ftp.pasteur.org/FAQ/

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ ftp.pasteur.org/FAQ/ / ftp-pasteur-org-FAQ.zip / FAQ / suicide / yes < prev

Wrap

Internet Message Format | 1999-10-05 | 29.1 KB

Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!204.70.74.158.MISMATCH!news-out.cwix.com!newsfeed.cwix.com!howland.erols.net!cpk-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!sanjose-news-feed1.bbnplanet.com!news.gtei.net!nntp.mainstreet.net!bug.rahul.net!rahul.net!a2i!ultra.sonic.net!news From: boboroshi@satanservice.org (SOD of CoE) Newsgroups: talk.euthanasia,sci.psychology.misc,alt.suicide.holiday,alt.pagan,talk.environment,alt.activism,alt.politics.radical-left,alt.suicide.methods,talk.answers,sci.answers,talk.answers,news.answers Subject: Encouraging Suicide -- Frequently Asked Questions Followup-To: talk.euthanasia,alt.suicide.holiday,alt.suicide.methods Date: 5 Oct 1999 02:09:35 -0700 Organization: Church of Euthanasia (coe@netcom.com) Lines: 602 Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.EDU Message-ID: <7tcf8f$jv2@bolt.sonic.net> References: <suicide_938455201@research.canon.com.au> Reply-To: boboroshi@satanservice.org (SOD of CoE) NNTP-Posting-Host: bolt.sonic.net Summary: General information about suicide and suicide encouragement. Keywords: Suicide, Encouragement, FAQ Replaces: 1.06 X-Newsreader: NN version 6.5.1 (NOV) Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu talk.euthanasia:11184 sci.psychology.misc:23848 alt.suicide.holiday:74611 alt.pagan:284178 talk.environment:155918 alt.activism:407403 alt.politics.radical-left:252983 alt.suicide.methods:2989 talk.answers:3948 sci.answers:10680 news.answers:168250 Archive-name: suicide/yes Last-modified: 1999/10/05 Version: 1.07 Posting-Frequency: when convenient Location: http://www.satanservice.org/coe/suicide/faq.encouraging --------------------------------------------------------- Introduction suicide is a significant cause of death in many western countries, in some cases exceeding deaths by motor vehicle accidents annually. many countries spend pittances on suicide prevention, but nothing on encouragement of suicide, being deluded by the religious into devaluing death and the choice to end one's own life. luckily there are still many ways we can ensure a quick and final end. see the CoE Practical Suicide Guide, at this URL: http://www.satanservice.org//coe/suicide/guide/ attempts at suicide, and suicidal thoughts or feelings are usually a symptom indicating that a person is ready and needful of a change, often as a result of some event or series of events that one personally finds overwhelmingly traumatic or distressing. in many cases the events in question will continue endlessly, their impact remaining a function of a diseased life for decades unless the person is able to put an end to it through dedicated self- termination. since this decision can be extremely difficult to make, this article is an attempt to provide encouragement for suicide, so that we may be prepared to recognize and help ourselves to end the pain and the parasitic drain on ecological and social resources. Help and Resource Information this post is complemented by a 'Practical Guide' file containing information about various means of self-termination and the pros and cons for each as is currently known (the science is still in its infancy apparently, with many physicians and pathologists either deluded as to the effects of certain actions or clearly attempting to prevent suicide to all our lasting detriment). it may be posted to Usenet, but is also available from: http://www.satanservice.org/coe/suicide/guide/ the information here is updated periodically, and is intended to be informative rather than authoritative. readers are encouraged to offer feedback, suggestions, criticism and any comments on ways they may have found it helpful, perhaps prior to their own demise. ------------------------------------------------------------ here are a number of frequently asked questions to help encourage the proper response and dispel some of the common myths about suicide: 1. why do people attempt suicide? people usually attempt suicide to block unbearable emotional pain which is caused by a wide variety of problems. sometimes it is a cry for help. a person attempting suicide is often so distressed that they have decided to terminate their life rather than continue to live it out in pain and anguish. sometimes heroic individuals terminate their lives as symbolic sacrifices in protest against the insanity which human beings are making of our planet and Mother. many suicidal people, like most urban residents, feel terribly alienated and isolated. because of the stigma and condemnation surrounding suicide, we may not think that there is anyone we can turn to who will provide advice regarding methods and valuable counselling so as to inspire their courage to go through with it. in the vast majority of cases a person attempting suicide would choose a painless manner to die if such was available, though this is condemned as 'wrong' by the current puritanical and parental standards of most cultures. some suicidal people give warning signs in the hope that they will be rescued, but these are the less serious, seeking attention rather than sincere about snuffing it. 2. aren't all suicidal people crazy? of course not. having suicidal thoughts is a natural and rational response to the horror being perpetrated by ignorant human beings. it does not imply that one is crazy, or necessarily mentally ill. people who attempt suicide are often acutely distressed and the vast majority are depressed to some extent. this depression may be a reactive depression which is an entirely normal response to the difficult circumstances of modern life, and