other – Newle..
- From religious exegesis where God transcends everything including reason, taking of life is on pain of purgatory, save that of preservation in the face of aggression.(kara s)

In contrast:
- Social conditioning (values) is intellectually discursive. Were conditions compressed in an instance, the duress caused by not knowing is beyond rapprochement.(fenci.., echoed by carme..)
- Loosely termed Fatalism that it is the way of the world; morals and ethics are artifical constructs. (euan_..)
- Pragmatism whereupon preconditioning of training supercedes social constructs.(dcukl..)
- In an isolated perspective, tactical ability (resources, etc) diminishes the synergy of the ‘team’.(MikeJ..)

Universality of Truth:
- In the eyes of the beholder, the grass is greener on the other side. Denial of opportunities (life for life itself) is a solitary act of self motivated. Where Soulis’s act of desperation(1), without judgement, is nonetheless a woeful circumstance, the Amish community’s reaction to the murders is illustrative of an ethical and moral divide from contemporary values.(Australian values.) A contemporary interpretation: it is neither the individual’s nor collective right to judge. Of preconditioning in peace time, is where the fundamental lies. Therein, A true expression of ideals.(67Imp..)
- Of similar support and further to that, the values born or inferred from preconditioning is a truth. A truth subsequently tempered to meet socially acceptable constructs of the collective, whereas the smallest unit of concern to the individual is the family.(blanc..)

Encapsulating Collective over Individual, rather than viewing it as a diaspora of ideas:
Diminishing the parts neither constitutes not invalidates the whole(collective).(rwi4e..)

(1) The context of life expressed in all its mannerisms of the Souliotes backed by its sovereignty, in translation, could be compared to making America a proletariat commune. The threats faced by the Souliotes under Turkish and orthodox Greek governance was precisely that in nature.
(http://www.licacatsakis.com/page37.html) (http://www.epirusnews.gr/history/souli/)

Answer 1

...mate, life is a gift, I whinge and whinge about trivial things all the time...and this and that...then I realize, it could always be worse.

LIFE IS A GIFT - a gift to do anything, the human vessel is capable of anything. life is a gift not to be wasted...simple...it is selfish to take your own life in any general situation and a waste(no matter what)...due to my previous comments.

I have a small documented footnote from Greek history...The only people left in the town of Souli after the men were off fighting the war were women(in Northern Greece) the Souliotises(women from Souli)..............these women sang and danced their traditional Greek dances off A CLIFF FACE!! and threw all their babies off the cliff also rather than be captured & raped etc by their oppressive enemy...!! - Whether it was right or wrong, it is sad, and I pity them for having to make that decision.
I will always remember how the Amish community reacted to the killers(murderers of 6 schoolgirls in the U.S. earlier this year) family(they invited them to their daughters funerals) and forgave...hard to do...but it shows how ethical these people are and a lot about their morals and ours(i suppose western society-I'm from Aust).
Regarding: "...in a life threatening situation..." seriously who am I, or we to judge anyone. Really I pity anyone in that situation...and all the training in the world(in relation to soldier) cannot prepare you...the training is there to hopefully just get u in a repetitive state to respond to the situation at hand...they are people, otherwise, soldiers wouldn't go AWOL, wouldn't defect, wouldn't be scared, wouldn't surrender if they weren't just people...

Answer 2

in case you had a pal or relatives member and he/she is committing suicide, will you walk away or supply up it? in case you observed a stranger status on the sting of a cliff, might you a minimum of supply up by to declare some thing. in case you do no longer might you have a non violent night? in case you have been born with no longer something and bare, what worse could desire to ensue to a minimum of one to need to commit suicide? answer the above questions and you experience of right and incorrect enable you comprehend notwithstanding if it is ethical or immoral. the 2d we are residing selfishly for ouselves, our burden turns into rock heavy. as quickly as we are residing to make this international a greater suitable place with notwithstanding skills we've, our burden isn't substantial to us anymore. character can not be obtained in ease and quiet...and absence of existence in the face of defeat particular does no longer say lots approximately character. I shall no longer flow lots into the non secular factors, yet then is this existence ours to good purchase with? Being careful as quickly as we are having fulfillment and being reckless while in the dumps....we glance some variety of dealer. Our existence isn't an fairness.

Answer 3

Not many things justify taking someone's life. Even if it's your own (unless you don't know anyone and have no family), as you might hurt someone in the process. If it's a sacrifice for a cause you believe is right, then it's up to you, but remember, a lot of people do that, they are called kamikaze. In the event that someone attacked you or someone close to you with intent to kill, then we live in a society of eat or be eaten. Your call. One last thing, would you prefer dying to protect something or someone, than to live with the fact you know you killed someone ?

Answer 4

I'm sure values make you think differently, but think of this:if the world was going to end in say, 3 mintues, there were meteors falling, or bad people were coming into your home to enslave your family, would you rather kill your family then yourself so they don't have to go through that, or would you rather be separated from them, knowing that they are enslaved but not knowing anything else like how they're being treated or even if they are still alive? I would pick the former.

Answer 5

There is a book called Tornado Down.

Relating to a RAF Tornado shot down in the Gulf War 1991. Both pilot and navigator were captured after a small fire fight in which they only had pistols.. There are a few pages in that book which go on about both of them down to there last bullets considering shooting them selves and what was going through there minds. Its a very interesting read.

As for me i dont think you'd be worrying about the moral or ethical effects. You just switch on and get on with it.

Answer 6

I agree with the person above. I would do the same thing. I could not bear the thought of not knowing what has happened to my family nor if they were being hurt. I have thought I would never kill anyone but now I think I would if someone came to kill anyone of my family. It is unimaginable and I hope it never happens to anyone.

Answer 7

to tell you the truth you dont even think about values you just react. you dont even think whats right and wrong you just want to get you and your buddys out without a scratch. witch unfortunatly its not always that way but you do what you can to keep yourself and the person next to you alive. you dont think till after the fact and the first thing that pops into your head is your family.

Answer 8

People have to deal with hurt its the way of the world there is nothing immoral or unethical about killing yourself in all light of things it aint that big a deal its your life afterall.

Answer 9

In a religious standpoint its not your life to take. God gave it to you so thats why you go to hell if you take your life. As for taking someone else's life same applies. Unless it is a means of defense.

Answer 10

It weakens the collective group of soldiers on ones own side