RE: What is "useful"; what is "survival"

From: Lawrence H. de Bivort (debivort@umd5.umd.edu)
Date: Fri May 26 2000 - 13:30:47 BST

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Date: Fri, 26 May 2000 08:30:47 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Lawrence H. de Bivort" <debivort@umd5.umd.edu>
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Subject: RE: What is "useful"; what is "survival"
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    Greetings,
    Some time ago I commented that for the person committing suicide, that act
    seems beneficial: they are in a situation where 'getting out of it'
    quickly is better than struggling through, against the odds of success,
    and enduring more psychological pain. To an outsider, the calculation may
    not seem compelling, but to the person in the situation it is, so they do
    the logical and beneficial thing: they end it.

    Society does not like the notion of suicide, I think in large part because
    when a person commits suicide it raises the issue of whether life is
    'worth it,' and implicitly challenges those remaining to question the
    quality of their lives. It is, I think, similar to what happens when
    someone resigns from a company or faculty -- it disturbs those who remain.
    I have seen this many times in corporations, and a few times working with
    people who are suicidal. The suicidal person can be stopped from killing
    themselves if they are given hope of a reasonable solution. (A good
    therapist should, IMHO, undertake the moral responsibility of such a
    solution, if they are skilled enough to carry it off.)

    Lawrence de Bivort
    The Memetics Group

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