Well, i don’t believe in them and i just think it is similiar to turning off a computer. The person doesn’t exist without life. Just my opinion, so don’t bother arguing against it. 
But Alex, if you say we are just computers then ho…
… ok. It is only your ‘opinion’. So it’s no good arguing about it…
I guess in a way it is a good opinion to have because when you die and find out you are wrong, it will come as a great surprise. 
This thread reminds me of a Japanese anime I saw t’other day, ‘Lain’. In it, a girl commits suicide but her ‘soul’ continues to exist and can communicate via a futuristic internet network.
What is it like to die?
It really hurts! 
Are you saying this as a fact (when you die and find out you are wrong) or as your opinion? 
I wonder what it would be like if that anime was real.
It is my opinion that the statement is fact, and it is a fact that the statement is my opinion. So I guess I meant it as fact and opinion!
By the way, that anime is real. You can buy it from any respected retailer, honestly.
Heh I know what you meant though, just messing around. 
My older sister had tried to commit suicide once. She took pills and they had to bring her to the hospital. The pills were already … how do you say that… they were too late to get it out of her stomach. But luckily she didn’t took much pills. She only had to stay for the night.
It could be that it was not the only time. I only know that my father put a lot of pressure on her. It’s strange because I can’t remember. I remember that my sister and dad always had discussions while dinner.
I always thought about myself that I’m not really a depressive person. But there is a little bit of it in me. I was very shy in highschool in Belgium. It was like I felt I… was in a shield. I didn’t dare to turn my head at some places. I even felt abandonned from the others of my class. And when they whispered and laughed I thought they were speaking about me. Mh… sounds like a stupid movie 
However, I constantly told myself “You’re over-reacting. You just want some attention.” I still do. But lately I’m more like ‘whatever’. Just wanna be happy
Two times I tried in a stupid way to hurt myself… one time I put the cord of a tape recorder in my mouth while it was still in the socket. That was… just… incredibly stupid. Luckely my brains didn’t burned out or something 
The other time I had the cord of the same tape recorder around my neck and that damn thing just felt down the stairs… without the cord.
Later I broke down the recorder. I just wanted to see what was in it. 
My mother said once that something in Cola Light stimulates depression. I believe it is… I only know the word in Dutch… “Aspertaam”. I remember this because my sister drunk Cola Light in that time and my mother had read it somewhere.
Something tells me that committing suicide is not selfish, but actually it is. Because of family and friends. Persons trying to commit suicide don’t think at the moment about others. A large percentage of them anyway. (Not that i’ve measured it ) They think nobody loves them so why would they. So if you look at it from out of their vision it is not selfish. And it is a disease. Also talking doesn’t always help. My sister went to somebody for it but she hated it to talk about it. I didn’t really know what was going on back then but I know that mother really supported her. Showed her love and all that. That’s the most important thing what I believe. We both are doing better now but mom is scared that my sister will fall back into the depression. She’s studying at the university. I’m proud of her and I hope that it won’t happen again to her.
The story is getting long so I better go to sleep, it’s getting kinda late.
[Edit] I have also this… stupid thought. I had this thought a long time ago already. I have those moments when I think about committing suicide by taking pills or something. A calmly death. I know I’m scared for pain and not for dead itself. Pain is the most scary thing for me.
My thought is not realistic and I hope I’m won’t be that stupid when I’m old. A death is never calm.
Sara,
First, I am sorry to hear that your sister tried this. My youngest sister attempted suicide too, a few years ago. Her life has now changed so much that I don’t think it is something she would now consider (I hope). I think it always will leave a shadow of doubt in my mind, though.
I understand what you felt like at school. I was always the odd one out at school who didn’t belong with the others. I felt like they were talking about me not being fashionable and having the latest hairdo etc. I was really self conscious with my self-esteem at an all time low and it just felt awful to be teased all the time.
Looking back, I am glad that I was not one of them and that I was able to be an individual, and I still am Sometimes my self-esteem does drop, but I try not to let it ruin things and I get over it much more easily now. I never attempted anything, but I had things all planned out. Sometimes I fell asleep crying with my face in my pillow wishing that it would just smother me.
