Serious question

[LonelyPilgrim]

Quoting munchingfoo from 22:34, 17th Mar 2008

Quoting the Empress from 21:08, 17th Mar 2008
Sooner or later everyone hurts themselves through some sort of self-destructive behaviour

What a load of shite. Back it up with evidence or fuck off and argue with idiots of the same level.

[hr]

“ When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading”

I concur with Empress. We all engage in self-destruction - junk food, lack of exercise, smoking, drinking, negative thoughts, serial bad relationships... not all self-destructive behavior is as blatant as cutting or suicide.

[hr]

Self-control is the chief element of self-respect; self-respect is the chief element of courage. - Thucydides

[munchingfoo]

Argument from personal experience is flawed. She argued for "everyone", I want her to qualify her statement.

[hr]

“ When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading”

[Midget]

Quoting LonelyPilgrim from 23:58, 17th Mar 2008

I concur with Empress. We all engage in self-destruction - junk food, lack of exercise, smoking, drinking, negative thoughts, serial bad relationships... not all self-destructive behavior is as blatant as cutting or suicide.

Cutting probably does less harm to your health than junk food or smoking. But thats not the point, the primary purpose of cutting is to self-harm, fast-food and cigarettes hit certain buttons and are addictive -we don't do them primarily to harm thats a side-effect.

Ultimately you could claim much behaviour is self-destructive, its about intention though.

The two most self-destructive things in life IMHO are self-pity and boredom.

[the Empress]

well I was making a generalisation not an argument. Obviously, I cannot know what EVERYONE is thinking/doing, I can admit that. My point was simply that people OFTEN (happy?)IN MY EXPERIENCE do things which, carried to the extreme, can ultimately, be self-destructive. To the original poster, and to frog, my intention was to empathise, and to indicate that thoughts of killing oneself or hurting oneself, or feeling 'depressed' (not necessarily in the clinical sense) are most likely more common than one thinks. One is not a 'freak', or should be ostrasized (as Henessy seemed to suggest), for carrying out such a behaviour. I then drew on personal experience, that when such thoughts occur, or I feel down, there is often an intervention in my life that halts what could be a downward spiral, usually small and trivial. Mainly because I am open to to such an intervention. I 'suspect' that 'many' people have negative behaviours, which carried to the extreme may be classifed as self-destrutive. Such as lack of exercise, over-eating, dieting, self-harm, etc. I 'believe' that one should not be demonized as some spoilt Western arse, because sometimes, you just don't feel great.

[Hennessy]

I concur with munchingfoo. If depression is as widespread an illness as we are led to believe, then shouldnt half the population be topping themselves? Smoking and drinking arent illogical because they provide the short-term gain of relief and intoxication, suicide provides neither of these and should therefore be classed in a seperate category of "self destructive".

If you "just sometimes don't feel great", in the Western world you have far more opportunity to express that dissatisfaction and support systems are far more endemic than in the third world. Perhaps you should comprehend the perspective, Empress, of people whose only recourse is to survive before you dismiss them as irrelevant. They are just as relevant as those who throw their lives away for far less than anybody who had ever really suffered the worst this world can deal out.

[hr]

"What happened to Spoon?"
"There is no Spoon"
Dog Soldiers

[the Empress]

I haven't dismissed the developing world as irrelevant - I have no doubt that their lives are infinitely worse than the west. But emotion is a very personal thing. It is not helpful to a potential suicidee to compare them to anyone else. Their case is unique and they have a right to feel as they do, however illogical it may seem to an outsider. Certainly, in treating people, it is not the job of the medical profession to judge. It's to treat people. I'm not attempting to justify suicide, I'm saying that 'wow, there's some poor starving African who's suffered waaaaaaay worse than you' won't help treat that individual. Yes, I understand perspective, but the original poster was asking 'have you thought of commiting suicide' - and I'd better a lot of people have, if only briefly, and without any intention of doing so.

[munchingfoo]

Quoting the Empress from 00:24, 18th Mar 2008
well I was making a generalisation not an argument. Obviously, I cannot know what EVERYONE is thinking/doing, I can admit that.

Okay - but thats what you said. If you don't believe it, why did you say it?

[hr]

“ When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading”

[the Empress]

well I do believe that everyone has some form of self-destructive behaviour, even if it doesn't manifest itself in the extreme. But I cannot prove it.

[rob 'f*ck off' wine boy]

Peace love and harmony friends. The Great Opening be upon you.

[munchingfoo]

Quoting the Empress from 01:11, 18th Mar 2008
well I do believe that everyone has some form of self-destructive behaviour, even if it doesn't manifest itself in the extreme. But I cannot prove it.

Well, i'll let you claim it when you can.

[hr]

“ When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading”

[the Empress]

wrong

[the Empress]

*sigh*

[munchingfoo]

Sorry, I couldn't resist.


but what I meant by "let you" was, I would argue that your point of view was incorrect until you could supply evidence for it.

[hr]

“ When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading”

[FURY-161]

Day in, day out I dream of ending everything. Strangely, most people settle for ending themselves.

Think big, people.

[hr]

FURY-161
"Anything to feel weightless again"
http://fury161.cjb.net

[fionars]

the primary purpose of cutting is to self-harm, fast-food and cigarettes hit certain buttons and are addictive

Just to note, self-harm is also considered an addiction of sorts by many who do it. Very rarely are self harmers trying to kill themselves - they just want to get the high that cutting gives them. So instead of sucking on a cigarette when stressed, they punch a wall or burn themselves. Also, I agree with frog, emergency services should treat everyone equally.

[hr]

What Would Britney Do?