Antinatalism and Depression XI: The Emergency Exit
Channel: Anekantavad
Date: 2012-07-31

Suicide.

When is it reasonable to flip the switch to "OFF", and how do we know?

Make no mistake: in some cases it is indeed reasonable for people to give Father Time a little shove and let the curtain fall prior to the final act. There is no escaping the fact that suffering can become overwhelming, and that it is almost insane not to take the Emergency Exit.

But can anyone else - should anyone else - intervene or interfere in what is ultimately perhaps the loneliest choice there is? Should we either force the suicide to continue to live (even if passively; ie blocking all methods of self-extinction) or artificially amplify the suffering to make the decision easier?

One thing I will say on this subject is that it is a symptom of a diseased mind to conclude that depression is inherently without end. That is a common aspect of depression: the "certainty" that any chance of alleviation is absent.

The evidence says otherwise.