Why must one live?

[Black_Rose]

I found this while reading a wikipedia article:

Since the book was intended to be a manual, the author did not spend too much space on discussing the reasons and philosophy behind suicide. Although he does rhetorically pose the question “Why must one live?”

It is a great question from both a secular and religious perspective, since if no one has a good answer to the question, then there would be no deterrent for one to commit suicide. So, why must one live?

I am mildly bipolar, although I do live my current life without medication (olanzapine|zyprexa) since I could function rather well without any significant stressors or adversity such as financial problems. (On the flip side, I do enjoy the periods of hypomania.) Some events, however, cause me enter a catatonic state of depression, but I rarely get so depressed that I consider suicide where depression eclipses my will to live.

 

[Bookcat]

Life is a gift…let us live it!

280 Everyone is responsible for his life before God who has given it to him. It is God who remains the sovereign Master of life. We are obliged to accept life gratefully and preserve it for his honor and the salvation of our souls. We are stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us. It is not ours to dispose of.

(of course those who struggle with their emotions they may need assistance from others or medical assistance…but even the suffering can in a real way be offered for others in prayer etc…one can still life a true life)

Most importantly let us live it in Christ!

 

[lynx]

You only get one life, so enjoy it, go forth be fruitful and do good. Happiness is the reason for living. Understanding how to live and be one with the universe is another reason. Acquiring of knowledge and personal growth is as good a reason as any to live. While there are good reasons for death, few people have them.

 

[Black_Rose]

You only get one life, so enjoy it, go forth be fruitful and do good. Happiness is the reason for living. Understanding how to live and be one with the universe is another reason. Acquiring of knowledge and personal growth is as good a reason as any to live. While there are good reasons for death, few people have them.

I was asking not for a reason for people to live, but why must one live? In other words, why it is an imperative that someone continues his/her life (even if one perceives it to be miserable because it is devoid of fun, filled with adversity, and humiliating) instead of trying to terminate it themselves.

 

[phil8888]

I think life is a gift that we didn’t give ourselves, and we’re fortunate to have it.

if there are problems in someone’s life, we should look for a good solution. there are struggles in life, but giving up is not a good option. keep trying.

also, sometimes suffering can help us come closer to God, as ironic as that sounds. we gain a greater empathy and understanding for others.

 

[RoryMcKenzie56]

I was asking not for a reason for people to live, but why must one live? In other words, why it is an imperative that someone continues his/her life (even if one perceives it to be miserable because it is devoid of fun, filled with adversity, and humiliating) instead of trying to terminate it themselves.

Self-murder manifests a denial of belief and trust in a good God who made you, knows you, loves you, and tenderly watches over you in whatever circumstances you find yourself.

If we who are Christians redeemed by God’s grace cannot acknowledge the right to murder ourselves, reflect that we don’t have the right to do anything besides offering up ourselves a living sacrifice to the perceived will of God. Joy comes from recognition of who and what we are as creatures. Mark it down, we are born to be servants and we will be servants of sin or servants of God. St. Paul describes the happy condition of the Christian as one of non-ownership of ourselves at the end of chapter 7 of his first letter to the Corinthians:

Or know you not, that your members are the temple of the Holy Ghost, who is in you, whom you have from God; and you are not your own? For you are bought with a great price. Glorify and bear God in your body.

Our members…meaning our eyes and mouths, and hands and feet belong to God. How much more our very lives? This means nothing to an unbeliever, but there is no way that a Christian can admit to having the authority to slay themselves.

 

[Stylites]

I was asking not for a reason for people to live, but why must one live? In other words, why it is an imperative that someone continues his/her life (even if one perceives it to be miserable because it is devoid of fun, filled with adversity, and humiliating) instead of trying to terminate it themselves.

The reason one MUST live is because one’s life is not one’s own to give or take. As someone else said, God is the sovereign of life, not each individual.

.

 

[catharina]

I was asking not for a reason for people to live, but why must one live? In other words, why it is an imperative that someone continues his/her life (even if one perceives it to be miserable because it is devoid of fun, filled with adversity, and humiliating) instead of trying to terminate it themselves.

Guess you’re asking why must one continue to live?
Too bad your desciption is so minimal.
I’ve never met a mature adult (any age) who believes that “fun” is necessary to life.

Still, WHY must one continue to live?

You did not create yourself so you do not “own” yourself.
One’s life is a gift from God. God owns all of us.
Therefore. we “owe” God and must do all we can to maintain this gift.

