Is suicide wrong?

[paulpablo]

The answer definitely depends on the situation.

I could decide right now that despite all the loving care my parents have given me in their life that it would be funny to kill myself just to leave them distraught because I feel like it.
I could get a drill and give myself some sort of crude lobotomy right here in the living room where they would find me and probably scream and cry and be mentally scarred for the rest of their lives.

On the other hand I might be 89 years old, diagnosed with cancer of an unknown primary origin that's scattered through my body and incurable while at the same time as being riddled with arthritis and I might just want too much morphine so I can finally die.

It's like asking is eating food morally wrong?

It is if you're fat and you just had a 3 course meal and next to you is a person dying of starvation and you're eating his food aswell as what you just ate. It isn't if you're very hungry.

[Silver]

it would be funny to kill myself just to leave them distraught because I feel like it.

Except that is not how suicides tend to work. Usually, the last thing the depressed individual thinks about is the effect his death will have on others, because what is foremost in his mind is ending his misery. Yes, his misery, because one's personal interests comes before that of any other (how can he properly invest in anyone when his misery is weighing him down?), and it would be selfish for anyone to say that he must continue to suffer for the benefits of others just because others might be sad at his suicide.

[paulpablo]

it would be funny to kill myself just to leave them distraught because I feel like it.

Except that is not how suicides tend to work. Usually, the last thing the depressed individual thinks about is the effect his death will have on others, because what is foremost in his mind is ending his misery. Yes, his misery, because one's personal interests comes before that of any other (how can he properly invest in anyone when his misery is weighing him down?), and it would be selfish for anyone to say that he must continue to suffer for the benefits of others just because others might be sad at his suicide.

Well then you're making assumptions about the suicide before answering the question on is suicide wrong or not.

[Silver]

Well then you're making assumptions about the suicide before answering the question on is suicide wrong or not.

Except that suicide is not wrong in any personal case.

Those who view suicide as wrong are placing their ego above the suicidal individual's need for personal peace.

There is no rational reason for a depressed individual to cater to others if his staying around will only cause him to suffer further. That would be entirely destructive to him. Those he leaves behind will get over it.

It is the same situation as a breakup. Do you stay with the other individual even though s/he makes you miserable or do you break up with the individual for your own personal peace? Sure, the other person is going to be upset with the break up, but s/he will get over it.

[paulpablo]

Well then you're making assumptions about the suicide before answering the question on is suicide wrong or not.

Except that suicide is not wrong in any personal case.

Those who view suicide as wrong are placing their ego above the suicidal individual's need for personal peace.

But suicide isn't always a personal case, for example suicide bombers, the 9 11 hijackers and so on.

And even in personal cases you're assuming the person is committing suicide for personal peace which they might not be.

[Silver]

But suicide isn't always a personal case, for example suicide bombers, the 9 11 hijackers and so on.

Except the family of the suicide bombers, etc, are proud of what was accomplished. They do not mourn the loss of their loved ones.

The suicide bombers did cause direct harm to others, which makes their actions morally reprehensible. Their suicide alone, however, is not morally wrong.

[Elskidor]

Simple question, is suicide wrong, morally or otherwise?

Negative

[paulpablo]

But suicide isn't always a personal case, for example suicide bombers, the 9 11 hijackers and so on.

Except the family of the suicide bombers, etc, are proud of what was accomplished. They do not mourn the loss of their loved ones.

The suicide bombers did cause direct harm to others, which makes their actions morally reprehensible. Their suicide alone, however, is not morally wrong.

Even if you see it that way in this example I don't think it's as simple as saying "Yep all suicide is just fine."

There's WAY more situations than just a depressed person who no one understands who commit suicide.
There's people who commit suicide from just moments of depression, or are delusional from drug use, there's countless examples of people who really shouldn't commit suicide even if they do feel like it for some moments in their life.

[*Deidre*]

Most people who commit suicide are battling severe depression, and perhaps to them, they are not even 'deciding' to commit suicide, it is really more that they see no other options available, as they battle their depression. Even people who commit suicide to avoid going to prison, let's say, are not seeing any other option at that moment. While suicide can be 'thought out,' even by those who struggle with depression, to me, the illness takes over, and they are not cognitive entirely of their decision to take their own life.

This is how I've come to view it. So, it isn't right or wrong, because in order to do right or wrong, one must be fully cognizant of the decision they're about to make.

[Raeven]

Simple answer, no, suicide is not wrong, morally or otherwise. And I'm another who believes context is everything.

I've been sad enough I've thought about committing suicide. Never got very far past a passing notion. Here's why: Whatever else happens to me in life, I'm going to die. My time here is so laughably short, it seems silly to make it one iota shorter -- with some exceptions. Why hurry the process along?

I've known a number of suicides in my life. One was my uncle, who was 3 months younger than me and killed himself on Halloween night when we were both 24. No clue it was coming, though in hindsight, we (the family) figured some things out. Another was my best friend. This was more recent -- only about 2 1/2 years ago. She spent the entire afternoon with me the day before and we had plans to meet for dinner on the day she did it. (Needless to say, she missed dinner.) Both of these were anger-driven, revenge-type suicides. Very unfortunate, very sad for me -- but in each case, their decision to make.

Another was a good friend, some years older than me who had suffered cancer earlier in his life. He'd gone through the treatments and swore if it returned, he'd never go through that again. The cancer returned; he killed himself. That one was very understandable to me, and an avenue I would consider myself.

Who am I to say that emotional pain is not worse than physical pain? I have experienced terrible emotional pain in my life but for me, it has always been transitory. I hang my hat on that when I experience it. I'm not sure how I'd feel if the emotional pain just went relentlessly on. I might consider suicide under those circumstances, too. But so far, I'm too interested to find out what happens.

I don't consider it wrong, only sad in many cases. I do think the more one thinks about it, the more one fixates on it as the only solution to an array of one's problems. If the only tool you've got in your kit is a hammer, then all your problems look like nails. Always best to explore other options -- those offered, perhaps, by someone outside of one's own psyche. Trust them and try them first. The hammer solution is always available.