Part 1 and 2
Part 3 beginning
Part 3 end
IV
As John wrestled with the question of whether or not life is worth living, he learned that the subject had
not gone unnoticed by overt coping strategies. The advocates therein have numerous opinions and
arguments, usually presented in the form of articles, designed to dissuade people from taking their own
lives. Such writing is often published under the heading “Why You Shouldn't Commit Suicide”, or
something to that effect.
The arguments appeared to be logical at first, but as John looked closely, he saw that embodied in them
were the familiar faults of overt strategies. They ranged from the usual deprecation to the insult of ones
intelligence, not to mention the abundance of egregious assumptions. No matter how many reasons
were presented by whichever author, they could all be boiled down into five distinct categories, which
almost always had a large degree of overlap.
First among these was the plea to consider loved ones. That is to say, one is asked to think of those one
might leave behind, namely family, friends, colleagues and the like. To kill oneself – some had argued
– is unfair to these people, because they will be forced to contend with the despair and the sorrow. They
might end up blaming themselves for the victims death, becoming burdened with that regret for the
remainder of their lives.
The second most common plea is the appeal to regret. If a person takes their own life – the argument
says – then they will miss out on opportunities that may have been available in the future, including
whatever chance for their situation to get better. Whatever hopes and dreams the victim had will never
come to realization, and the beauty life has to offer can never truly be enjoyed.
This appeal is followed by the assertion that a suicidal state clouds a person's judgment; they may not
see the solution staring them right in their faces, and their decision to end their life is not a rational one.
Some have even called this decision a moment of weakness, while prescribing on overt strategies as the
appropriate action for such a person.
Fifth is the appeal to shame; the suicidal will be seen as cowardly by the masses, who may never fully
understand the anguish that led up to the individual ending his life.
Lastly – and this exclusive to those of a religious persuasion – is the appeal to the hereafter. The chief
claim being made is that death is not truly the end; the hereafter may be as unknown as it is uncertain,
or it guaranteed to be a nightmare of eternal damnation. Accompanying this belief are the assertions
that suicide is a form of murder, that life is sacred, and that all men are both the creation and property
of the divine.
After considering these arguments one after another, John concluded that none of them held any water.
He didn't spare a thought for the people he'd leave behind, for the simple reason that none of them
spared a thought about him. Nor did he care how his death would affect his friends, because he didn't
even have any friends to begin with.
The appeal to think of others is loaded with assumptions, most of which cannot be verified by
observable reality. It assumes a lifestyle and social network network that the victim often doesn't have,
because those making the appeal are projecting themselves onto others (I have access to friends, family
and loved ones, and therefore everybody else does, even if they don't).
All the following appeals were also projection; the people who espouse them are referring to
themselves, providing their own personal reasons why they don't commit suicide. They would not
commit suicide because they would regret it. They would keep trying the many options and strive until
they succeed. They fear the shame and judgment of others, and they also fear the hereafter, and the fate
of eternal damnation.
'They' are the only person that these people understand, because it is human nature to only understand
ones own personal experiences. What such individuals fail to realize is that most people are not like them,
but more importantly they fail to take genetics into account. The reason they have many friends and the
inferior have none is all the product of something that no man can control. It is also why they would
regret taking their life; they benefit enough from the world that they seek to prolong their existence,
while convincing themselves that their success was due to their own efforts.
As far as John was concerned, he had no regrets, except perhaps the fact that he hadn't ended his life
sooner. He wasn't afraid of losing the chance of reaching his full potential, because he knew that he had
no potential to begin with. All the hobbies and ambitions that he set for himself merely served as a
stepping stone to receive external acceptance. One cannot accept oneself if one is not accepted by
others, which is why John abandoned all the dreams he once cherished.
Part 3 beginning
Part 3 end
IV
not gone unnoticed by overt coping strategies. The advocates therein have numerous opinions and
arguments, usually presented in the form of articles, designed to dissuade people from taking their own
lives. Such writing is often published under the heading “Why You Shouldn't Commit Suicide”, or
something to that effect.
The arguments appeared to be logical at first, but as John looked closely, he saw that embodied in them
were the familiar faults of overt strategies. They ranged from the usual deprecation to the insult of ones
intelligence, not to mention the abundance of egregious assumptions. No matter how many reasons
were presented by whichever author, they could all be boiled down into five distinct categories, which
almost always had a large degree of overlap.
First among these was the plea to consider loved ones. That is to say, one is asked to think of those one
might leave behind, namely family, friends, colleagues and the like. To kill oneself – some had argued
– is unfair to these people, because they will be forced to contend with the despair and the sorrow. They
might end up blaming themselves for the victims death, becoming burdened with that regret for the
remainder of their lives.
The second most common plea is the appeal to regret. If a person takes their own life – the argument
says – then they will miss out on opportunities that may have been available in the future, including
whatever chance for their situation to get better. Whatever hopes and dreams the victim had will never
come to realization, and the beauty life has to offer can never truly be enjoyed.
This appeal is followed by the assertion that a suicidal state clouds a person's judgment; they may not
see the solution staring them right in their faces, and their decision to end their life is not a rational one.
Some have even called this decision a moment of weakness, while prescribing on overt strategies as the
appropriate action for such a person.
Fifth is the appeal to shame; the suicidal will be seen as cowardly by the masses, who may never fully
understand the anguish that led up to the individual ending his life.
Lastly – and this exclusive to those of a religious persuasion – is the appeal to the hereafter. The chief
claim being made is that death is not truly the end; the hereafter may be as unknown as it is uncertain,
or it guaranteed to be a nightmare of eternal damnation. Accompanying this belief are the assertions
that suicide is a form of murder, that life is sacred, and that all men are both the creation and property
of the divine.
After considering these arguments one after another, John concluded that none of them held any water.
He didn't spare a thought for the people he'd leave behind, for the simple reason that none of them
spared a thought about him. Nor did he care how his death would affect his friends, because he didn't
even have any friends to begin with.
The appeal to think of others is loaded with assumptions, most of which cannot be verified by
observable reality. It assumes a lifestyle and social network network that the victim often doesn't have,
because those making the appeal are projecting themselves onto others (I have access to friends, family
and loved ones, and therefore everybody else does, even if they don't).
All the following appeals were also projection; the people who espouse them are referring to
themselves, providing their own personal reasons why they don't commit suicide. They would not
commit suicide because they would regret it. They would keep trying the many options and strive until
they succeed. They fear the shame and judgment of others, and they also fear the hereafter, and the fate
of eternal damnation.
'They' are the only person that these people understand, because it is human nature to only understand
ones own personal experiences. What such individuals fail to realize is that most people are not like them,
but more importantly they fail to take genetics into account. The reason they have many friends and the
inferior have none is all the product of something that no man can control. It is also why they would
regret taking their life; they benefit enough from the world that they seek to prolong their existence,
while convincing themselves that their success was due to their own efforts.
As far as John was concerned, he had no regrets, except perhaps the fact that he hadn't ended his life
sooner. He wasn't afraid of losing the chance of reaching his full potential, because he knew that he had
no potential to begin with. All the hobbies and ambitions that he set for himself merely served as a
stepping stone to receive external acceptance. One cannot accept oneself if one is not accepted by
others, which is why John abandoned all the dreams he once cherished.
