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Posted by Tormod:
Your entire situation is so hypothetical to me (pain, torture, going-back-in-time etc) that I don't know if I'm able to identify with it. ...... I know there are many ways not to feel good about one self and often this is not self inflicted.
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Yeah, I set up this hypothetical situation so as to remove any chance that normal reality could give more options (such as working with lifes lessons to find the good in it). And so it comes down to what is the worst you could imagine with the knowledge that you have, and all of that hits you at once in the world that cannot change.
Quote:
Posted by Tormod:
But "loneliness" is, I fear, one of the most common problems among modern human beings. At least it is a huge problem over here in Norway. Both young and old people choose to take their lives because they are so tired of being lonely. Which is a complete shame.
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Yes it is a shame that it happens, worse yet is that some of those who do take their own lives have a chance to improve but cannot see past the suffering. To expand on the situation I posed from the start; You live in this world of suffering, you hold on tight to your will which will keep your mind clear (for the moment), and more chances then not a person would try to find something to keep him or herself going. You might find someone else to share your problems with (slim chance if the world is huge and little to no population), and you might not. You could try to make the best of what you do have (build a home, start farming etc...) but in this hypothetical world your efforts would just be wasted. "Dang, my house was destroyed, time to rebuild.","Again? Rebuild.","Rebuild.","Why bother? *pulls piece of newspaper over body, but then it blows away*". This would seem to be the world of those who do have that bullet cocked in the chamber ready to introduce it to their brain. Why continue to suffer if nothing can stop it?
To aid the other side of the debate, a person could try to explore this world and see how it ticks. I mean trying to find the good within a chaotic world could just be the thing that can keep a person stable and build upon their will to live (it would take a strong realist, or an optimist on a lot of pills to come to this conclusion me thinks). While driven, there is the chance that said person could cross paths with someone they can connect with. Through the pain and constant battles it can and will strengthen the bonds that they share, and unfortunate events that occur will be obsolete if either havn't given up (takes two to tango).
Even if you cannot find another person to share with that doesn't mean imaginary ones will not suffice.
So in essence it all comes down to, how strong do you think you are? Can you see yourself just passing through the barriers of adversity and synonymously co-exist with it (As you said Tormod: "Will to live")? Or, do you find that with little to no chance that things could improve, choose no life at all?
I would take the path for life at first, but can honestly say that I would lose the drive to continue on no matter how many people (real or imaginary) that I find. Even if I found somthing to keep myself occupied it would end up being taken away. However that is my impatient side talking, and the only way to get the truth would be to cause more misfortune upon myself. But an experiment like that could be too risky for me to try so I will thankfully stay in the dark when it comes to suffering.
