Why do some people commit suicide? How are they similar to fatalists?

Although Catholic-born, I have no intention of judging those who chose to end their lives. To be honest, I have no reason to think that committing suicide is a sin - unless you want to play the ‘religion’ card. There is no evidence - as far as I know - stating that suicide is wrong. We only believe that it is wrong. I will take another route: I would like to imagine how those who at least attempted to commit suicide viewed their being human, their being who or what they are. I hypothesize that there is a link between how they view their time here, and how they view themselves in essence.

Reasons to commit suicide vary from shame to the unbearable, financial burden. Hence, they see no reason to continue on living since life has lost its meaning.

I think the underlying reason for all their reasons is the view that there is no way out of their present situation.

There is no way out for them because they believe that the future is (or, will be) no different from what they had experienced (in the past).

In other words, like fatalists who believe that they have no control over future events, they have imprisoned themselves to their past actions by defining themselves completely by what they had done and what had been done to them. (note: Fatalists commit spiritual suicide by giving up on trying to improve their lives)

By allowing themselves to be defined by the past, they become prisoners of the past. And, as prisoners of the past, they view their future to be no different from the past.

That is a belief. It is not based on facts. It’s not even a fact.

The fact, however, is that tomorrow is ‘another’ day - a chance to be different from what you were yesterday. A chance to create yourself. That is Hope.

You don't have to be a Buddhist to be Buddhist

You can still maintain your belief in Christianity, Islam, Judaism or any other religions, and still be a Buddhist. To be a Buddhist in the way Siddartha - the most famous of all the Buddhas -has it, is to realize the simplest truths about behaving, feeling, thinking, and living, and relating to human and non-human beings. Unlike other faiths, the Buddhist attitude does not cling to a set of beliefs; nor does it pass judgement on the beliefs of other religions. The Buddhist attitude has no quarrel with anyone who chooses to believe in any set of beliefs. The Buddhist attitude is primarily concerned with how one believes in, and practices, beliefs of his choice.

When Siddartha abandoned his princely life and headed for the hills to find the truth, it took him six long years to finally get on to the path of true living and being. During those six  long years, he had experimented on the different ways of living and thinking, and believing. Each time, he failed and failed miserably. He must have had dabbled with what was described  Philosophy. He may have had dabbled with the different sets of beliefs. Each time, he failed and failed miserably. After six years of failure, he finally discovered the path. He set foot on that path. The path was long. To stay on that path, the Buddha was required to question himself, his biases and prejudices, his ego centric ways, his long held philosophical beliefs. In other words, he had to question almost everything he had held dearly. In the end, he was rewarded.

Of the several fundamental truths about living, behaving, feeling, thinking and associating with human and non human beings, he discovered The Eightfold Path. These truths are not exclusively Buddhist because not only did he not create these truths, these truths apply to any human being, whether he be a member of a religion, an atheist, or a secularist.

Take some time to go over The Eightfold Path, and The Four Noble Truths.

Deadly Oneness of Truth

Should we still be insisting on - what more, be believing in - the absoluteness of truth? Could we ever arrive at one conclusion so everyone could finally live in peace with one another? Or, were we all destined to wage war for all eternity until the there is only one man left standing? Is such a notion of truth dangerous?

'Deadly' Truth 

Truth, it was said, is One and Absolute, and independent of the knower. Truth, of this kind, depends not on what the knower thinks it is or should be. The knower, to know the truth, must align himself to it. He must be ready to receive its light. Truth, it was conceived, is timeless and quite objective. However, only a few are privileged to know such a truth. And they announced it to the 'underprivileged' which make up the great majority of the human population.

The 'underprivileged many' was attracted to such a notion of truth. So intense were their emotions that they believed to have seen the Truth. Truth, they argue, is on their side. And, they would insist on it, even wage a holy war if need be. Indeed they have waged holy wars amongst nations, communities and in their neighbourhood. Such is the social and political consequence of believing in the notion that Truth is the One and the Absolute.

It’s not a matter of (a) fact

Truth, many believe, is a fact to which they add: it is an undeniable fact. But, that's confusing the two terms.

Is it a fact that a big, unusual looking bone an evidence of evolution? Sure, if you’re a paleontologist or a believer in the theory of evolution. To someone who does not share your belief, the big unusual looking bone is not a proof of evolution. If two or more persons see the same thing in two different ways, then there is a distinction between a fact and a truth. Let me explain.

Truth is not equated to a fact, and vice versa. Something becomes a fact when it fits into the story you believe in. Something is true because it intensifies your involvement in the story, your story. It is the story that causes a fact to rise up and present itself as true. This is the power of the story for it gives birth to the notion of truth. There is no truth outside a story. Without a story we would not be able to make sense of the world and the things that happen in it. We could not utter the word 'truth'. (A world, interestingly, is created through and by a story.)

Tell Stories, not the truth

The conflict between individuals and groups then is not a quarrel about whether truth is absolute or relative. The conflict, which oftentimes ends in violence, is the failure on our part to realize that what’s being told is a story. Can you say that a story is (the) truth?  After reading a book of fiction, and remarking that 'it is so true',  are you then not enlightened? Someone's story expresses your story, and deepens and widens the quality of your story, your life. And, it does without telling the truth. Stories try to make sense of it all in the midst of chaos.Without a story, life would be meaningless, bereft of hope. 

Just as there are many communities there are many stories. Stories are meant to be told and to be listened, to, and the chance to acquire deeper appreciation and understanding of the world and ourselves.

When was the last time you listened to a story?