The drive to live, to fight for life is one of the most fundamental drives in nature. It is common to all life forms, and indeed in many interpretations forms that basis of the definition of life itself.
However, humans seem to be unique in the ability to turn off or short circuit this most fundamental of drives. This may take the form of one person giving up their life for another, as in the case of one person stepping in front of a bullet for someone else or someone jumping to their death off a tall building. Both of these involve giving up ones life. Now while we may attach noble qualities to the person who stepped in front of the bullet and (sometimes quite incorrectly) selfish qualities to the person who jumps off the building, the base question still remains.
How is it that we, as just another form of animal, can turn off or plain ignore one of your most basic and fundamental drives?
AND
How does this impact on the way that we as humans operate?
SERIOUS ANSERS ONLY!
Thanks.
2007-06-08 23:25:02 · 10 answers · asked by Arthur N 4 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
A super question.... led me to some deep thinking.
To survive and continue to live on is instinct. Having a lower level of intelligence, the animals can not but be governed by the powerful instinct.
Human beings are a step higher in level of intelligence.... what it really means is that we have a much stronger level of logical thinking and emotional affectation.... this higher degree of logic and emotion means that we can at times overrule our natural instinctive behaviour either through logical thinking or through being driven by high emotion. This is what, in my view, leads to suicide and martyrdom among human beings.
2007-06-09 03:08:42 · answer #1 · answered by small 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I'm not certain about the statement "can turn off or plain ignore...fundamental drives." Survival is, I agree, an instinct. Part of survival is, say, eating--many choose not to do that (anorexics, or other such like); having sex (many choose not to do that either) and so on. Other things we know are deadly--smoking, drinking to excess, overeating--are those people consciously turning off a drive? They are killing themselves, and they know it. People who kill themselves quickly do not do so because of media influences (as suggested by someone on here) or at least that has never been proven. People commit suicide because they are tired of struggling. In their minds, it's as viable an option as anything else. They haven't turned anything off, haven't ignored anything, they've made a choice to stop living. People say they are selfish--a lot of judgmental people in the world, I'd say. When a close family member committed suicide, the first thing everyone said was "how selfish." Well, for him, it was a matter of letting go of years of built-up pain, and had anyone known his life, that comment would never have been made. The fact that he kept living as long as he did was miraculous. Would anything like a serious illness or severe deformity mitigate people's position on suicide? Are there "legitimate" reasons? And as for people who take the bullet for someone else...is that instinct? Did they consciously want to die, or did they do it to protect someone they loved? I'm not sure anything is turned off there either. I think in both situations, people are very conscious of what they're doing and have exercised a choice. It's not weakness, it's not failure, it's not selfishness, it's not turning off a fundamental drive. It's a choice to end what is, for them, a very painful existence.
2007-06-09 10:56:37 · answer #2 · answered by teeleecee 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Okay, I read on, but I will simply answer the original question. I feel that suicide may lie somewhere between insanity and choice. However, who can decipher what is or isn't insanity? Example: recently people have declared Britney Spears' actions as "crazy," I think they should leave her the hell alone. She seems pretty normal to me. She is going through a divorce and many women have handled it worse. So I digress. Ultimately, I think that suicide leans more toward choice. As far as those who think that it is a "cop out" or a weakness...screw you. I think it takes guts to commit suicide. For one to truly sit there and kill themselves it quite poetic. As far as the "noble way" is concerned...aren't both noble in different ways? one is noble in an instant without thought, and the other is the same, but both for different reasons, yet both are beneficial for different reasons, but the biggest difference is that with one you may find yourself a hero, and with the other you may find yourself a coward...or even unnoticed...
2007-06-10 04:42:32 · answer #3 · answered by alimon72 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Suicide is a choice. All animals in the animal kingdom will kill to protect their offspring....that is a form of suicide. Suicide is often the result of depression and in my thinking it takes a lot of courage to commit such an act. Heroism is a form of suicide. Many people resort to suicide because they have made the decision that life is too painful to keep living it.
2007-06-09 16:39:02 · answer #4 · answered by Joline 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I remember my teacher talking about this when i was a senior in highschool..which was 2 years ago..
he said,how is it that all other animals,if hunters are after them etc,they run and want to live and survive.
but us humans can commit suicide.
But of course God made us a bit different...we have free will to do what we want.
Often i admit,hey im weak,i think about suicide...honestly,if your in this world and dont get depressed once in a while,then hell your the weird one,you'd have to get depressed living in a crazy world like ours!!!
Anyways,many ppl who do commit suicide have a psychological or mental disorder...something is wrong with them,they need help,a wake up call. Of course suicide is the easy way out,but if someone is so far gone into depression and their mental illness is going uncured...well..they figure they cant take it anymore,maybe they dont even know whats really wrong with them and kill themselves.
2007-06-09 06:47:58 · answer #5 · answered by yahooaddict 4 · 3⤊ 1⤋
This is a logical problem. If you choose to believe that these are instincts, you are also choosing to believe that anyone can override an extinct. Instinctual behaviour is argued as being that which cannot be overridden. This is a paradox.
The notion of a will to live and a will to die has been around for thousands of years.
2007-06-09 08:29:17 · answer #6 · answered by guru 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
i dont know why but i dont feel bad about people who commit suicide or give up their lives for others....
in the 1st case.. i feel that i can never understand what led him commit suicide and so i should rather not pass cheap judgments. everyone wants to live and the temptation to give up life, trust me is no easy...... who on earth can tell that may be his life had become a hell and death seemed the only bright option... please dont argue saying he could have fought......
some crisis really have no solutions.......
god, has only given humans this privilege to turn off their game and i believe its for some reason..... its not insanity but the last choice.. after all he was a human and could not take more... so he decided to end it and thats fair enough..........
2nd case... dying for some one Else's life is saintly.... no tom dick and harry has guts to do that....... frankly speaking..... doing that is beyond my imagination... its not insanity but bravery !
2007-06-09 06:38:46 · answer #7 · answered by in search of utopia 2 · 3⤊ 1⤋
The world is far too soft and mushy, people are taught not expect suffering, then they cant handle reality.
Suicide has always been within humanity but the number of "selfish" suicides has increased greatly due to media and culture.
Also look at the "rock music" culture like "papa roach" if that shite, is popular no wonder suicide has become more common.
2007-06-09 06:34:39 · answer #8 · answered by Link , Padawan of Yoda 5 · 0⤊ 4⤋
suicide=sometimes the choice of necessity
2007-06-09 06:34:40 · answer #9 · answered by mihai s 1 · 1⤊ 2⤋
i feel most people who comit suicide are very weak individuals, they " DONT WANT TO DEAL" which is the easy way out, which is very selfish to me.... now the ones who talk about comitting suicide to me only want attention, i say that because most who actually comit suicide dont tell anyone, they just do it... to me nothing or nobody is worh killing ones self over.... society always looks for the easy way out , it takes faith and strong will to face certain sitations, life is a learning expirence,whenever you get thru it, you always learn from it, but suicide is cowardly & wrong.
2007-06-09 06:39:31 · answer #10 · answered by amy j 2 · 0⤊ 6⤋