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Is suicide a selfish act?
Some say suicide is a selfish act. Others strongly disagree. What do you think?
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Ultimately, you have to consider the damage to other people you could cause by killing yourself. The pro-suicide argument seems to be represented to some extent by "I can do whatever I want with my life, including end it." (at least that's what I've heard from some people). While I agree with this statement in principle, in practice it's not nearly that simple. The truth is, you're not living in a vacuum. Your actions are going to affect others.
So yes, I'd say suicide is a selfish act. Despite this I'm still agnostic about the concept. If you find your life truly miserable and see no way out, I'm not going to call you selfish for even considering the option of ending it. |
Everyone has the right to suicide. And doing so does not violate others' right to self-ownership or property, so physically, it is not selfish. However, it can cause great emotional pain to others, so to them, the action is selfish. Im never going to judge another person if they suicide because it means they were in a lot of pain, and its selfish to tell someone to get over it if they are considering it. Because someone just doesnt get over something like that so quickly.
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It's selfish in the sense that you are only doing it for what you perceive as your own benefit. Anything that is done for one's benefit is selfish, meaning that every action technically is. Even those typically seen as "selfless." (For instance, saving someone from a bad situation is still selfish because you want to do it because you would be upset if something happened to them, and you want to make yourself feel better.)
This isn't necessarily a bad thing though, as Johnny Mustang said above me. People have taken the word "selfish" and made it into a derogatory term, bending its literal meaning. Doing things for yourself is natural. I think the true intent behind this question though is whether or not suicide can be considered "evil." As though the person is doing it purely to hurt others and with malicious intent. Ultimately, my response to this is no. As someone who has had many thoughts about committing suicide and has just had my own negative emotions threatening to crush me, I know exactly what this feels like. It hurts, and you just want release. It is a natural response to want to escape from that which hurts you and to want something better. This isn't to say that its the right decision, or that I condone it. People other than you will get hurt, and when you're in the darkest moment, you don't really think about that. You can't, your mind is overrun and consumed. You're not thinking clearly. It isn't a good idea in most cases, but it isn't all your responsibility or fault either. Our emotions, especially powerful ones, are much harder to control than most people seem to think. Life isn't so simple, it isn't so black and white. Everything has its positives and negatives. This includes suicide. An act that is inconsiderate, and selfish, but an act that is perfectly understandable none the less. This extends to peoples' reactions to it as well. Getting angry about it is also selfish and inconsiderate, (because that person is threatening your happiness by removing themselves from you), but also perfectly understandable. Essentially, everything is technicaly selfish, but that doesn't necessarily make the intent behind it evil or wrong. Suicide is especially included in this. |
Maybe it can be. It depends on how you look at it, I suppose. It's true that you may be leaving other people with problems to deal with in your absence--if you have children/dependents would be a good example, but another situation would be one in which you're in debt and it gets passed on to your family/relatives in your absence. But if neither of those two scenarios applies, then I fall pretty firmly into the "Your life, do with it as you please" camp. I think a lot of people incorrectly assume that people only commit suicide as an easy way to escape their problems without giving any thought to how their decision will affect others. But what if someone has tried their best and done everything they could to find happiness and to maintain a good life, but just couldn't no matter how hard they tried? Hanging in there even through that is tough, even if you're the most unselfish person in the world.
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Depends on the suicide, honestly. There are a million different scenarios to kill yourself over, and they pretty much span the range of human existence. With that being said, I'm of the opinion that suicide is selfish to the extent that the needs of the people would be negatively affected by that act were neglected.
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And even if you don't care, it's something that you just have to accept. The bottom line is that you may have issues of the mind that need dealing with and they are best equip you to help you deal with that. They're going to see you as a human being and not just another disorder. But they're not going to be your friend, because they won't know you in the same way that friends or family know you because they haven't been there, because you can't just call them up at 3 AM in the morning, because they don't have that kind of intimacy that is only found in friendship and there's no way or reason to somehow force that into being. It's okay if they don't care about you (although that's probably not the case and there's no way to know for certain). I think it's important to recognize that people are capable of helping you in their own individual ways, even if it might not be as satisfactory as we desire. A mental health professional is not individually sufficient for one dealing with mental issues and it's important to acknowledge that going in Quote:
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Instead of calling those who committed/attempted suicide selfish, one could have taken time express concern and pull them out of their darkness. When people (tried) end their life, it's not like they wanted to kill themselves so badly; their emotions (and even perhaps their mental) aren't in a situation where they can decide things like a person with a healthy emotion; they are forced to do that, because there's no way to turn back; the victims felt utterly trapped in the situation they are facing.