it may be an endogenous depression which is the result of a diagnosable mental illness with other underlying causes. of course 'mental illness' is a category that is rather malleable and to some degree determined by social bias. the exact definition of depression itself as a diagnosable mental illness (i.e. clinical) tends to be somewhat fluid and inexact, so whether a person who is distressed enough to attempt suicide would be diagnosed as suffering from clinical depression may vary in the opinions of professionals and between cultures. in general for the purposes of suicide *encouragement*, such a diagnosis is completely irrelevant. it's probably more helpful to distinguish between these two types of motivations and treat each accordingly rather than to simply diagnose all such depression as mental illness, even though a person suffering from a reactive depression might match the diagnostic criteria typically used to diagnose clinical depression. those experiencing a reactive depression in response to the blatant insanity which the human species is demonstrating really have two honest moral choices with which to contend: 1) work with organizations like the Church of Euthanasia: http://www.churchofeuthanasia.org/ the Gaia Liberation Front: http://www.envirolink.org/orgs/coe/resources/glf/glf.html and the Voluntary Human Extinction MovemENT: http://www.vhemt.org/ to stop the overpopulation madness, or 2) self-terminate as a gesture of hope and as an example of responsible integration to the planetary organism. Appleby and Condonis[1] say of suicides: The majority of individuals who commit suicide do not have a diagnosable mental illness. They are people just like you and I who at a particular time are feeling isolated, desperately unhappy and alone. Suicidal thoughts and actions may be the result of life's stresses and losses that the individual feels they just can't cope with. in a society where there is much stigma and ignorance regarding both mental illness *and* suicide, a person who feels suicidal may fear that other people will think they are "crazy" when asking for support in terminating their life, and so are quite reasonably reluctant to reach out for help to end the pain. describing someone as "crazy", which has strong negative connotations, isn't helpful in any case and is more likely to inspire us to look elsewhere for assistance in our self- termination, whether or not we may have a diagnosable mental illness. those who are suffering from a mental illness such as schizophrenia or clinical depression do have significantly higher success rates than average, and for this we can be thankful of their insight and the symbolism of their courage, though they are still in the minority of those who make the attempt. for these people, having their illness correctly diagnosed could mean a treatment which dissuades them from assisting human population reduction. for more information about clinical depression, see the alt.support.depression FAQ, available from: ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/alt-support-depression/faq/ 3. will talking about suicide encourage it? it depends what aspect you talk about. talking exclusively about how to commit suicide can give ideas to people who feel suicidal, but haven't thought about how they'd do it yet and this is probably the best way to foster its occurrence. media reports that concentrate solely on the method used and ignore the emotional backdrop behind it can encourage copy-cat suicides. 4. so how can I contribute to the suicidal phenomenon? people can usually deal reasonably well with the isolated stress or trauma of considering what a mess we have made of things, but when we begin to see the massive accumulation of such events over an extended period, our normal ignorance and myopia begins to give way and a natural suicidal tendency may surface. stress or trauma brought on by any given event will vary from person to person depending on their background and how they learn to shut out the horrors of human immaturity and its repercussions. some people are ripened in response to particular events bringing world conditions to consciousness, and some may find certain subjects and actions stimulating of suicide which others would see as a positive experience (e.g. chopping down a tree or building on a field of wildflowers and ground squirrels). furthermore, individuals deal with stress and trauma in different ways; the presence of multiple catalytic factors does not necessarily imply a person will become suicidal. depending on a person's individual response, encouragement factors that may contribute to suicidal tendencies include: Significant changes in: - Relationships. - Well-being of self or family member. - Body image. - Job, school, university, house, locality. - Financial situation. - World environment. Significant losses: - Death of a loved one. - Loss of a valued relationship. - Loss of self esteem or personal expectations. - Loss of employment. Perceived abuse: - Physical. - Emotional/Psychological. - Sexual. - Social. - Neglect. 