I hope compassionate participants here on HN will go directly to the link on the parent post above this comment

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3350003

and FLAG IT.

I recall how pg felt when fallentimes, formerly an active participant here, died of suicide. If I remember correctly, that came about one week after a Hacker News thread in which several participants were dismissive of suicide.

This remark is consistent with an atheistic view of reality. Although atheists can be compassionate to someone hurting enough to want to kill themselves, ultimately what does it matter?

On the other hand, if there is more to human life than a collection of atoms that happens to be organized in an interesting way and human life is sacred, as Christianity teaches, then suicide is a tragedy of the highest degree. No human is a waste of space, and every life should be protected to the extent possible through our finite means. I commend raganwald for making this post. I just wanted to point out that vonskimppy's comment illustrates implications of certain worldviews

I am a heathen, and not an atheist (I am not the GP poster either).

I don't see suicide as a tragedy nor do I see life in itself to be sacred in the way Christianity teaches it is sacred. For this reason I am pro choice but don't even try to differentiate between abortion and infanticide--- personhood is a social concept and where we draw lines is arbitrary. Just because we draw the line before birth somewhere and the Vikings drew it a few days after birth doesn't make one more right than the other.

I don't particularly frown on suicide (note, I am not untouched by this, having lost two friends to suicide both which were suffering from mental illness). However, I think that if one is competent to decide, that's the key thing. It;s tragic when we sent people off to war and then don't give them the treatment they need when they come back so they kill themselves. It is tragic when people find themselves rejected by long-time friends in their hours of need and slit their wrists in hotel rooms. I am not saying these are good choices.

But having known people who made these choices badly does not give me a right to discount it in other circumstances.

You have been downvoted because you are encouraging suicide.

If you feel this way yourself and want someone to talk to, you can email me at [email protected]. I would be happy to chat about life, philosophy, or whatever topic you choose.

No I'm encouraging free will. Who better then each individual to make their own choice to live or die. How can anyone say "just wait, things will get better". Are the people making that hollow promise willing to back that up with healthcare, money, love, success, whatever it takes to make that reality come true? If it's wrong for someone to decide to take their own life, isn't it equally wrong for someone to tell them they shouldn't? Since no one knows what's on the other side of death, making people stay alive when they don't want to be seems totally unwarranted.

people saying " you shouldn't do it" makes them feel good.Or maybe it's compassion in a lot of cases. But,a lot of times, it's selfish. It's like the people that give to panhandlers so they whether look good in the eyes of others or think that their soul is going to be saved.

I actually think this is a completely valid viewpoint, and the people downvoting you and criticizing you are more signaling their supposed moral superiority---suicide and depression is a topic people love to brag about how supportive and real they supposedly are but the person who actually lifts a finger to help, probably 1 in a million of these people.

Thank you for keeping it real and saying words that are hard to hear but quite accurately describe the situation: suicidal people are rejects of the socio-economic system, and it's fucking hilarious that so many of us get indignant about suicide while, operating in this system, being active or passive agents in contributing to the suicide of others around them.

Certainly while undying fame is hard to win, I believe it can be done, and those who commit suicide tend to fade from memory just as fast as those who don't. There are good and there are bad reasons to commit suicide. Doing so solely so one can be remembered, unless it is in a particularly memorable way (like the Buddhist monks in Vietnam protesting the Diem regime by setting themselves on fire in public) is about as stupid a reason as one can get.

Someone please ban this asshole.

Nice to see HN promotes freely discussing ALL opinions with an open mind.

Oh wait, I see they don't. Apparently if you express opinions that others disagree with, the close minded fops want you banned.

Meh - if I get banned for disagreeing with the standard "poor baby" suicide line, so be it. I'll stick with discussions where EVERYONE is welcome to express their opinions.

You failed to notice your comment was as dumb as someone saying, "He's gay, he deserves to die of AIDS."

Mental illness is very real and can be just as devastating (if not more) than cancer or heart disease. Where a cancer victim's loved one will likely draw for support a man clinically depressed is more likely to be or feel alone. Depression can cost people their jobs, families and yes, their lives. Depression can last for years and even decades. Shame at themselves for feeling this way leads many men (less so women) to never seek proper treatment. After all they are just being "sad sacks".

Attitudes like yours lead sick people to needless deaths for a treatable, or at least manageable, condition.

I just wanted to reply and show my support. Whether I agree or not with what you said there is some definite closed-mindedness going on here.

Why downvote someone based on an opinion?