 

[AntiTheist]

Asking “why shouldn’t I kill myself?” is like asking “why shouldn’t I break into a rousing rendition of the Star Spangled Banner in the middle of a busy city street?”

That is to say, you’ve got it backwards. The question isn’t “why shouldn’t I do X?” but “why should I do X?”

I would say that depression, even serious depression, is insufficient reason for ending your life, especially in this modern age of medicines and therapy that can greatly help you and increase your enjoyment of life in the long run.

Now, arguably, having an incurable disease and facing a very slow and painful death might very well be a sufficient reason for voluntarily ending your life, depending on your outlook. But depression, in and of itself, is almost certainly not.

As others have noted, this is the only life that we’re all sure that we’re going to have, so you might as well enjoy it.

In short, there’s no “imperative” to keep living, just like there’s no “imperative” to never break out into the Star Spangled Banner in public…but why the heck would you ever do that? Just because there’s not an “imperative” against something is not a good enough reason to do it.

 

[Karmartia]

Your life is all you’ve got. Use it to make it worth living. Make every day count and you’ll never be depressed. Do something worthwhile every single day. Share your life with others. Feed someone, clothe someone, visit someone. Your life actually has very little to do with you. Life is a gift meant to be shared.

 

[lynx]

I was asking not for a reason for people to live, but why must one live? In other words, why it is an imperative that someone continues his/her life (even if one perceives it to be miserable because it is devoid of fun, filled with adversity, and humiliating) instead of trying to terminate it themselves.

Well, for the answer to this I look at nature / the universe and the traits of life. What does life wish to do? I believe life wishes to propagate and evolve. Based upon this idea all life should have an imperative to that aim. Life also has a unique sense of balance and cycle. If you’ve ever watched The Lion King you know what I mean. As such, we should evaluate our place in that cycle along with our imperative to propagate and evolve. Thus I have come to the conclusion that as people, it is our goal to enhance our own abilities (mental and physical) while finding ways to protect a necessary environment so future people can propagate. To kill oneself is not beneficial to this imperative and should thus be avoided. However this isn’t a steadfast rule, and there are reasons for suicide.

 

[anns82]

It is a great question from both a secular and religious perspective, since if no one has a good answer to the question, then there would be no deterrent for one to commit suicide. So, why must one live?

I am mildly bipolar, although I do live my current life without medication (olanzapine|zyprexa) since I could function rather well without any significant stressors or adversity such as financial problems. (On the flip side, I do enjoy the periods of hypomania.) Some events, however, cause me enter a catatonic state of depression, but I rarely get so depressed that I consider suicide where depression eclipses my will to live.

One of the interesting things about the human situations is that it is not stagnant. I was in a seemingly horrible situation for about 5 years, which raised similar questions, but life took some unexpected turns and my perspective today is completely different than only a few years ago. Many of these life changes where not within my control, so recognizing that life does not work out the way people predict is something that is often difficult to accept within our culture which tells us we can plan everything.
I think part of the difficult things in these situations is that people surrounding the individual need to love and support the person to strengthen him/her during difficult times. Our society is so fixated on the self, that it encourages a person who is hurting to take the “easy out” rather than encouraging people actually care for their neighbor.

 

[tonyrey]

It is a great question from both a secular and religious perspective, since if no one has a good answer to the question, then there would be no deterrent for one to commit suicide. So, why must one live?

There is no compulsion that you must live! You can choose to kill yourself - painlessly of course… You are free to do what you like, e.g. kill some one else, rape, rob, plunder… Why not?

The beauty of life is that we do have that choice. We are not forced to go on living against our will. We have absolute control over ourselves. No one can chain our mind. That in itself should make us pause and appreciate being alive. We have an incredible opportunity to explore reality in its endless forms and varieties. Life is an adventure from start to finish.

Not only that. We are living with a stranger all the time. We cannot even understand ourselves, let alone life. Sheer curiosity is a sufficient motive for living. That is the beauty of philosophy because it teaches you to take nothing for granted. The strangeness of everything sometimes hits you like a tornado. Why should anything exist, let alone us?

Already we have enough reasons to stay alive. Our power and freedom, curiosity, beauty, wonder, adventure, excitement, exploration… But the most precious opportunities are yet to come. The struggle between good and evil, the fight against injustice, the elimination of poverty and misery, the consolation of the afflicted, the pursuit of love… Isn’t that enough?