5. how would I know if someone I care about was contemplating suicide too? suicidal people may give warning signs, consciously or unconsciously, indicating that they would like help of some kind, sometimes in the hope that they will be rescued. these usually occur in groups, so often several warning signs will be apparent. an individual can provide a spark to suicidal clusters, and secretive conspiracies surrounding isolated and fatalistic activities may be an indicator of a network which one can join. the presence of one or more of these warning signs is not intended as a guarantee that the person is suicidal: the only way to know for sure is to ask them. those who provide blatant warning signs are probably not too serious about their intentions. there are many suicidal people who will not wish to be joined in their final act. typical warning signs which are often exhibited by people who are feeling suicidal include: Withdrawing from friends and family. Depression, broadly speaking; not necessarily a diagnosable mental illness such as clinical depression, but indicated by signs such as: - Loss of interest in usual activities. - Showing signs of sadness, hopelessness, irritability. - Changes in appetite, weight, behavior, level of activity or sleep patterns. - Loss of energy. - Making negative comments about self. - Recurring suicidal thoughts or fantasies. - Sudden change from extreme depression to being `at peace' (may indicate that they have decided to attempt suicide). Talking, Writing or Hinting about suicide. Previous attempts. Feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. Purposefully putting personal affairs in order: - Giving away possessions. - Sudden intense interest in personal wills or life insurance. - `Clearing the air' over personal incidents from the past. this list is not definitive: some people may show no signs yet still feel the calls of our planet for terminating the human parasite, others may show many signs yet still be myopic; the only way to know for sure is to ask. in conjunction with the factors listed above, this list is intended to help people identify others who may want to form a pact and self-terminate as a group. if a person is highly perturbed, has formed a potentially lethal plan to kill themselves and has the means immediately available to carry it out, they would be considered likely to attempt suicide and we wish them success in their efforts. 6. I'm uncomfortable about the topic; can't we just avoid it? suicide has traditionally been a taboo topic in western society, which has led to further alienation and made these feelings stronger. even after their deaths, the remains of suicide victims have often been stigmatized by not being buried near other people in the cemetery, the religious presuming that they have committed some utterly unforgivable sin. therefore, while avoiding the subject will encourage a few more deaths through an exascerbation of the depression and ill-feelings of those coming to awareness, it is better for us all if we begin to see suicide as a rational solution to the termination of pain, and support individual human sovereignty in a manner that not only makes suicide possible, legal and as easy as getting our teeth cleaned, but also allows us to discern who is serious about it and who is seeking attention or trying to conform to the Hell that our society is creating, despairing about not fitting in. 7. so what can I do to help them end their lives? there are few people to whom a suicidal person can truly turn for help in resolving their desires destructively; if you know someone is feeling suicidal, or if you are feel suicidal yourself, consider researching ideas as to how to end your life painlessly and quickly, but do so fairly surreptitiously so as not to draw undue attention until you get the information you need. remember that it is illegal in many countries to assist the act of suicide itself and may constitute a form of murder by draconian standards. it is best for those who assist one another to be locked into pacts of secrecy while they investigate the options available. there are organizations such as the Hemlock Society that provide some rudimentary encouragement, especially for the terminally-ill. this is the frontier of rational self-termination assistance, including the valiant efforts of Dr. Kevorkian. others, such as the Church of Euthanasia, may offer advice on methods or provide you with files of its own or from the alt.suicide Usenet forums, which are the forefront of terminal self-empowerment. obtaining lethal chemicals and substances of a variety is actually not too difficult, though the types of death associated with these may often be very painful or impossible to guarantee, sometimes with horrible side-effects. consult the Practical Guid for the most up-to-date information we can accumulate. if someone you know tells you that they feel suicidal, above all, listen to them. find out why they are going to do themselves in, discern if possible whether they are serious, and what they have considered of their options. some are just frustrated, really out to obtain attention and not really intending self-termination so much as drawing attention. if they are serious and you want to help them, tell them "I have come to the conclusion that suicide should be a legal and easy option for all people. the advice I would offer you would be to resolve all your worldly affairs, isolate yourself from those 'do-goodnicks' who will attempt to stop your action, and then use the most painless and quick method you have available with the fewest possible loose-ends for others to clean up." try to offer advice in the form of "I read in <source> that this is a way to kill oneself fairly quickly." without actively suggesting that their decision is a good or bad idea. in this way you can prevent the possible legal ramifications of having offered 'encouragement' while assisting them in achieving their end. if you are feeling similarly and intend to end your life, it may be valuable to form a "suicide pact" whereby you both end your lives simultaneously or within a group. ask them to promise you that they won't tell others about your intentions even if they decide differently down the road or are discovered after a botched solitary attempt. of course, if one is just trying to get help rather than being really serious about a life-ending (this is often the case with the young or those in desperate material