When is life not worth living anymore?

This is a question that plays on my mind every so often I should preface the question by saying that I'm not contemplating suicide or anything like that, just posing a question.

What I would like to know is, what for you would make life not worth carrying on with anymore?

Can you ever imagine a point where you would consider suicide as an option, or do you believe that it is never an option however bad life is?

Have you ever been at the point of considering ending your life and if so what made you decide not to go through with it, fear if the unknown, thinking of the people you would leave behind?

Would religion play any part in you making a decision like that and if so, how?

Personally I have been at points in my where I have considered suicide but I have never really been close to going through with it, although I think I could imagine a point, maybe through severe physical or mental disability that I would, things like severe Alzheimer's for example, not being able to remember my own name or family.

I hope this isn't too depressing a question, I know it can be a pretty taboo subject and one that people get very nervous talking about and I don't really know what I hope to gain from asking the question, apart from maybe some perspective on how other people think.

I believe in helping others and being here for others in need. I like for people to be support for me as well in my time of need. We are here with an instinct to survive. We love deeply and sob when a loved one passes.

Suicide is a selfish act.....totally against what I believe. To be selfish and kill yourself is a slap in the face to your loved ones. Its a cowardly act. For anyone to commit such an act is pathetic in my opinion.

When you don't feel alive.

reply to post by MamaJ


I think your probably right about that, but for example, if at some point you were no longer able to help anyone and infact you were a burden instead, would that change your mind?

I have contemplated suicide, when I was younger, over what I now see as trivial problems, but at the time seemed overwhelming. Glad I didn't do it!

I would contemplate suicide if I was in pain, dying anyway, with no hope of relief.
I would contemplate suicide if it was to save me from dying a horrible death.
I would contemplate suicide I was the only person left on earth.
I might contemplate suicide if I killed someone, out of guilt.

reply to post by davespanners


Your question is not depressing, only people that fear death find this subject depressing.
Any way, bellow is a lecture from a man that had survived suicide. I thought instead of talking about something that I don't know I prefer to give you the link of tos talk .

www.ted.com...

reply to post by davespanners


No way....for to be a burden to one is not an excuse to commit such a selfish act.

My first boyfriend was when I was 12. We were together for 4 yrs.....ha.....cant believe that. Anyway....he and I went our separate ways and I married and had two kids. When I divorced...I met up with him again. He was still living with the parents and he was 33. He had no job, no car, and was sick in the head from all the pills he took over the years. We went out a couple of times and he wanted to marry me. The situation was not good for me and the kids so I stopped talking with him. He locked himself in his room for a couple of months only to go out of his window into the field and shoot himself in the head.

I have forgiven him....he was a Bible lover....big time into spirituality. He was sick in the head from the drugs...so clouded with sorrow. His family and friends will forever be hurt by what he did. Thats the memory he leaves behind and its a pathetic and selfish one. One that is not respected by me at all.

Hi, great topic to muse about. My personal opinion is no matter how bad my life has or will get, i wouldnt take my own life. Why? because of this god character. in no way am i religious although i can understand other peoples beliefs, its just i have my own opinions on life. My fear is what if im wrong and god does exist. he wont be happy with my choice of exit from this mortal realm im sure of that. however i will admit in a way im looking forward to death, because if you believe what i believe thendeath is just another journey

reply to post by davespanners


lol why didn't you mention intense prolonged pain and suffering?

I mean if this is all the people drowning in apathy and depression, they have programs for that

And if you had severe Alzheimers, you would forget you had severe Alzheimers

reply to post by kacou


Thank you for that video. I hadn't considered how life is for people after they attempt suicide and fail, I guess not many people do which is part of the point of the video

When you live in America, sorry had to say it.

Life is always worth living. Its like winning the lotto but then thinking about when to give it all back. We won the lotto my friend, we are here on this green beautiful planet and we should rock out to every single second of life. LIFE IS AWESOME.

BTW I am broke as a joke

reply to post by MamaJ


well maybe you should look at the other side of the coin. long story short; my pop had a debilitating muscular / neurological illness. we kept him at home as long as we could but eventually we had to place him in a nursing home as it was taking a severe toll on my mom's health as well. my point; because of my work schedule I was able to stop and visit my pop most every day and/or night on my way home from work. I can't tell you how many people in that nursing home had noone. absolutely noone. the nursing staff confirmed this as well. it broke my heart. sure you'd see the family members pay their obligatory holiday visit but where were they the other 360 days of the year? people are cruel and often shun the weakest and stricken amongst us. they do and you know it's true. I ended up striking up a friendship with one of the residents when I'd go out to catch a smoke. on occasion when I could tell he was down, he told me that if he knew how lonely life would become he would have ended his when he had the chance. in some odd, sad way I understood what he was saying and more importantly why he was saying it. ...... just my 2 cents worth

Hi Davespanners. Getting deathly serious on us this morning?

