Emotional meaninglessness of suicide

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oppositedirection
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08 Nov 2009, 5:15 pm

My best friend had another suicide attempt last week. She claims it was not serious, only took 25 pills. However, her last attempt was 18 months ago, one which left her dead for two minutes.

I am completely not phased. You have instant shock, then numbness, depression but half a day later and I'm fine. Beyond being a friend there is nothing I can do, except worry. So why aren't I worrying? Simply because I love her too much, she means too much to me, she has benefited my life so much and I expect she will continue to benefit my life in a manner no one else has yet. And the notions I might lose that, through a fully avoidable choice, this is something I am simply unable to contemplate. Intellectually I know the consequences but there is an emotional block upon the matter.

Due to my inability to appreciate it fully, suicide is emotionally meaningless in three ways.
1) Unfulfilled suicidal inclinations of others adds to the general meaninglessness of life because its something else you are lying to yourself about, another problem you are not tackling but pushing away.
2) Assuming others cannot contemplate it, ever using suicide as a threat is pointless. This is something I've observed others do, worry (without justification) I've done myself.
3) If I can't imagine the effects of my friend's suicide upon myself then I probably cannot imagine the effects upon others who care about me, making that factor difficult to accommodate rationally.

As a physical action, little could be more serious, but as an idea it is fairly meaningless if we cannot emotionally contemplate the effects. I feel no greater depression or emotional chaos, merely just a greater sense of disconnection from reality with the occasional mental scream demanding reconnection.


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sgrannel
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08 Nov 2009, 6:39 pm

I suppose other people might wonder or fault me for a lack of response to other people's suicide threats and attempts. Don't I care? Maybe I don't. Maybe I really shouldn't. It's not like the other person is giving much consideration for my feelings, and I need to protect myself from manipulation and disruption. Life is hard enough without that.


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southwestforests
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08 Nov 2009, 8:15 pm

sgrannel wrote:
...I need to protect myself from manipulation and disruption. Life is hard enough without that.

Life is, life is.


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