Suicide? Does it require a great deal of courage?

Question

Or a great deal of chicken?

Certainly no shortage of judgmental people here!

This forum seems very divided about this question...hmmm....

Answer 1

Courage.

The opposite of hiding behind a belief system to explain the unknown, which is cowardice.

For Christians to judge someone who even needed to consider that route is hypocritical. Judge not, lest ye be judged. Perhaps your "God" gave that person more than they could take.

Their suicide would also be part of his plan, wouldn't it? Who are you to judge God's plan?

Answer 2

Suicide is a desperate act. Sometimes done due to illness and not wanting to face a grim death on someone else's terms, i. e. chemo, hospitals, tubes, etc. Sometimes suicide is committed because a person is filled with such loneliness and despair, they do not see the point of staying around. Most of the time, suicide attempts are an act of panic, a cry for help, though the person attempting may fully intend to die.
Suicide is cruel, the suicide often feels that he/she is only hurting themselves. The physical act may take courage but the reasoning is behind the act is selfish, though not always intended to be that by the one who commits the act.

Answer 3

No doubt, definitely one needs to have the courage when not to fear for taking this extreme step of a painful end to life which is instantly motivated by a state of despair and depression! It has not left even the most talented and successful and even the intellectuals including the Philosophers, Scientists, Emperors,Kings,Queens and the world renowned excellent artists to end life in this way, leaving not many good and acceptable reasons for their decision!

The best way to overcome this, is just to have A LITTLE MORE COURAGE TO BE ALIVE AT LEAST TO CHECK FOR THE POSSIBILITY FOR SURVIVAL and to have a counselling as are available at free of cost from the experts who can give the NEEDED CONFIDENCE AND THE COURAGE for the survival!

Answer 4

It requires a great deal of courage to continue living. Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Everything changes. Living is the best revenge; it frustrates your enemies that you're still alive, and your friends will be happier too.

Answer 5

For the person living in peace and who has ended up a drug addict, committing suicide feels their cowardice is a sign of great courage. Their addiction causes and at the same time masks a great deal of pain and trying to deal with the pain hurts to the point where they can't bear life anymore.

Someone who has lost their family through war and has endured war and suffering and can't take any more (eg: Hiroshima survivors, someone in a Stalin or Nazi death camp, a survivor of childhood sexual assault by catholic clergy in northern residental schools, someone being tortured during the Crusades, etc...) could be excused from wanting to stop the savagery that life turned into.

Understanding suicide really depends on the context in which their life has turned and what measure of suffering and brutality they have had to endure, if any.

Ultimately suicide does not solve anything, it merely stops the pain the person is experiencing but does not solve the root cause of the suffering.

Answer 6

It requires a great deal of chicken. As everything in life has choices and your personal choices have ramifications. If you choose the wrong way then be a adult about it and repent and then be strong enough to forgive yourself and move on with your life. What happens today will not effect your tomorrow unless you decide it will. If you want suicide over life then that is your choice but the great courage is to take the repentance and results as a badge of courage and let your life continue. It is only the small minds or sick non thinking humans that think taking ones life will solve the problem. Very selfish to, as your life effects many others and their well being. One is not an Island in this world even though some small time in their lives it feels that they are.

Answer 7

To even consider suicide one must have to be in alot of pain; either physically, psychologically or both. Being a survivor of a serious suicide attempt myself, I can tell you quite honestly that NO one should judge one who has experienced enough pain to simply want to end life as they know it.

It is however, admitting that you no longer want to fight for your right to live, and thus a very selfish act in and of itself. It gives no thought for those left behind; parents, siblings, spouses, friends, who will all carry with them some guilt at not having done something to make a difference.

It takes true courage to admit when help is needed to overcome such feelings of hopelessness and despair, and to reach out to others instead of plodding on to destroy your own life. Its amazing how ridiculous it all seems when you look back years later....you wonder how you could have ever thot things to be so bleak and void of any other possible solution.

I would venture to guess that everyone, at one time or another has wished they were dead. When you go beyond that , you need to seek help. Had I succeeded that day in taking my own life, I would have missed many wonderful things that God had planned for me and that I couldnt have possibly dreamt were part of my future.

Dying is something we will all face with NO help, sooner or later. Dont hasten its appearance foolishly. Your life has meaning to those who love you.

Answer 8

Very good question. Some say it takes great courage, others say it is the ultimate "chicken" way out and still others believe it is a logical choice.
It depends on the circumstances. If you have terminal cancer, you have to weigh your life vs prolonged pain; if you are a confused, young person, get help.
I don't mean to preach, I just hate to see someone pondering the end of their life.

Answer 9

I have thought about this question more than anyone in the world.
I plan to study suicide when I finish school.

My belief on Suicide is that a person who commits it must have A LOT of courage to kill themselves.
To actually know you're going to die and not be on this earth tomorrow.
To stick a gun to your head, a razor to your wrist how is that not courage?
Some people have told me they think it isn't' courage, it's actually a state of blankness your mind slips into and you are just void of all feelings.
I really believe that theory too, but it takes courage to come up with the idea to kill yourself.
So I believe its both.

Answer 10

Not in my opinion. Suicide is about being too weak and selfish to deal with problems full-on. Selfish because you leave behind people who love you and are shattered by your thoughtless actions.
Real courage is coming to grips with whatever issues may occur in a rational way and learning from them.
Maybe terminally ill people may think they have an excuse but I believe in letting nature run its course.

Answer 11

Suicide takes a great deal of deception, by the author of death, through his minions, the demonic spirits. They want to rush a person into their same position. That old cliché actually has something to it, misery DOES love company.