Can Suicide Be Logical?

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Maybe sometimes it's just accepting the inevitable.

There's never a guarantee that something is the inevitable though. Sure, it sounds absolutely ludicrous, but someone could stumble on the cure for cancer in a matter of days. Not likely, but possible. Someone suffering from cancer forfeits that possibility if they just give up. The same can be said for any instance where someone "accepts" their fate, I don't think its accepting a fate, but picking one. Yes, just as things could get a lot better, things could get a lot worse, but few things are ever certain in that respect.

Believe me, I'm not the one that would say "It is going to get better!" I don't believe that at all. More often than not I assume it will get worse, and at times I'm right, but I have no guarantee that that will be the case. I've been surprised by things suddenly going better than expected a couple times lately, so I have proof (enough for myself at least) that it is if nothing else possible.

If anything, assuming things will go badly makes it that much better when they go well.

No, death is inevitable. I guarantee it.

I'm not disagreeing with that. Everyone dies. That's just common sense. When you die is not always all that certain, unless you take it into your own hands. Also, what you have in store for you until then is also never all that certain.

Granted, this has to be considered to decline in worth the older someone gets. Someone that is in their late 90s is obviously more likely to die (from natural causes) than someone in their twenties.

Past that, it is practically impossible to convince someone that suicide isn't the best option, if they've already convinced themself otherwise. The mental acceptance is almost a bigger problem than the physical act.

I dont think there is a logical solution unless you are withholding information OR are a God. God, meaning, you've experienced everything but death then it is logical to end your boredom

We live in a society (Here in the USA) where performance is the true measure of anyone's worth. In a job, can we post the numbers to the bottom line. In society, can we perform the societal dance and be among the accepted. In intimate relationships can we perform sexually, and otherwise, to expectations. I have an aquaintance who raises show rabbits. When she has a rabbit that doesn't "meet the standard" she "puts it down". (A quick snap of the neck does the trick) Some of us feel like that rabbit. We don't "meet the standard" and are therefore not worthy of life. At an early age I knew that I was never going to allow myself to have kids. Had a vasectomy as soon as legally possible so it wouldn't happen. Wasn't going to pass my twisted genectic matter on any further. Now I seriously consider suicide because I am no longer able to perform to any acceptable standard. The thing of it is, many people I have talked to understand, and fully accept, my reasoning and if it ends so, would accept my death.
Suicide can be, and often is, rational and logical. Sometimes we reach the point where there just aren't any reasons not to die.

galump

Yes, suicide can be logical. When I was at the Psych Ward, the therapists and nurses there agreed that yes, it is an option to end pain. But they said it isn't the ONLY option, and that maybe we all may not have to end our pain by killing ourselves.

Yeah in the movies you see the hero finding a cure at the last minute saving the people from some deadly condition. But in the real world thats a several year process. And in the real world case one will be aware of clinical trials and you might have a small chance of getting into a trial and a 50% chance of getting active agent. Otherwise I guess if you had alot of money you could chase
the globle for quacky/experimental cures as Michael Landon did.
I think he tried coffee enemas upto the point he died.

What about situations where you could keep somebody else from getting killed but you would be killed in the process? That is suicide. Is that logical?

Its suicide with a purpose - so I guess that is logical, in my opinion, but its different from killing yourself because 'your life sucks.'

I think that if you are going to kill yourself because your life sucks and someone who has it worse then you is not, then by default, that is illogical. I summarize my thoughts on a subject that shouldnt be summarized, hopefully my idear is there

So what in a situation where we have two people, let's call them Roc (the person that commits sucide/self-sacrifice) and Doodler (the person that gets saved) that goes something along the lines of:

Doodler's life is in danger for some reason.
Roc, who's had a very rubbishy life, saves Doodler but Roc's life ends in doing so.

Now, there's two motives at play here regarding Roc's death on his own terms:
1. Roc's life was very rubbishy and his self-esteem had basically erroded to nothing due to combiantions of factorss. Roc therefore believes that he can't make anything of himself.
2. Roc thinks Doodler can go on to great things so saves him.

This is killing two birds with one stone, in a way.

So in this case, is it logical?

And if we keep on like this, the thread will probably need/get moving to/moved to the P, P & R forum.

You could then say 'Roc's purpose was realized at that point.'

His life NOW had meaning - is meaning logical? Is dying for one's belief, no matter how old, illogical?

Suicide is pretty logical IMHO.

Suicide is an 'easy' way out. I imagine people can work to get their life back on track but that requires 'work' and isnt 'easy.'

There are alternatives and the times when suicide IS considered logical by a large average of people (whether that matters or not), most will not see that (I.E. the above scenario; dying for another)

That is going to the principle of "the needs of someone else outweighting the needs of yourself", otherwise known as self-sacrifice.

Suicide, in its plainest sense of taking ones life, is doing something that cannot be reversed. Because it is irreversible and taking something that cannot be given back, it is wrong.

Another thing to think about... if there is a war and a high chance of death, but it is a cause that you believe in strongly (ie, the Gondorian soldiers in LotR or the Rebel fighters in Star Wars for fictional examples) and you sign up, knowing that you're probably going to die, would that be considered suicide?