20211209 : suicide

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I was watching something yesterday about the growing number of suicides the world over. The pandemic, lockdowns, uncertainty, lack of social support etc is accelerating the trend.

It got me thinking, why do we even think of committing suicide?

Don't read me wrong. Depression is real. Suicidal tendencies are real. I have spent a large part of the last 3 years constantly contemplating about it.

But why do we do it? We humans are the only species to think it and do it.

No animal jumps off a cliff without knowing how to fly. No animal wades into the ocean if it doesn't know how to swim...

Some insects - like soldier ants, bees, etc. are known to give up their life to defend their colony. But that is just instinctive sacrifice as part of living...

I get the science - only we have a deep sense of self, a deep understanding of cause and effect, etc.

But I would assume survival instinct would prevent such thoughts.

I get murder - it is very little in humans because of conscience. I get someone else taking ones life out of mercy/ compassion when we can't think for ourselves. But thinking about it ourselves...

In the worst of times, the mind I assume, should have some insulation mechanism from these thoughts. Just like the mind doesn't allow us to think about unnecessary things when in a "fight or flight" situation.

If everything evolved over millions of years, isn't it anti evolutionary to want to end one's own life?

If it is indeed against evolution, who or what is making the mind think in that direction?

Metaphorically speaking, life could be a prison from somewhere else - with each one serving their own sentence term. How rigorous the imprisonment might be the body we get. In that sense, being human is most probably the most rigorous it can get.

Occasionally, someone tries to escape. Will they be apprehended? Will they be sent to a different prison and longer term?

Is there something like a successful escape...?



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