 

[Benadam]

Because our existence isn’t contigent on death.

 

[donsnow]

I was asking not for a reason for people to live, but why must one live? In other words, why it is an imperative that someone continues his/her life (even if one perceives it to be miserable because it is devoid of fun, filled with adversity, and humiliating) instead of trying to terminate it themselves.

I didn’t start my life. God did that, through my parents. Conversely, it’s not my place to end my life.

There’s that little voice in my heart, calling, “I want to live”. We must not silence that voice.

Also, we must recognize our right, and others’ rights, to live. Not to do so imposes a death penalty on the entire civilization.

 

[anns82]

I’ve been listening to GK Chesterton on audio book, and I remember that he was struggling with suicidal thoughts before he became Christian. It might be helpful to look into his writings to understand his reasons for valuing life and seeing through the falsehoods of our culture. Check out librivox.org and do a search to see some of his titles if you want to go through some audio. The readers are sometimes dry, but the content of the words are engaging in themselves.

 

[Black_Rose]

Indeed, most people possess an internal will and desire to live, and they did not need an external abstract philosophical reason or supernatural dictum to live. Well, I posted this thread because an extrinsic answer to the question is needed for people who only perceive persistence suffering, despair, and adversity as a condition their existence which drains their will to live. Many people invoke ,the theistic answer is that God owns our lives, thus killing ourselves would be improper stewardship and an abdication of our responsibilities imposed by a loving and just God. At times, I am unable to love myself and this prevents me from loving others, but when I started believing that God profoundly loves me, and because of that, this enables me to love myself. But this begs the question that if one does not believe in God, then what other reason one would have for not killing themselves. The secular answer seems to be the positive expected value of our experiences living life such as encountering novel things that would satisfy our curiosity or simply the enjoyment one would get from living life. I do not think there is a secular external answer to the question except perhaps a positive future value of life.

 

[tjm190]

Religious- Varies by religion, but generally your higher power of choice wants you to make this world a better place.
Secular- You will find more joy in life then in death, so prolong life. You may also feel responsible to various causes.

 

[DPMartin]

Indeed, most people possess an internal will and desire to live, and they did not need an external abstract philosophical reason or supernatural dictum to live. Well, I posted this thread because an extrinsic answer to the question is needed for people who only perceive persistence suffering, despair, and adversity as a condition their existence which drains their will to live. Many people invoke ,the theistic answer is that God owns our lives, thus killing ourselves would be improper stewardship and an abdication of our responsibilities imposed by a loving and just God. At times, I am unable to love myself and this prevents me from loving others, but when I started believing that God profoundly loves me, and because of that, this enables me to love myself. But this begs the question that if one does not believe in God, then what other reason one would have for not killing themselves. The secular answer seems to be the positive expected value of our experiences living life such as encountering novel things that would satisfy our curiosity or simply the enjoyment one would get from living life. I do not think there is a secular external answer to the question except perhaps a positive future value of life.

Yes but what brings a person to consider such things? Fear? Fear of living more then death? Your going to die anyways so why go through the hassle? What a person perceives or believes life is? If this is all there is, then what for? Must some one live?

 

[Betterave]

Indeed, most people possess an internal will and desire to live, and they did not need an external abstract philosophical reason or supernatural dictum to live. Well, I posted this thread because an extrinsic answer to the question is needed for people who only perceive persistence suffering, despair, and adversity as a condition their existence which drains their will to live. Many people invoke ,the theistic answer is that God owns our lives, thus killing ourselves would be improper stewardship and an abdication of our responsibilities imposed by a loving and just God. At times, I am unable to love myself and this prevents me from loving others, but when I started believing that God profoundly loves me, and because of that, this enables me to love myself. But this begs the question that if one does not believe in God, then what other reason one would have for not killing themselves. The secular answer seems to be the positive expected value of our experiences living life such as encountering novel things that would satisfy our curiosity or simply the enjoyment one would get from living life. I do not think there is a secular external answer to the question except perhaps a positive future value of life.

Keeping with the spirit of Antitheist’s answer: The lack of a positive will to live does not imply the presence of a positive will to kill oneself - and so the default is to continue the status quo. I think there’s both a kind of inertia and an unarticulated instinctive dread of the unknown which hold us back from embracing death, even when life seems to suck. Death just happens to other living things, although they instinctively avoid it. But we humans are quite distinctive: we actually think about it, it matters to us, bothers us (even if there are those who want to deny that it does or should).