[ QUOTE ]
I think suicide is the single most selfish thing a person could do.

The silly little problems that the average person has are so trivial. To think that some people would actually consider taking their lives because of them is ridiculous.

Your wife/girlfriend/etc leaves you? Big deal. You lost your job? Big deal. Have more debt than you can pay off? Big deal. People pick on you at school? Big deal.

Whenever I hear of someone killing themselves, I don't think "that poor person." I don't feel a thing for that person because they were stupid and made a poor decision. I feel awful for that person's family though. That one decision destroyed the lives of so many others.

If a person is miserable, or thinks their life isn't worth living, then they need to change things. Life is constantly changing. I had a miserable life while going to school. I'm sure there are millions of others with similar experiences, and some of them felt it was bad enough to take their lives. Now my life is terrific and so could theirs had they not made that decision.

[/ QUOTE ]

I answered "I'm immortal" and "Never think about suicide", but I find your reply to the question interesting. First I don't really think suicide is "the single most selfish thing a person could do." We are leaving off many other things. Raping a grandmother, more selfish. Killing someone, more selfish. Blowing your family's entire savings to play poker, more selfish. In a severely depressed person's state of mind, they are not thinking of others. And even if they are, why should they need to continue their misery just for the sake of people around them? We did not qualify who the suicide people were. What if they are 80? Terminally ill? A paraplegic? I don't think there are many suicides caused by a boyfriend leaving. I DO think many suicides could be prevented if instead of chalking it up to teen angst or a phase, people would actually help and get the depressed person to a shrink. Or any other support system that would help them pull through. Sorry, didn't mean to jump on your post.