I don't really mean to make this post in a 'me' thing, but: Spoiler:
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Suicide is a very selfish act, especially if you have unpaid debts (even if they don't pass to your family, someone lost money because of you, it doesn't matter if this person is rich anyway) and a lot of people who care about you. I got used to death (actually I didn't even have to get used to death, I didn't really care about death of people I love in the first place), so it wouldn't affect me if my friend committed suicide, but from what I've seen, suicide can destroy someone else's life and even lead to another suicide.
I can't imagine a good reason to commit suicide. Even if your life is pretty bad, it's probably because you don't even want to do anything about it. |
One could argue that seeing psychologists/psychiatrists is fake because they're being paid to listen or treat you, but I consider that view in and of itself to be selfish since the statement of "they're being paid so they don't give a damn" seems to be a first-glance generalising statement to me. How can you know for sure that they don't care? Just because people are paid that doesn't mean they don't care. These psychologists/atrists are, for all intents and purposes, doctors. That means they are bound by the Hippocratic Oath they themselves took; even if paid, they are obligated to care. They are obligated to treat you to the best of their abilities. It's not a field for people who don't give at least a modicum of damn. Let's also not forget that doctors are people too and like most people, they need to pay rent/monthly mortgage.
That being said, suicide is tricky and for at least a small part, yes, it is a selfish act; a lot of suicides fail to take into account the affect it will have on loved ones left behind. However, "selfish" caries a lot of negative weight, more so than most people saying it want to think. As a result, because a lot of suicides are the result of mental turmoil, I often find myself thinking that calling it a selfish act is akin to victim blaming. Suicide isn't a rational act by any stretch of the definition, but it's often the result of circumstances the victim never asked for, including their mind to register that there isn't any other solution. All in all, I can't really consider much of a selfish act, mostly because I find it impossible to refer to it as such straight to the faces of the victim's loved ones. "Your [victim's position her] was selfish to commit suicide." Could you? |
There would be far fewer suicides in the world if everyone's basic needs were met, people had access to medical professionals, and didn't have to worry about money. If you look at it that way a lot of suicides are because of selfishness in other people. I know that's a simplistic view, but I think it's important to look at the broader factors in people committing suicide.
Regarding therapists' not really caring: It's hard for someone like me to believe, but there are people who can just meet you and care about you. I'm not saying this is going to be every therapist, but it's an actual thing in some people. And when you suffer from depression it can be hard in general to feel like even the people you know care for you care for you. So sometimes you have to take someone's word that they do care for you even if it doesn't seem like they do. |
I don't think the question of whether or not suicide is selfish really matters. Someone suffering from suicidal ideations doesn't really care if people will think they're selfish, because they're just in such a bad place.
That said, what I've heard from people who work at suicide hotlines is that if a suicidal person calls in, the best way to prevent them from going through with it is to remind them of at least one reason to stay alive, and those reasons might be in the vein of "my sister would really miss me," or could even be "my plant would die if I didn't water it." So that means calling on people to be selfless in order to stay alive (without necessarily making them feel guilty), which I found interesting. Quote:
This might sound strange, but I don't think medical professionals are necessarily there to "care about our feelings" - that's what friends and family are for. A therapist is still on your side, but their role is to help you understand your feelings, and work with you to determine how to deal with those feelings and other aspects of your life. That said, in the process of doing that they usually will come to care about you and your feelings because they are still human beings, but their job is to remain professional and as a result, retain a certain emotional distance. Quote:
We also have to remember that mental illness is a tricky and complicated thing, and is also not something that can be turned off or on. Depression is caused by very real chemical imbalances in the brain, and is best treated by professionals on a case-by-case basis. Again, we can't control depression, we can only control how we treat it. ~Psychic |
No suicide is not a selfish act definitely. First of all, God gave you life not to waste it but probably (as someone not as smart as others can think) to do something even if it is small or not to try to never give up. Let's also not forget how important life is. It goes up and down all the time in your memory clear your ''downs'' and keep your ''ups''. Another vital part of life is why is so important it's simple. People cannot die by a weapon, illness, drugs e.t.c. People can die only when they are forgotten so the best is to respect them with honor no matter what they did in their life or if it was bad or good. I think up there where we will head after we pass away we will be judged and i think it's a bad idea to suicide for nothing. Because people think mistaken that's why some suicide by all those things that create a pain in their heart but actually there are tons of them who can get rid of easily without making so much pain. Just keep pushing on, don't give up and ask around surely there are people out there for everyone. To sum up, as i said in a previous post people are like cards with some you match with some you don't just accept it and move on and never and i will repeat no matter what NEVER hurry your life, get jealous e.t.c live it and enjoy it as you wish :). Hope it helps.
