Folks, I’m over my head here but I've read various “explanations” and opinions about suicide.
Suicide has been considered immoral - a crime against religion, family, social mores, or whatever.
Suicide has been considered a weakness - as though some moral fiber
(concept) had been ignored or not exercised adequately or properly.
Suicide has been considered both a societal problem and societal answer -
depending upon the evaluator.
Suicide has been considered an emotional problem - something to be
addressed with counseling.
Suicide has been considered a medical problem - something to be
addressed with chemicals or herbs to “put things in balance”.
Suicide has been considered an honorable requirement to “save face”.
Suicide has been considered heroic - a hero’s personal sacrifice to save
other people (e.g. greater love hath no man than he who lays down his life
for another); to support some cause (e.g. the Spartans at Thermopylae);
or even as an homage to discipline (as in the Charge of the Light Brigade).
Well educated specialists in medicine, psychology, psychiatry, and societal
attitudes debate unto death about suicide (pardon the irony) so I believe it
is rather narrow-minded for us, in our ignorance of the lady’s
circumstances, to pass absolute judgement on her or her ability to cope
with burdens of which we may be totally unaware.
The saddest part is that nobody apparently was able to discern that she
was no longer able to cope with her situation and that nobody could
intervene successfully before she implemented what has been called “a
permanent solution to a temporary problem.”
Therefore, I think Ed Brunner has stated the situation most accurately and
succinctly.
Suicide has been considered immoral - a crime against religion, family, social mores, or whatever.
Suicide has been considered a weakness - as though some moral fiber
(concept) had been ignored or not exercised adequately or properly.
Suicide has been considered both a societal problem and societal answer -
depending upon the evaluator.
Suicide has been considered an emotional problem - something to be
addressed with counseling.
Suicide has been considered a medical problem - something to be
addressed with chemicals or herbs to “put things in balance”.
Suicide has been considered an honorable requirement to “save face”.
Suicide has been considered heroic - a hero’s personal sacrifice to save
other people (e.g. greater love hath no man than he who lays down his life
for another); to support some cause (e.g. the Spartans at Thermopylae);
or even as an homage to discipline (as in the Charge of the Light Brigade).
Well educated specialists in medicine, psychology, psychiatry, and societal
attitudes debate unto death about suicide (pardon the irony) so I believe it
is rather narrow-minded for us, in our ignorance of the lady’s
circumstances, to pass absolute judgement on her or her ability to cope
with burdens of which we may be totally unaware.
The saddest part is that nobody apparently was able to discern that she
was no longer able to cope with her situation and that nobody could
intervene successfully before she implemented what has been called “a
permanent solution to a temporary problem.”
Therefore, I think Ed Brunner has stated the situation most accurately and
succinctly.