Before I became depressed I would have answered this question with a for sure “yes” and now that I have been depressed for as long as I have I feel that it is the least selfish thing a depressed person can do. Many people (Mainly those who haven’t been suicidal) would say it is very selfish because of the pain you will be causing to those who loved you… So they are basically saying “just so you don’t cause pain to others you should bare the pain and suffering of your life, live without happiness and joy just so others can stay happy” In my opinion it is those people who are selfish, I’m aware that suicide causes pain but this “pain” is unavoidable..
People will without a doubt think I’m a bad person or “wrong” for saying this, but I believe suicide is in some situations a good thing, there are some situations in which there can be no happiness, no joy… Where you will be living an empty and meaningless life for quite some time…
So my answer to this question is, no. But I am interested in hearing others opinions, but before you answer I want you to take a moment and if your answer is “yes” to picture yourself in the shoes of someone who is suicidal, try and imagine the pain they are going through.. And if them ending it is truly selfish.
8 comments
I don’t think it is selfish. My sister committed suicide after years of being strung out on drugs and alchohol. She was in a lot of pain and when she took her life I knew her pain was over. I also don’t think its weak. If suicide was the easy way out unfortunately myself and more people would have suceeded in taking their oen life. BUT it also depends on the situation. I have young kids who still need me and I have come to realize it would be selfish of me to take my own life. That doesn’t mean I don’t think about it.
No,not selfish.The world is selfish,I wouldn’t give a sh1t.All I’m worried about is some a$$hole trying to revive me.
Hi Soro. My impression of this site is that more people would agree with you than not. In fact I’ve heard the same arguments before here…that actually it is those who expect us to live in misery to spare them any ‘pain’ who are selfish.
Also people have said, well, we’re all selfish in any case. We are motivated by self-preservation, self-interest and so on.
Your argument more than stands up IMHO.
Zx
I completely agree with you soro.. I too used to think suicide was selfish having witnessed my brother make numerous attempts.. But now I’m in the same position i no longer view it as a selfish act, and those that want you to ‘stick around’ for the sake of themselves are the selfish ones. Unless you have been truely sucidal I don’t think they can have a point of veiw on it.
is it selfish to suck in a breath of oxygen? … or to kill a plant or animal to consume for our own sustenance? there’s no getting around that the act of suicide ‘benefits the person who suicides … just like eating a hamburger benefits us … but those who are telling us that suicide is “selfish” is no different than telling us to stop using oxygen or killing animals to ea …. they tell us that for their OWN selfish reasons because they’d prefer to not deal with the outcome of our demise … but everyone dies and they will need to face that outcome one way or the other
that said, in some sense we need to ask why to they care enough to want us to stay? do we have more value to the world than we think? so people will parrot the “it’s selfish” mantra because that’s the only thing they know about suicide and how to “deal” with it … but others may really have a need for us in their lives – and we should carefully weigh their needs as a part of our decision to commit – to some degree we may owe it to them to try to hold out a little longer because they have selflessly invested in us and in return we should selflessly consider paying them back for heir support and assistance
only you can make the determination as to what is fair and equitable – if the person who is telling you how “selfish” you’d be by committing is only doing so to suck more life out of you … then you owe them nothing and what they “think” has no value.
balanced scale dawg
Your post just inspired me for my next english report! Very true, since I feel this way right now.
Some people kill themselves because they believe they’re a burden to their family and friends. In those cases, suicide would seem like an act of self-sacrifice, not selfishness. But then again, people take their own lives for a number of reasons, and this is just one reason.
living is selfish.
look at what the human community has done to the beautiful Earth.