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I think committing suicide is selfish in the technical sense of the term, much like thinking suicide is selfish. As much as many don't want to admit, thinking suicide is selfish is in itself, a selfish act. |
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I used to always want to commit suicide because I was being bullied and crap in school and in public. I never looked at it as a selfish act until I was 20 years old. I never have trusted therapists and I was afraid to take meds because if people found out I took them I would never have any friends (this was teenager me). I never cared if it hurt anyone then my closest cousin committed suicide and I realised that it was not worth it. But the matter is to an extent suicide is selfish if you leave a loving family and great, close friends behind, but if your like me a bit of a shy person with 0 friends and stuff like that and your family is meh towards you then yeah if it hurts that bad then I guess do it. But before you do it think about it and try to change your thoughts on the matter and see if you can change what is causing your reason(s) to commit suicide before making your choice.
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"Selfishness" is defined as lacking consideration for others. One could be called selfish for lacking consideration for someone's desire to kill themselves. That sounds pretty insane, right?
It's not a selfish act; it's an ultimate act of desperation born of an extremely troubled and tumultuous mind. It boils my blood when I hear someone refer to suicide as selfish, because there are just some personal demons that not even the love and support of those around you can defeat. |
While in a depressed mindset, suicide might seem like the best option. But I do think it's very selfish. You can't ignore the harm you'll cause others. Their memory of you will forever be that you felt so much sorrow and anguish in your life that you chose to end it. What a horrible way to be remembered. You may very well be the single reason why your parents keep on keeping on. Your suicide could cause them to commit suicide as well. If they did and you could still feel guilt, would you? I would.
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While the pain felt by those surrounding the victim is undeniable, I would not describe suicide as selfish.
It is final escape. I do not think anyone who is pushed to that edge should be regarded as greedy. It makes me queasy to think an act of suicide could be dismissed for that reason. |
wow this is a tough one of course people can decide all by themselves whatever they want to do with their own body, mind and soul, that is their right... but i guess suicide becomes selfish when you have people around you that love and care for you... or when other important people depend on you and what you do what if you were all on your own, your whole family was gone already and you had no friends .... nobody you got a connection with in that situation , i suppose there will be not many if not none people that will miss you and hurt because you are gone.... is it still selfish then? i mean, if you are in that kind of a situation^ and you are a serial killer or something .... people might say, after you commid suicide; good riddens.... the opposite really of thinking; oh what a selfish act to go and kill yourself. |
I don't understand why we even ask this question. Suicide does not often occur under circumstances in which an individual is in the right mental state. To frame it in terms of selfishness just seems to be...missing the point.
In the case of where one is in a stable state of mind and decides to kill themselves (not even sure this can even really happen) I still wouldn't frame it that way. Some people are really suffering. They can't go on living as they are, things are not going to get better. In which case, who is selfish... Those who want that person to remain alive in their lives, or the individual who just wants to stop the suffering? Do not think you understand the full realm of potential suffering, how low life can really get. Besides everyone is different, every one takes events differently in their lives, and it's not a simple matter of "They're weak and selfish". Fact of the matter, if you have someone in front of you who is in immense suffering, and you're keeping them alive for your own comfort, 'love', you are the selfish one. I know I'm going off toward euthanasia here, but it is very closely related. |
I don't believe suicide is a selfish act. It's not selfish to take your own life - the greatest gift you could ever have - it may be the result of mental issues or what-not, but it's not selfish. Sure, you're hurting others, but you're hurting yourself above all. As someone who doesn't believe in the afterlife, life is the only thing you really have. Once you lose it, you're gone forever. So if you take that away from yourself, that HAS to have a strong basis behind it. It might be wrong, and it likely is outside of certain circumstances, but I wouldn't call it selfish. I think that believing suicide is selfish is selfish in itself.
Nonetheless, it doesn't detract from the issue that if you know someone who is thinking of committing suicide, try to help them out as best you can. It's often the result of mental disorders and they should be treated. |
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