Is hunger strike suicide or being heroic?

[cristyd]

I’m having trouble thinking about it. In our country there is a case of a teacher who was on hynger strike(only water and orange juice) for 65 days over the salary cuts. Her heart almost stoped for 3 times and she is in renal failure but she sayd she is fighting for the dignity of all the teacher in the country.
I have doubts that her action will be successfull and i am asking myself if starving yourself for so much time is not more suisidal then heroic. I believe in dying for an idea, for your religion, saving lifes. But you must also know that your death was not useless. And in her case i am afraid it will be. There are other ways for protesting: strike, court of law, labour sidicats, you can go and protest on the street. If these don’t impress anybody then i doubt that staving yourself to death will do it.
I honestly feel sorry for her.

 

[Church_Militant]

It’s not suicide because her intention is not to kill herself.

 

[cristyd]

It’s not suicide because her intention is not to kill herself.

However she is intetionally provoking harm to her body, harm that could affect her all her life and she also knows she can die. After 65 days she must know that she can die anytime and still she continues. I am honestly very sad for her because i don’t believe our politicians deserve that this woman die for them.

 

[Randy_Carson]

However she is intetionally provoking harm to her body, harm that could affect her all her life and she also knows she can die. After 65 days she must know that she can die anytime and still she continues. I am honestly very sad for her because i don’t believe our politicians deserve that this woman die for them.

As was stated by Church Militant, she does not desire death but a change in policy.

She may die, but that is not her primary intent. Consequently, she is not committing suicide.

Someone who jumps in front of a train to push a child to safety knows that he will likely die, but death is not his desire; he is not commiting suicide.

 

[streetpreacher]

Hunger strike to hospitalization over salary cuts??? Seriously, over not getting paid enough money??? No empathy over this one, what a total and complete waste of time, the goal in her case is totally pointless.

 

[St_Francis]

I think hunger strikes *might *be ok, for a proportionate reason, if there is a good chance for success.

This is not a proportionate reason. If she doesn’t like how much she is paid, then she should look for higher-paying work. If her sense of her own dignity is that bound up in how much she is paid, then I’d say she has serious problems, and I actually would not want her teaching my children.

And people who use harming a person, even themselves, to get others to take a certain course of action are really kind of like spoiled brats, if you ask me.

 

[cristyd]

This is not a proportionate reason. If she doesn’t like how much she is paid, then she should look for higher-paying work. If her sense of her own dignity is that bound up in how much she is paid, then I’d say she has serious problems, and I actually would not want her teaching my children.
/QUOTE]

Here I don’t agree with you. In Romania there was given recently a law by which because of the crisis they say the salaries of the teachers, doctors, administrator, police and army are reduced by 25%. This is very much considering that their salaries were already not very high. Right now the salary of a teacher is like 120-200 euros. I don’t think you would be able to live normally from this money. And looking for another job, you can forget this. With the unemployment rates there is little chance she would find something else. And why should she be obliged to change her job as a teacher if she loves doing it.

I do not disagree with what she is protesting. I disagree with her method of protest.

 

[cristyd]

As was stated by Church Militant, she does not desire death but a change in policy.

She may die, but that is not her primary intent. Consequently, she is not committing suicide.

Someone who jumps in front of a train to push a child to safety knows that he will likely die, but death is not his desire; he is not commiting suicide.

OK i understand that it is not suicide. However i have a problem thinking it’s something heroic and the comparison with saving a child is a little far-fetched.

To help a child or try to save his life if you can is like a duty of every Christian or even every normal person. it is somehow written in our consciousness. If you are a hero you will jump in front of the train, if you are not the hero type of person you will most probably scream or flop your arm chaotically in the hope that the train mechanic will see you and stop the train. Any normal person seeing a child in front of a train will react in some way trying to save him even if just screaming.

However it is not in our duty to starve ourselves to death to make a point not matter how noble it is or we think it is. If i was to start tomorrow a hunger strike to protest against the abortions or to stop the corruption or the wars in the world my intentions would be noble. However my chance of success will most probably be zero and my death would be the subject of some TV show. In my opinion it would be useless when i could have used my powers to protest and support my ideas with words or other means and maybe i would have made an impression.

I understand why she protests but with the will power she had to stay without food for so much time she could have used it in some other form of protest. How about her husband and child. Is it fair to them to watch their wife and mother dying little by little.

 

[St_Francis]

Here I don’t agree with you. In Romania there was given recently a law by which because of the crisis they say the salaries of the teachers, doctors, administrator, police and army are reduced by 25%. This is very much considering that their salaries were already not very high. Right now the salary of a teacher is like 120-200 euros. I don’t think you would be able to live normally from this money.

Wow, I must seriously apologize! I must have been too tired when I read your original post, because I thought it was happening in Ireland… and was just a lack of a raise rather than such a severe cut.

 

[TheRealJuliane]

I’m having trouble thinking about it. In our country there is a case of a teacher who was on hynger strike(only water and orange juice) for 65 days over the salary cuts. Her heart almost stoped for 3 times and she is in renal failure but she sayd she is fighting for the dignity of all the teacher in the country.
I have doubts that her action will be successfull and i am asking myself if starving yourself for so much time is not more suisidal then heroic. I believe in dying for an idea, for your religion, saving lifes. But you must also know that your death was not useless. And in her case i am afraid it will be. There are other ways for protesting: strike, court of law, labour sidicats, you can go and protest on the street. If these don’t impress anybody then i doubt that staving yourself to death will do it.
I honestly feel sorry for her.

I suspect that more of these types of gestures happen because of the media coverage. She is probably hoping for more media attention which will put pressure on the government not to carry out the cuts. But yes, I think it’s wrong to intentionally deprive your body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit, of nourishment in order to prove an economic or political point. I don’t know if it’s sinful, but it’s punishing yourself to prove a point to some agency. God would never ask us to take such actions. Jesus sure didn’t go on a hunger strike when the temple was defiled by the money-changers!

 

[didymus]

Wondering, what about chance of success? Does that when in?

Given that the cause is important enough (whatever it is) and I agree it does not equal suicide since their intent is not suicide per se.
But IF there comes a point when it is obvious the authorities will not accede to their just demands will, then what? Keep hoping against hope that sacrifice will have the desired effect?

I suppose one is dealing with a species of martyrdom which is by definition irrational.