As a mother, my perspective has changed so much. When I hold my children close to me, I can understand how precious life is. I know that the pain of loosing a child must be the most awful feeling in the world and knowing that they have taken their own life must intensify this. My childrens’ love for me also means so much. They are still at an age where they speak from their hearts and the words ‘I want you for ever and ever, Mummy’ are ones that sum it all up.
Sara: I’m so sorry to hear about your sister. I sincerely hope your sister will be able to complete her university education and do so much better.
When I was depressed, I was very self-conscious about everything. At school, I can’t somehow fit in because the major barriar was being deaf. I was going to a hearing school… no one there knew sign language. They made fun of me. Plus my grandpa just died. It just built and built up until the building (self) of mine fell. I felt really overwhelmed. When I actually was going to commit suicide, I could feel other me deep inside of me screaming to live just one more day. That how I went by… living day by day.
I do understand about not liking to talk about depression with someone. For me, I couldn’t really share 100% about how I feel because I was afraid that maybe they would think I’m nuts and put me into a mental hospitial. No thanks. shudders I was forunate enough though to somehow take the action and get out of the depression. Don’t ask me how I did it, but I think meditating did play a big part for me.
Anyways, showing your sister your love would mean much to her. It will mean veeeery much to her I’m sure.
I do care and do wish her the best luck with university and everything!
Greeting,
Dm7
Sara iam also sorry for you and your sister.
Iam glad that your sister now seems to be more happy with herself and does university. I really hope all goes well for you and your fam 
And about thoughts, never make thoughts so large that u cant escape from them…they are only a snapshot of a moment from your mind
They pass by!
HUG and take care!
Jeff
Thank you all. And I’m sorry to hear about your sister too, Sleepyhead.
I noticed my sister is still a bit frustrated. Today is her birthday and we are going to a restaurant And her boyfriend will be there too.
We haven’t met him yet.
True Jeff… And thoughts are just thoughts. Too bad that not everybody realizes that.
People who say that committing suicide is a selfish act, don’t know what they are talking about. They are imbeciles. When a person reaches the stage of life when they are in continuous pain and agony from a disease of which there is no cure, it is difficult to continue on. When life comes to that point accompanied by people having to hand feed you and change your diapers and etc, and you realize that your future is extremely dismal , then suicide is a viable option. On the religious side, no one knows for certain what happens to us after suicide. God alone will judge and unlike people who are slow to forgive and forget, HE will take into consideration the circumstances under which you committed the act.
i wonder if u commit suicide do u go to hell or heaven or do u just stop exsisting
I totally agree with everything you said.
I used to get suicidal. People who have never felt like that have absolutely no idea what a person goes through in order to get to that point.
Living is the easy way out. Actually I’d prefer to refrase that and elaborate a bit more. The easy way is to stick to a routine that you are stuck in, to follow the croud, to do what is expected of you. It takes a strong person to stand up and go for what they want out of life. It just happens to be that what some people want out of life is for it to end.
Really, both of those are the same thing, it’s just one is mental and one is physical. Both types of pain are just as real.
This whole debate brings up a very important issue for me.
Think about it: The more that suicide is labelled as “selfish”, etc., the less and less people will want to talk about their feelings if they are feeling that way, and the more likely it is that their feelings will continue inwards, maybe even unoticed to to them conciously to a certain degree. This whole “selfish” label then just feeds the problem rather than helping to solve it.
I know this, because once, a few years ago, in conversation, I let slip to my mum that sometimes I felt like killing myself, and she angrily said to me that her aunt had commited suicide and that she thought it was really selfish and that I was never to mention the subject ever again. I rarely brought the subject up after that, but it didn’t stop me thinking those thoughts.
So, you may very well feel that suicide as an actual act is a selfish thing, but you must NEVER, under any circumstances, ever tell a suicidal person that they are selfish. Otherwise you yourself are being selfish.
As horrific as it may seam, that’s probably the precise reason why some men have been known to kill their entire families at the same time.
