Suede Online

Ok, I know most of my threads are pretty jokey and ridiculous, but I'm serious about this one...we can talk about this in terms of ethics or science or philiosophy or religion or however else you want to discuss this...


I guess a lot of my problem with this is from a religious background, and then with questions of cause-and-effect. For example, I think we can all agree that if I put a loaded gun to my head (safety off) and pull the trigger, I'm committing suicide (or trying to). But what if I just live dangerously? If I like to speed on my motorcycle and not wear a helmet and this lifestyle kills me, is that suicide? What if I have a death wish but don't directly act on it?

If I swallow a gallon of bleach, that's a suicide attempt...but if I eat thirty slices of bacon a day, trying to (very, very slowly) kill myself, does that "count"?


These are really shitty examples, but I think you know where I'm going with this...thoughts? I think a lot of this can be extended to murder too. Even if I'm not a solider, my tax dollars are going to people and technologies that kill people...if I'm even partially responsible for this, is that enough to constitute murder? I'm talking in an ethical/cosmic sense, not a legal sense...

Well of course people can eat or drink themselves to death but that is more of an addiction, or an addiction to danger or speed as u were talking - it isn't WANTING to die, it's being hooked on things which may in the end lead to death...

I think ultimately there are many things in life, muder or suicide and terrible injustices and things that gone on, extremely dark depressing 'hidden' aspects of life that it is easier to turn a blind eye to but doesn't make people any more or less responsible - I am responsible for myself and along the way life has many things you will be complicit in but perhaps from an ethical standpoint you would rather not be - trouble is, in amongst all the good things there is always corruption, always things that go on that it is almost impossible to avoid indirectly... hmmm, maybe I am going off at a tangent but basically my belief is that those who deliberately try to kill themselves is completely different to the other ways you gave examples of - anyway tbh I don't really want to talk too much about suicide - someone I was very close to until recently tried to kill himself a couple of months ago - just 18 and talking of 'danger pursuit' he was somebody who has a personality disorder and was attracted to danger too as well as many other complicated negative and depressive tendencies... oh and a friend and classmate of mine who became clinically depressed when I was at school with him killed himself at 17 years old... so suicide isn't really a great topic for me to discuss in all honesty...

"Well of course people can eat or drink themselves to death but that is more of an addiction, or an addiction to danger or speed as u were talking - it isn't WANTING to die, it's being hooked on things which may in the end lead to death..."


...but what if someone DID do those things with the intention of dying? For example, I know some religions say that people who commit suicide go straight to hell. So to try to avoid that, rather than intentionally crashing your car into an underpass, what if you just drive a lot, speed, don't wear your seatbelt, etc....in effect, tempting fate/death?



"basically my belief is that those who deliberately try to kill themselves is completely different to the other ways you gave examples of "

I sort of tend to agree, but I guess from a "moral" standpoint, I wonder how much intent comes into play. If you spend your whole life wishing you will die but never do anything about it because your religion forbids suicide, is that really that much "better" than just offing yourself?


I understand if you don't want to talk about this; like I said, I know this sort of thread is pretty out of place at this board...it's just something I wonder about a lot...

I find it hard to believe people would do this 'slowly killing themseleves' thing - the only time i've heard of people deliberately doing things like that is in cases of things like hunger protests - but obviously there's another reason behind that than just wanting to kill yourself... But whatever you think!!!...