Actually, I can think of many scenarios in which I'd prefer to end my life.

Junk like being captured by terrorists, and held captive while being raped everyday with no hope of escape.

People want to live to be old. But I've seen many old, in nursing homes. Their minds are shot, their bodies have played out; they can't even walk to the bathroom, or control these basic body functions. I'd much rather be dead than to lose my independence, and feel worthless to myself and no one else.

On the otherhand, to end my life because of hard times, or the blues, or a bout with depression?

Never.

I think we'll all know 'when'... I don't mean that to be a 'pat answer' because honestly I respect your opinions and your posts - and your silly eyed cat...

My point?

I don't think any of us really know until we're there.

I've said to myself before I wouldn't go through this, or that, but, when it comes up, I go through it.

About religion? It's my personal belief we'll never be 'given' anything we can't take - and my proof for that is I've gone through hell and back but I'm still here.

Do I think - if I ever get to 'that point' that my belief system will let me down? NO. (And this is coming from someone who witnessed the suicide of a loved one, had brains and blood splattered all over my nice new white sneakers and 'hid them' behind the bathroom behind a door under a towel and didn't 'find them' for three days. So I'm no 'newbie' to suicide).

To recap. I think we will all know - if and when the time comes.

Between now and then I hope and pray anyone who 'thinks' they've arrived at their 'end' wait until tomorrow... Just wait one more day... Because, a new day always dawns...

Thank you for tackling a very important and sensitive subject. Compliments...

peace

I think first we need to divide the different Classes of Suicide,
for me one form is legit (Suicide because of real Pain, to protect other People)
and the other form is not (Suicide because of a unanswered Love)

Humans are made with the ability to bear a lot,
too many young People give up to early and i hope that they will find another way to survive!

@ Op, good Friday Night Topic, Star and Flag!

I have tried suicide.

For me life was not worth living knowing there would be no joy in my life and constant emotional angst. If there is indeed no God or an after life, if you forsee only misery in your life and there's no trancendant meaning to any of your suffering, it seems logical to skip all that pain and die as soon as you can. No difference whether you exist or not, no point to whether humans are good or bad, happy or sad. The universe couldn't then care less whether anything is alive or not. The quest to be happy, then, would be futile, and even evolution utterly pointless. When the universe ends there would be nothing to be preserved, nothing of any value at all.

reply to post by silo13


Utterly lovely response Silo. Applause.

reply to post by MamaJ


You're looking at suicide as a sorrow/depression driven act. Those are not the only situations/circumstances under which suicide can become an option.

Consider the case of being the lone survivor of a ship-wreck, stranded on a raft in the middle of the ocean without food. Assume that you had some way of ending your life: would you do it, or would you choose to slowly starve to death on-board your raft?

Suicide does not always have to be a pathetic, childish act. It can be. There are plenty of people who do decide to cross the divide for less than respectable reasons. Unfortunately not everyone has a network support group like you might. The thought of suicide to these people becomes an alternative route because they are alone, or they have no future, or they are somehow maimed or immobilized. Maybe they are simply an elder generation who has become a burden on the younger generations because they can no longer provide for themselves.

Suicide is not as black-and-white as "if you do it, you hurt everyone you know". There's a lot more behind why people do it, the process of consideration, and the carrying out.

For me whatever the condition is, it still worth to be alive.
Things might seems and feel so hard, sometimes cant even see a way out. But that how life is. Always some trouble around, big or small, but in the end, the rain will stop falling and the wheel will turn around.

Most of problem exist in the mind, mind that sometimes amplifies the real problem. Sometimes it is better to stop and talk to other, and just let the time play the role. Just wait and see, cuz sometimes problem solved itself with time.

Murder is wrong. Therefore, killing oneself is too. Life is always worth living, without exception. We are here for a reason, if not then we wouldn't be here in the first place. Once we complete our reason for being here, we don't come back. Nice and Simple.

Its not like you were forced onto Earth, right? And if you weren't, then why are you here . . .