Originally posted by Maguss
I do not condone suicide as it is pathetic, weak, and selfish and the individuals that commit it obviously are inferior and do not deserve the treasure that is life because they cant even realize how precious it really is.
Well said. As someone who has come across suicide on multiple occations, I can say without any compunction that I consider it pathetic and weak and that I would immediately loose all respect for anyone who commits suicide discounting those who are truly in abject agony.
Suicide is nothing more than a perminent solution to a temporary problem and if this kid was so weak as to kill himself over bullying then quite frankly good, get his genes out of the breeding population (PS: I realised as a gay kid he'd probably not breed anyway, that's not the point). What I mean is simply that, in this world, there are people dying without a penny to their name, their bodies failing them, no family to speak of, unable to socialise and maintain friendships, with literally nothing to live for, but they're still clinging on to life to their last damn breath. Why? Because life is precious, life is special. Of all the potensial people who could have existed, we do, and we don't last very long. Some people are lucky and live as long as 100 years, others like myself will have that cut short to maybe 50 years, and others though accidents, illness etc. may well have it cut even shorter. I, like all sensible people, do not believe in an after-life. I've not deluded myself that we continue after death, and I'm glad of that as it devalues the life we have to actively assume you get a longer, better, happier one next. It's also extremely arrogant to believe in an after-life. I understand why people hold this belief, it's comforting, it holds back the fear and the sense of loss, but it's a lie and we all know it. So, suicides, they're people who don't respect the incredible good fortune they have, they're people who consider their own life worthless and if that's how they see it, how can they expect me to see their life as anything else.
The question we have to ask however is simple, especially when it comes to teenagers and kids. Could someone be driven to suicide? Can their mind be poisoned? Can they be made to feel worthless and alone so much so that the emotional pain is a great as the physical pain of someone on their death bed waiting to die from a terminal illness? I personally think no, I personally feel it cannot and that these people simply lack willpower, but my own feelings aside... this happens. People who suffer tragedies, their family killed for example, often take their own lives. People who are raped do as well. So how severe must the bullying have been, how disgusting must the intollerance have been to have made a 14 year old feel that hated, alone and worthless?
While I consider suicide an example of true personal weakness and feel a great pity for these people, I consider those who spread hatred enough to make people feel so worthless, to be nothing but scum. They are bigots and they lower the collective quality of the human condition for everyone. I think it's a sad example of our current societal norms that this form of bullying still exists, just as it would be for children to be actively racist in a school. As for what I'd do about it, I'm not sure... but I know something does need to be done, such victimising isn't acceptable in any reasonable and free society and anyone defending homophobic bullying is a disgusting and pathetic individual.
That is all.