![]() ![]() ![]() There is great comfort to be gained from religious faith. It is in helping that the true value of our lives is given expression.įor those who are religious, the meaning of life is found in the Bible. Society needs each one of us and there are many things each of us can do to help others. All of us need one another even when the suicidal individual is convinced that no one needs them. During that time we can influence other people to their benefit. In this terrible state of despair, what escapes them is that it is the time in between our birth and ultimate death that counts the most. ![]() The determination of some of these sad individuals is so strong that reasoning with them falls on deaf ears. It is difficult to respond to someone who is thinking this way. “Not only am I not afraid of death, but I can choose the time and means of my own demise. This is yet one more example of taking fate into your own hands. When we hear of someone’s death or lose a loved one, there is an automatic response we have, “That can’t happen to me.” As Becker and others point out, we need that denial in order to function in our daily lives.ĭefiance comes into play when the depressed, suicidal person insists that he is not afraid and will gladly commit suicide. As Ernest Becker wrote in his book, “The Denial Of Death,” we live our lives as though death can never touch us. Death is a frightening reality that terrifies most of us. ![]() If you detect a note of defiance in the above example, you are correct. An end result of this thinking is something like, “Well, if life has no meaning because I’m going to die someday, why not take command of my own fate and end it now, rather than sitting around, waiting for the inevitable?” Often, this leads to the negative thought that life has no meaning because it ends in death and, therefore, what’s the point of living? For someone who is truly depressed, the logical answer to this question is that life has no point. An existential crisis has to do with the fact that we are all going to die one day. Yet, it is not so simple or easy.įor those who accept the premise, as I do, that people face an existential crisis, then the reasons why some people wish to die becomes more clear. But, how is this possible? How can a person who feels helpless summon the energy to commit suicide? After all, doesn’t it follow logic to say that if someone feels that helpless and incompetent, they couldn’t attempt suicide? The answer to this question is yes. There is no worse feeling than helplessness, which is why it results in depression and, sometimes, suicide. Therefore, they have a strong sense that they cannot influence the flow of their lives. The depressed person feels like a victim. We know that depression is often the result of feeling both hopeless and helpless. This in no way the entire story of suicide or what motivates people to take their own lives. These comments can be found by doing a search, here at Mental Help Net, on the topic of “suicide.” You will find both my articles and the comments to which I am referring. I have been struck by the anger expressed by some of my readers who have sent comments asserting the hopelessness of their lives and their right to take their own lives. However, there are times when the suffering can be used as a weapon to punish others. It seems difficult to accept the notion that a suicidal person is doing anything but suffering. Where many readers may have great difficulty is in understanding that, in some cases, the act of suicide is an expression of rage directed toward others. ![]()
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