At the outset, I would like to make a point of saying that the decision to take your own life does not mean that you are stupid, but rather that you’re making an especially stupid decision that there is no coming back from. All people make stupid and wrong decisions. That does not make all people stupid. The hope of this piece is to prevent as many people from making the stupidest decision possible. If one person decides to keep themselves alive as a result of reading this, then it will have been a worthwhile endeavor.
For those immediately brushing this off as some irrelevant and nonsensical notion, allow me to provide some evidence to the contrary. People are committing suicide at a statistically higher percentage nowadays than before. The Suicide rate went up 2.6% from 2021 to 2022, according to CDC Suicide Statistics. Perhaps even more telling is the Rising Suicide Rates from 1950 to 2021 by Statista that shows the suicide rate hit its low in 2000 before spiking to an all time high at present. Now consider how it is possible for countries, Canada for example, to institute government sanctioned “assisted suicide” or Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID). There first has to be some underlying support for the idea that people can and should be able to commit suicide.
Committing suicide is by and large the worst decision to make. It is selfish and far removed from any logical thinking. I can in no way understand or relate to feeling so down that the decision to be nothing for eternity trumps whatever miserable existence that I am currently experiencing. It is on this point that I make my most compelling argument against suicide.
Regardless of religion or worldview, suicide makes no sense. For people of most faiths, taking one’s own life is seen as being among the greatest of sins. This act condemns the soul to eternal hell, which seems to be far worse than anything I can imagine in this world. To atheists and others of the belief that there is no afterlife, killing yourself is surely the end of everything. So why do it? The decision must be made that being nothing and gone is somehow better than enduring whatever is causing you distress. Of course, there are people in this world that undoubtedly are subjected to the most vicious of abuses; physical, mental, sexual and all the rest. These cases are awful and do prove that humans are capable of truly evil and despicable actions. I need not to provide any specific examples, although they exist. One can use their own imagination to think of the torture endured by trafficked minors and hostages, as those taken from Israel in October of 2023. Yet not all of these victims commit suicide, during or after the torture. How can that be? They must have found some meaning in their life, in their suffering.
This topic is tackled in great length and detail in Viktor Frankl’s “Man’s Search For Meaning,” so I will not deliberate on it much farther. This one quote, however, may be useful. Speaking of his time working with suicide survivors in the largest hospital in Austria, he shares his common advice given to those patients;
“Even if things only take such a good turn in one of a thousand cases … who can guarantee that in your case it will not happen one day, sooner or later? But in the first place, you have to live to see that day dawn, and from now on the responsibility for survival does not leave you” (Frankl 134).
Frankl is famous for surviving life in concentration camps during the Holocaust and as an Austrian Psychiatrist who founded logotherapy, or meaning-based therapy, so he is well positioned to speak on this topic. This advice can extend to all those suffering, not just to people who have already attempted to take their own life.
I am in no position to help other’s find meaning in life, as I have struggled with this myself. I know far too many people who seem to only live for their own pleasure. These people pursue lavish vacations, fancy clothing, excessive alcohol and drug use and anything else that brings them immediate happiness. This is their meaning to life. They have to be successful enough In their professional lives to facilitate this lifestyle. I mention this to illustrate that not all people will understand the meaning of life the same and not all views can be equal. But, having goals and a meaning is better than the contrary and finding happiness in this world shouldn’t be overlooked. It is better than the alternative.
Taking your own life means that you have been unable to construct a meaning to your existence, promptly leading to the end of it. As the great Jordan Peterson has said, you have to voluntarily “bear your cross” and embrace the inevitable suffering in life. Life is not meant to be cozy, comfortable or easy. Suffering is inescapable, but the way we react to the suffering is firmly within our control.
There is no shortage of social media personalities who have survived a suicide attempt, live to tell the tale and find meaning in the pursuit of preventing others from going down that path. Regret has been the most common feeling to those who survive a suicide attempt for as long as we can tell. It doesn’t have to get to that point. If you are successful in this most reckless endeavor, you will be unable to experience the inevitable regret to follow, which is even worse.
This illustrates the inability of suicide attempters to see past their immediate self and understand how their actions impact others, but they do. If not for yourself, protect your own life for the ones around you who will undoubtedly suffer far more than you.
So who is to blame? It is widely reported that Tik-Tok’s algorithm pushes harmful content to vulnerable people, see Bloomberg: TikTok’s Algorithm Keeps Pushing Suicide to Vulnerable Kids. This will hopefully be addressed in some way by the recent bill passed by The House of Representatives, forcing the Chinese company ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban of the platform. While these instances are egregious, the responsibility lies solely in the hands of individuals. We all have free will, thanks to God, and have the choice to live.
At this point in time, we have practically all been directly touched by suicide, or at least the potential of suicide. This is precisely why it is a pertinent issue. As a Christian, I recognize that life is the greatest gift from God. Don’t squander it in the most free, diverse, accepting and prosperous country this world has ever seen. All life has value, all life can get better, and everyone has the ability to better themselves and the world around them.
References
1. Canada, H. (2024, March 5). Government of Canada. Canada.ca. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/health-services-benefits/medical-assistance-dying.html
2. Sussex Publishers. (n.d.). When is suicide acceptable?. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psych-unseen/201504/when-is-suicide-acceptable
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023, November 29). Suicide data and statistics. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/suicide-data-statistics.html
4. Frankl, V. E., Lasch, I., Kushner, H. S., & Wnislade, W. J. (2015). Man’s search for meaning. Beacon Press.
5. Carville, O. (2023, April 20). TikTok’s algorithm keeps pushing suicide to vulnerable teens. Bloomberg.com. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2023-04-20/tiktok-effects-on-mental-health-in-focus-after-teen-suicide
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