Remember that famous recent case of Robert Mochrie in south Wales who battered his wife and kids to death before taking an overdose and then hanging himself? Friends and neighbours say he adored his family. If he didn’t he would have just killed himself.
BBC news story from 2001: news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/wales/1298202.stm
Sounds very familiar…
did i hear an echo? 
I was asking the same thing, but in conclusion, i don’t know what to think
This subject can be very depressing 
I’m a guy of 31 years old, from continental Europe. Last year I developed an autoimmune disease they still couldn’t identify. It affects different parts of my body like my bladder, my saliva glands (imagine a month deprived of saliva) and most importantly my eyes. People told me I take my disease very good despite all my disabilities. Now the main reason I keep joyful is I planned a way out when it gets too much. And too much means mainly developing a bad sight that cant be corrected anymore (I already have a minor incorrectable sight loss now). The reason is I work in the arts and literature, and also privately it’s the only thing I do, it’s the only thing I’m interested in and good at. I never had a busy social life or lovers nor was I ever interested in that. I only got my passion, a passion I need my eyes for.
I really ‘planned’ it. I know what method, I skilled myself on how to do it and I even now already the place where I would do it.
Thoughts of depression never occurred to me, not during my illness and not even during my ‘skilling exercises’.
Nor did I keep this a secret to my friends or even to my parents. I want to be honest and keep them into my life for as long I’m here.
Extending the abilities of what a person can bare is something I have very ambiguous feelings about. On the one hand it’s wonderful but on the other hand I’m really revolted by the extend of suffering people take up on themselves.
Being in hospitals a lot lately I saw a lot of unbearable suffering from other people who were worse of then me. One guy lying in a bed next to me, seemed to be suffocating despite his oxygen tank. He made horrible sounds of deep suffering. And that made me think a lot.
Some people are prepared to take any kind of suffering, just to stay a life. They are ready to accept the most poor life quality, just to be there. And I can have admiration for it and resentment at the same time. But staying a life for the sake of staying a life is certainly not my personal life choice.
Terms of courage or cowardness don’t apply here anymore. Who’s the most courage or coward? The one who has the courage to stay or the one who has the courage to step out?
In pre-christian times (among Romans and Greeks) suicide was a honourable way out of an impossible situation. There also wasn’t such a taboo attached to it nor was it considered a sin or a stupidity. Despite that, suicide rates were, as far as we know, not much higher then in our world. Suicide as a fact is still the same but not our ideas about it. Japanese society has traditionally a big fascination with suicide as a honourable way out. They don’t make as much negative associations with it as countries with a Christian tradition. Despite that suicide rates in Japan are comparable with the west.
That being said, doing my little research on suicide I was very surprised that only a small minority commits suicide out of health reasons (of people who commit suicide out of health reasons, schizophrenics are the biggest group by far; they loose total control of their own minds, thoughts and emotions but unlike demented people for example, they are very aware of it). Stuff like bankruptcies, divorces and other ‘social failures’ like being unemployed play a much bigger role. This leaves a lot to think about the harshness of our society, doesnt it?
As to me personally, my carefully planned escape route makes it possible for me not to worry about getting blind or even worse things happening to me because of my disease. Cause I’m not worried about my future I can enjoy my present fully.
Couldnt put it better.
Just wanted to make a side note how hypocritical the world is about it- its allowed to be killing yourself slowly- by smoking,eating fat,whatever.But once someone decides to do it quick using a gun or a syringe it stirs the minds and whats most incredibile- it is not allowed in many countries- choosing to end your life because it became unbearable misery or pain is illegal.Heh- who give who the right to even open the mouth on this subject.Its someones life to do with it whatever one chooses about it.
I wont judge anyone who chooses self distruction, because I have been down that road myself. Ive never attempted suicide, but I have been in that state of mind where I just wanted to die, because of my depression. I had a utility knife, and I wrote a suicide note, and put it in a shoe box, and put it in my closet. I knew that if I ever decided to choose death the option would allways be there, and it gave me peace of mind. Ive never used it, and I dont think I ever will. It sounds crazy, but when I start feeling down, I just think about the shoe box, and I know that life is just temporary, and I have the choice.