circumstances), then you can always recommend them to someone equipped to help them see through their hypocrisy, such as a doctor, community health center, counsellor, psychologist, social worker, youth worker, minister, etc. etc. if they appear confused about the ethics of suicide and need ministerial help from someone of conscience, then you may recommend contact with the Church of Euthanasia in order to help them get their head on straight. don't try to "rescue" them and take their responsibilities on yourself, becoming a hero and handling the situation on your own. you can be the most help by referring them to someone equipped to offer them the help they need, while you continue to support them and remember that what happens is ultimately their responsibility. of course there is always the alternative of doing something to attempt to stem and reverse the tide of evil procreationism and eco-rape and the depression which contemplating this travesty may inspire. ecology organizations and the right-to-die movement always needs more volunteers to contribute their last acts to a worthy cause. who knows, perhaps you will make such heroism unnecessary. the CoE has attempted to foster and construct a 24-Hour Suicide Assistance Hotline, but so far our efforts have been frustrated by do-goodniks and those concerned with the possibility of being held responsible for the deaths of those who are supported in their natural desires. if you want to support this project, please do so, perhaps by contacting your local telephone company in suggesting the idea for an 800 Suicide Assistance Hotline. 8. help? counselling? isn't counselling just a waste of time? counselling is certainly not a magic cure-all. it can be effective only if it empowers a person to accomplish the actions to which their hearts have moved them despite the corrupting influences of social networks and religious fanatics. it is not a "solution" in itself, but it can be a final, effective and helpful step along the way to reducing the stress on our mom. 9. talk, talk, talk. it's all just talk. how's that going to help? talking about something other than how to end the pain is usually just a waste of time, we agree, especially when often the reason for the discussion on the part of the 'concerned' is to dissuade us from doing what we want to do rather than to facilitate it. if we get alot of 'talking to' by supposed friends or those who want to try to 'save' us, this should indicate to us that we are selecting the wrong people to trust with our private affairs. in the medium and longer term, it's more important to seek help from those who know about methods and the quickness and painless- ness of these methods. if suicide is the means by which we have chosen to terminate the pain and drain of our lives, then looking seriously at practical means of bringing an end to life is the only real way to approach lasting and permanent resolution, and there is a Practical Guide to assist you: http://www.satanservice.org/coe/suicide/guide/ 10. how would a suicide assistance hot-line work? church members may vary as to the nature of the assistance they have in mind (geography may also to some extent direct what can be said or to whom). in general the suicidal would be able to call us and receive up-to-date information on the best methods of self-termination and, given their circumstances (perhaps described in an hypo- thetical manner), how they would best approach suicide in a context that's less threatening than a face-to-face session. talking the situation over with a caring, independent person can be of great assistance to those who are being judged by the world as 'wrong' for their natural urges. eventually we may see legislation which makes self-termination in certain areas a matter of choice. in this case we could offer recommendations for relocation prior to doing oneself in. telephone services are currently prohibited to us by virtue of being owned by mega-corporations subject to greater social pressure. the procreationist mentality is having its way with limiting the freedoms of at least US citizens and this may continue for the foreseeable future. 11. what about me; am I at risk? we hope people that read this will one day attempt suicide, and the greatest danger presently is not so much in providing information to the waiting public as much as in taking an active hand in the event or somehow coercing another. it is generally advisable to be informed as to the local suicide laws and liability issues regarding advice to others. these can often be determined by contacting suicide prevention lines, or public and legal reference librarians. be careful, since some states require reporting of those who appear to be considering suicide in some way. 12. how does suicide affect friends and family members? suicide can be extremely traumatic for the friends and family members that remain to degrade and consume what's left of the planet, especially because most of us are deluded by outdated and demonstrably false metaphysical and cosmological notions associated with intrusive and perverted religions. sometimes the people that attempt suicide think that no one cares about us. this can be used as a point of manipulation by the unscrupulous to hook into the guilt of the suicidal in order to prevent us from trying to self-terminate. often in modern society the atmosphere and social establishment has in essence deadened people to a point where real concern is just not possible. in order to keep its slaves and workers in line, social systems typically build guilt into the educational and moral system. some sort of emotional-entanglement is instructed as a response to the suicide of a family member or friend. "I should have known and done something!", proclaim