Emy wrote:
Does your definition of suicide exclude euthanasia?
What i mean is, if someone who is dying slowly, painfully, and incurably, is that person's taking his or her own life suicide under you definition?
No, my definition does not exclude euthanasia. This is why I disagree with ptlis.
ptlis wrote:
...so killing yourself is in effect ending everything, you'll cease to exist... bad.
Not necessarily.
Everyone does what they can to have more happiness than suffering, whether it be through money, artistic expression, love, or other fufillment of personal ambition. If there's genuinely more pain than happiness in store for one's future, it seems only logical to go for the path with more happiness and less suffering (and please disregard any guilt for doing so; you won't be feeling it, most likely). It would be, frankly, stupid to purposefully cause oneself pain when it could be avoided. If one is in a concentration camp, knowing they will worked to death, or worked and then executed, and they don't get much out of the whole 'work for your oppressors" thing, then quick death seems the better option compared to pain, then death, no?
That isn't saying I think most suicides are justified; I think it's generally a very foolish idea. There are exceptions, but most situations wherein suffering is greater than happiness can be rectified, can be fixed, albeit often through large amounts of effort. If one doesn't have the force of will to go through this effort...well, I'm certainly not in a position to say whether that's weak, or just normal. Nor, for that matter, am I really in a position to say whether there are cases of psychological damage where it would take more time (and suffering) to treat than is worth it, though I believe it possible.
Herbal Enema wrote:
I've already determined that if I own my own country (or rule the world, you know, whatever works), then Attempted Suicide will be a crime punishable by death. ("You can't do it yourself? Let us help!")
I <i>do</i> like the amount of bullshit that would get rid of. I know at least one person who "attempted suicide" for the sake of attention.