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(Content warning: talking about suicide, if you have suicidal thoughts I am morally obligated to ask you to seek help, Google for helplines - it’s a leading cause of death and suffering, often a permanent solution to a temporary problem, please take care of yourself & each other)
“I never asked to be born” sounds like something a grumpy teenager would say but it’s so true The gift of life is extremely unsolicited - and the social stigma around suicide, by extension, is profoundly rude You had no choice but to opt in, and opting out is very frowned upon
The stigma around suicide is not victimless - people who survive their suicide attempts, and their loved ones, endure all manner of unpleasantness and judgement from others. I might be naive but this seems really unnecessary and counterproductive to me https://t.co/KRty2PthkN
In a way the punishment for suicide seems to me awfully similar to the warrior’s punishment for desertion. It’s seen by many as an abdication of moral responsibility, an insult to the community, and/or to God or creation. These are some touchy matters that are hard to talk about
But I think we can be more compassionate and understanding. Life is tough. Maybe tougher for some than others. And nobody asked for it. Even if it were easy, I think it’s perfectly understandable why someone might want to stop playing. And I think the stigma touches us all
How? Well - think of Life as a playground kids get randomly deposited into. Any time somebody tries to leave the play area, there’s this incredible fuss kicked up: guilt-tripping, moralizing, handwringing. I’m not directing this at the grief of survivors but the broader community
“If this place is so great, why do we have to take such elaborate pains to stop people from leaving?” Maybe every person who leaves is a signal that not all is right in the playground. And maybe we don’t like confronting that idea, because we’d all be a little bit responsible
Yeah. I’m increasingly receptive to this idea that the stigma against suicide is a form of social control meant to maintain the status quo. Easier to blame victims and their loved ones for moral failure than to address systemic issues https://t.co/B4M9j6GQbi
After agriculture & Industry: - increased accumulation of personal property - more individualistic choices - now possible to go through entire day (or entire life) surrounded by others yet deeply, dangerously lonely - increased depression, schizophrenia, anxiety, suicide
To be clear, I don’t think there needs to be any grand conspiracy theory to maintain this. Although it’s not hard to imagine how it likely started from leaders who wanted compliance. “Glorious leader, our people are killing themselves more than usual. Should we introspect?” https://t.co/lwnYUQ7wkL
Oh yes, I haven’t even begun to give this serious thought. I need to go look at lots of cute animals first because this shit is seriously dire https://t.co/9dNKHw2CCf