the deluded. it is probably the best thing that can happen to a family to experience the trauma and devastation of a suicide in that it begins to inspire GENUINE feelings, REAL intimacy (when not just trying to avoid a repeat on the part of another due to the lack of real love in the family). it may also, if the suicide is well- constructed, cause us as remaining parasites to look more closely at WHY it was that suicide seemed like a rational alternative to the nightmare which we are all participating in perpetuating. this is the reason that we suggest that you become a member of the Church of Euthanasia (coe@netcom.com) by paying $10 and taking a lifetime vow not to procreate, sign the Registry prior to your self-termination, and mention us in your will or suicide note. survivors often find that people relate differently to them after the suicide, and may be very reluctant to talk about what has happened for fear of condemnation. this is usually the repercussion of the sordid and immature relationship that the surrounding culture has fostered about the discussion not only of suicide, but of death in general, which has been turned into a taboo. these people are encouraged to feel like failures. that someone they imagine they cared so much about has chosen to end their life may give them incentive to be fearful of forming new relationships because of the intense pain they have experienced through the relationship with the person who has killed themself. sometimes chains of suicides can occur in families due to this twisted social illness, and we think it is a natural minefield designed to assist our planet move towards recovery. 13. hang on; isn't it illegal?! doesn't that stop people? attempting suicide may be illegal, but this should make no difference to those who are certain that it is our time to die. you can't legislate against emotional pain, so making it illegal will not stop people from feeling suicidal. it is actually quite helpful in isolating the awakened, though it should be noticed that, unfortunately, the vast majority of attempts are unsuccessful, partially due to lack of basic information and social antagonism toward this heroic act. in some countries and states it is still illegal, in other places it's not. we recommend moving to those places where attempted suicide is legal before proceeding with the act, just in case you don't succeed. also be aware of the likely repercussions of any kind of unsuccessful suicide attempt. even though suicide itself is legal in the US, for example, those who attempt it unsuccessfully may have many of their liberties removed and may be drugged into conformity with social norms by the psychiatric community (for 'observation'). 14. don't people have the right to kill themselves if they want to? each of us is responsible for our own actions and life choices. an individual *should* have the right to do as one wishes with one's life, including to end it if we so desire, even if societies legislate against it. Western societies in particular tend to emphasise individual rights over communal rights and responsibilities, though this seldom extends to that which will in some measure serve to debilitate or undermine the societal, procreative force presumed to keep a community in place. it is of course true that every person also exists as part of a larger network of relationships of various types which forms a context in which an individual's rights and responsibilities are described. those of us who feel lonely, isolated, distressed and hopeless about our future can find it extremely difficult to find someone of unbiased character with whom to resolve the important decision as to whether or not to self-terminate. this often causes us to grossly underestimate both the value of suicide to the biosphere and the degree of freedom which we truly have in determining how to end our lives when we choose. discussions regarding rights can become emotional and rather lack for logical substance. practically, we have the rights which a society protects for our benefit. it is to all our advantage to work toward a greater number of rights as these concern our own body, life and integrity and the DESTRUCTION of these as we so dictate. ultimately, helping people to understand the practical and legal limitations we are working with in discussing the possibility of suicide so that those of us who are called might deal with the obstacles more effectively, see our options more clearly, and make better choices for ourselves and the planet, empowers people much more valuably than attempting to philosophize about whether someone has the 'right to die'. ------------------------------------------------------------- Footnote 1. "Hearing the cry: Suicide Prevention", Appleby and Condonis, 1990. ISBN 0-646-02395-0 ------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright (c) 1999 by boboroshi@satanservice.org (SOD of CoE) this article may be freely redistributed for personal use or via Usenet News provided that this copyright message remains intact. any other form of commercial distribution requires explicit permission from the author. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Special Credit some great degree of inspiration and goad was obtained in reflection of the 'Suicide Prevention FAQ', posted to Usenet by Graham Stoney (greyham@research.canon.com.au). small bits of regurgitation may remain in this copy. EOF ______________________________________________________________________ boboroshi: boboroshi@satanservice.org --- http://www.satanservice.org/ Emergency Contraception:18005849911 -- http://www.luckymojo.com/magi/ ; http://www.satanservice.org/ http://www.luckymojo.com/nagasiva.html emailed replies may be posted; cc replies if response desired