[gwnn]

I think it's basically a question of routine. People are not used to this choice. They're accustomed to choices like how many kilos of potatos they should buy. Most people don't even realize they have eyes until something gets stuck in them.

[EricK]

Because people do not base their behaviour on rationality most of the time. There is a powerful "will to live" evolved into us, which is near impossible to overcome. You might as well ask "if having a relationship is a choice, why do so many people seek out or stay in relationships which are clearly bad for them?"

[kenrexford]

I think, therefore I am.

If I am not, I do not think.

I think, therefore, the world is.

If I cannot think, then the world is not.

If I am not, then I cannot think, and the world is not.

There is a recognition, I suppose, that death may steal from the man any proof that the world is.

[hrothgar]

Lotta of reasons -

Some are utilitarian: To date, things have been a lot of fun, though there are (obviously) some shitty times as well. I hope that things continue in much the same way in the future, so it seems to make sense to stick around.

Some have to do with family and friends. Suicide is (ultimately) a very selfish act and it imposes a very real cost on the folks that are closest to you.

For what its worth, I think that suicide can be justified on a rational basis.

[boris3161]

It may be rational to choose not to live - but I don't agree that a lot of people are likely to be in such a situation. Many people may find that temporarily life is pretty bad and, if you are in that situation, your range of possible options seems to decrease. However, suicide is a permanent solution (as far as we know) to a temporary problem.

If life is that bad, usually the best thing to do is to talk it over with someone - a friend, a minister, family, a therapist or anyone who will listen - not to get solutions from them but to enable you to explore your feelings and to come up with your own solutions.

I volunteer with a group called Samaritans (www.samaritans.org) - if you find your life is not worth living, you could do worse than contact them - it might not make any difference - but, then again, it might.....

[onoway]

Perhaps because most people have had experience with bad things happening in their lives and the bad things pass and life is good again, so they harbor a glimmer of memory and hope that this will happen again...
because they are unsure of what happens after death (what if it ISN"T the end or any better..then you're REALLY stuck) ...
.because people left behind will be devastated (even though it may not seem so at times)..
because suicide is not a reasonable solution to wanting revenge..the person who hurt you may feel very badly, but really, who actually won??
because of pride, not wanting to just concede defeat without investigating all other options thoroughly, what if the solution to your problems is out there just around the corner waiting for you to find it?..
because humans are not lemmings, generally, (sheep maybe , lemmings not)..
because there are people out there worse off and they aren't giving up, maybe they know something you don't..
because as well as all the awful things in life there is also beauty and caring and humor, sometimes it's just a bit difficult to see it...

[helene_t]

It could be genetically determined - a mutant that lacked the "survival instinct gene" would have a reduced chance of living long enough to pass its genes on to the next generation.

It could be a cultural thing - a culture that promoted its members to kill themselves would probably die out.

It is a curious feature of Homo Sapiens that we (especially women) can live for decades after getting too old to reproduce. Presumably, old people have some kind survival value to their children or grandchildren. One might speculate that before the invention of writing, old tribe members served as a reservoir of knowledge.

[luke warm]

i agree with richard that suicide is almost entirely selfish but that there can be rational cases made for it and for a dr. death scenario... for a christian, there's a belief that God has a plan and that our lives, even if they might otherwise suck, impact others in a way God desires... there's also the responsibility/duty aspect of it

[Al_U_Card]

Or rather, why do more people not choose to die?

Fear.

We have a natural reflex to flee from sources of fear. We fear death because we neither know nor understand it. Therefore we choose life as an avoidance mechanism from fear.

[PassedOut]

Life is such a great adventure that most people don't want to miss a minute of it. Even the most terrible times are interesting -- sometimes very interesting! And the wonderful times add even more spice to living.

When health is gone and only pain is left, then suicide makes perfect sense.

[pclayton]

I won't read any more into this post like I have in the past - I promise

I think that I enjoy life much more than I hate it, but I realize that there are many that have it a lot worse than I do.

I used to think suicide is irrational, but it isn't necessarily. Its the ultimate determination that no one is owned by another. Its your life - do wtf you want with it.

However, once this is realized, and after one decides to hang around and see what this strange place is all about, you should realize that everyone has an opportunity to do some good. There's nothing wrong with making yourself happy - frankly this is where you start.

By the way, if you need a lift, I would recommend Guitar Hero 3.

[Al_U_Card]

So the next logical step in the progression is to understand why we fear death.

We are here (materially) to accomplish what needs to (and can only) be done on this mortal coil. Dying before that would mean failure. We fear the arrival of premature death as the indicator of our failure. Once we have completed our mission then death is just the next step in our journey.

