I, too, hope that death is not the end of life, just a new beginning for whatever is next. Doesn't make sense to learn so much in one lifetime then to lose all that experience by a physical death of the body. Irrational? Maybe.

I'm not entirely convinced that suicide is an out, just a temporary relief from the present situation. As I consider this life to be a lesson I need to face and learn from to go on to the next. Whatever that is.
That together with my never-ending curiosity and vibrant imagination keep me from seriously considering taking my own life. Whatever that is.
Its worked for 70 some odd years. So far, so good.
Have I faced personal adversity in my life? Yup. Some of them personally devastating, where I gave some thought to leaving the planet? Yup. What stopped me? Always something caught my interest and made me wonder what was around the next corner in this journey.
Looking back I could see that whatever made me think of ending my life was not all that serious in the grand scheme of life. Just a momentary bump in the road. To be endured and learned from to the next bump.
That's just me. I am an individual, not anyone else, that is how I handle my life and whatever problems I encounter. I cannot, and will not, speak to anyone else's experience, for I am not them. Each to his own.

Oh my, honey...
So sorry for your loss but also for the stupidly of the end-of-life protocol.

he had other talents,,, of course -- I was just
trying to narrow it down ... without alcohol !!! -- j

p.s. gave up alcohol 31jan2011 -- Dr. orders,,,
for liver, etc....

Robin Williams was a wonderful actor, and comedian, but he had so many demons to fight....I think he was simply overwhelmed. He committed suicide. The man is dead. Time to give him and his family the dignity he deserves.

Well analyzed, johnpe1.

Thanks, Maree. It is precisely the anti-life vs. Galt's oath question that I am trying to reconcile in my mind. If it were me that had to make this choice, I would consider it an exceedingly difficult contradiction. When others are considering this choice, I counsel against suicide, but ultimately it is that person's decision.

Dr. Jim,,, after some calm, slow, patient thought .......
Robin was gifted with two exceptional talents --
speed of thought and allegory (or something like it)
which led to delightful humor. That british bobby
looks like he has a turtle on his head! fast and funny
and innovative at the same time.

now. if I had that running in my head, and I had
trouble controlling it -- the speed, the newness --
I might want to slow it down, or to get relief from it
sometimes. this might lead to drugs, alcohol,,,,,

I personally loved alcohol because it gradually
narrowed my brain down to a single track, when
I was about half drunk. I bet that he had to be
really zonked to reach the one-track state.

he might just have burned out from the wear and
tear of having such power running up top. -- j

Welcome to a new family here in Atlantis.

when I smack my hand on a countertop, it hurts.
that's an absolute. there are others. -- j

hey, john!! piss us off! go ahead! we will stick with
you, regardless! this is a good place for people to
be themselves and live life naturally. Live It, sir!!! -- j

my hope, Hiraghm, derives from experience. so far,
the stupid stuff I've done hasn't killed me. amazing.

I just try to avoid doing things which I can't expect to
go well, from experience and extrapolation. but I do
love motorcycles (have two) and riding gives
a sense of freedom.

may your experience lead to hope for years to
come, including your attempts to become notorious
as an acid-tongue on the net!!! -- j

Teri, my mom died from complications begun with
breast cancer, which metastasized to her brain, then
her bones, etc..... and we asked for pain medicine
when she was dying from starvation, since she
could not keep food down ....... and the answer
was, "Morphine depresses heart rate and
respiration." translation::: fear of a lawsuit.

very sad. -- j

In a physical sense your mother makes your body and you sustain it using the elements from the planet where you are born. Life is passed to you by your mother as well. The state of life is analogous to fire in that it can expand indefinitely if there is fuel and an oxidant and certain other conditions, life can expand undiminished. If that analogy holds, its a form of energy.

First law of Thermo says energy is never lost, just changes its form. So it pleases me to think that a ray of sunshine that warms my back on a chilly day, or a gentle breeze that caresses my cheek may be someone I loved or who once loved me.

The concept of a soul, if there is one, is intangible. I'd like to believe we have one and its the essence, intellect, whatever, of who we are, but I see no way to prove it in a strictly physical universe.

Hemingway shot himself because, as he said, he "didn't want to experience the dregs."

H, why not get a video camera and make a prolonged selfie? You could script it or have someone interview you, introduce snapshots, visual aids, etc. Stephen Spielberg had a project to do just that with Holocaust survivors. I can see John Wayne now in old movies jut as much as I ever did when he was alive (which was never in person) You could even debut on You Tube or Facebook.

I'm sure. Have you tried Al-Anon? They and Mental Health for Families can help. I go to both AA and Al-Anon because there is a sober person living in my head with the alcoholic. LOL I live with the alcoholic and the bi-polar wife. She also has OCD and is a hoarder. FUN? Anyone? Life on life's terms. It would get me down but with my HP, AA, Al-Anon, I am OK