[onoway]

Does anyone actually consciously do this? Decide what needs to be done and once accomplished, feel ready to switch off? No wonder children are encouraged to think big :)Seems to me I remember reading somewhere that Mick Jagger said something about hoping he wouldn't live past 30 but he seems to perfectly happy being more than twice that age, now.

Is it really fear or simply sensible to avoid leaping into a situation which is not only totally unknowable beforehand but also as far as we know, nonreversible? Better the devil you know than the devil you don't comes to mind.

I think suicide is not a cowardly act, nor selfish, but generally a`sign of someone in an unbearable amount of pain and despair, at least in our culture. Because the pain may not be readilly visible to others doesn't mean it is less real to the sufferer. Some people have more capacity to deal with that than others do. I think to say suicide is selfish is reacting out of a selfish POV - you are a selfish s.o.b if you do this because I will feel bad - I think it is more valid to say I will feel very bad if you do this so I really really hope you get some help to help you feel less pain so you don't feel you have die to get relief.

One of the things which has come to my attention over the past couple of years is the role of certain minerals and vitamins in depression. A serendipitous discovery of magnesium supplements , taken for an entirely different reason,
made a huge difference to a friend of mine who was suicidal. Also, there was a book "potatoes, not prozak" which has some interesting observations.

Seems to me the bottom line is once it's done, it's done, so don''t waste it...the alternative may not be any better and is certainly more final. There are some things worth hanging around for - maybe even just to find out what exactly was supposed to be the reason to be.

[Sigi_BC84]

Jlall, on Jun 22 2008, 10:41 AM, said:

Assuming living is a choice, why do people choose to live? Isn't it rational for a lot of people to choose not to live?

You're asking three questions:

"Why is life worth living?" -- I can't assess the alternative ("non-living") so I'm happy to stick with life for the moment.

"Assuming living is a choice, why do people choose to live?" -- It's human nature to "choose" life. I don't think it's an actual choice that you're making, as in choosing which suit to discard next. It's an instict, and those are usually followed without too much reasoning (especially a strong one such as this).

"Isn't it rational for a lot of people to choose not to live?" -- This could be true, but it doesn't matter much since it's not in our nature to make a rational decision in that direction. Most suicides are done from a situation of great suffering and despair, not out of rationality.

[Gerben42]

Why should the alternative be any better? Because some book says so?

Why we fear death? I don't, but I have no reason to long for it either. Now if I would be in constant excruciating pain, I would probably reconsider.

But anyway, for me the right to choose death over life is one of the most important rights. Euthanasia should be legal, no business of the government to interfear with someone's wish to die. It should, however, be handled with care and it should be clear that dying is really what the patient wants.

[keylime]

For me, life is worth living, because the challenges that comes allows us to not only become stronger by them, but if one is of faith like I, to realize the fullness and greatness of God.

One of the areas in my life, that I have to overcome (twice), is the fear of dying. In its certainty, there is the unknown, the lack of definition, the utter concept of being at an end. I feel that we as humans, do not handle death well because it is the point of no return. That finality, goes against the continued nature that we are used to in our life. We as humans are used to a flow, a process, and it's forward going. Now, all of the sudden, it stops. It is as if one who runs a marathon now crosses the line and stops. What often happens - the runner heels over and is completely spent emotionally and physically.

In both of my near-death experiences, it was the undeniable will to live and hold onto life itself with claws and grit that allowed me to overcall the injuries of the high speed accident and then 10 years later rid myself of the neurological side effects of that accident.

I firmly believe with all conviction, that we as humans are at our best not when things are well, but when things are hard. That is when we come to grips with our excesses and our faults in a way that is formative, rebuilding, and substantially long-term sustainable compared to the day-in, day-out way of the world.

For me personally, I know that His mercies are incredibly abundant upon me.

[y66]

Isn't it rational for a lot of people to choose not to live?

Yes, of course.

What makes life worth living?

Believing that it is, at least enough of the time. Not because somebody says it is either. You have to feel it.

[mycroft]

I have no fear of dying. Fear of painful mutilation or a painful lingering death, yeah, that I have.

For many years, the answer to the title question was "it isn't. It's just that too many people I care about would be hurt too much if I did anything active to end my life."

Much better now, thanks. I look forward to today, and to tomorrow. I *want* to live, and normals who haven't felt any other way have no idea how wonderful a feeling that is. But if, say, I don't wake up tomorrow, then oh well.

[kenrexford]

The answer os so obvious. LOOK RIGHT UNDER YOUR NAME, MAN!