# What Kind Of Brave



## Cartoon Creature (Jul 12, 2002)

When things get as bad as they do I often wonder to myself........ "Is it the brave who are able to kill themselves and end the suffering" or "Is it the brave who can fight through it and come out ok at the end". I guess it depends who you ask and whether they are depressed. I bet those who are contemplating suicide say it is infact the ones who kill themselves that are 'brave'.I guess im tyring to decide which kind of 'brave' I am......


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## 14448 (Jun 14, 2006)

You've asked the same question as Hamlet:'To be or not to be, that is the question.Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and, by opposing, end them?' (Shakespeare, Hamlet).Personally I think it's much braver to face up to your problems. When in hell, keep going, because eventually you'll come out the other side. If you're dead you'll never get the chance. People romantasize the idea of suicide- thinking of it as 'shaking off' this life and moving on to the next... but what if there is no other life? What if death means you just don't exist? I don't think I believe in heaven or an afterlife. I do think the act of suicide is brave in some cases- like slitting wrists or jumping in front of a train- but usually these people are depressed and desperate and probably confused about what they are doing. Suicide is final. At least if you keep soldiering bravely on, you have some chance of feeling better.


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## kazzy3 (Apr 11, 2003)

Hi Poo Pea. It is much braver to keep going and take on whatever comes. Even when things become unbearable you can find something within yourself to keep you going. There is always something that can give you joy, you just need to find what that something is. Consider it a quest if you will, but it's out there. It may take a bit of time to find, but don't give up. Take care.


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## 22831 (Jan 1, 2007)

> quote:"Is it the brave who are able to kill themselves and end the suffering"


Only if you have a terminal illness and the pain is unbearable. Otherwise it seems like a cowardly and selfish thing to do. Since you end up effecting a lot of people around you also.


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## Cherrie (Sep 1, 2006)

Hi, Poo Pea -- Beliefs about heaven or afterlife or rebirth etc aside (since they're personal, i'm not going to touch on this subject here)... I do think that the suicide kind of "brave" is not true bravery -- the logic behind it is, "since my current state of being is too painful to live with, I'll drastically change it by ceasing to be." No matter how tempting (i do understand how tempting it can be), that still feels like avoidance... I agree with all of the above replies -- it is much braver to face up whatever comes and keep going. It's not easy, but it is the bravest thing to do...even in the case of terminal illness like cancer when the person is preparing to die, rather than taking one's life earlier than Nature intends it to end, one could make use of the time left to say "good-bye" and to bring closure to their loved ones... being a sufferer myself, I'm not trying to trivialize IBS or any other chronic or non-terminal diseases at all, but I do think suicide is NOT as brave as refusing to give up and keep going. And PLEASE don't give up!


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## Guest (Jan 30, 2007)

Poo - thats irrelevant really - you have GOT to seek some help - I'm not going to be trite and trot out all the old maxims - but if you are thinking like that - please, please, please seek some professional help - you will be no use dead to those who love you - and I'm sure there are legions.I tried to kill myself last March - I sunk as low as its possible to get - it was a bloody long haul back - I'm incredibly lucky - I have a total star of a husband and a loving family and wonderful, wonderful friends. Here I am, happy (albeit rather fat), healthy, being a mum, wife, friend, colleague and enjoying life with all its wrinkles.Are you on medication - anti-depressants saved my life - they are not pleasant and may not be the answer for everyone but they are certainly worth giving a chance, especially if you are feeling like that.Whether suicides are brave or not - DON'T join their number - thank god I never did.Sue


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## patience2 (Sep 26, 2006)

I recently re-read A Separate Peace by John Knowles, and fell in love with the message in one paragraph:"Everyone has a moment in history which belongs particularly to him. It is the moment when his emotions achieve their most powerful sway over him, and afterward when you say to this person "the world today" or "life" or "reality" he will assume that you mean this moment, even if it is fifty years past. The world, through his unleashed emotions, imprinted itself upon him, and he carries the stamp that passing moment."This made me realize that I don't want my 'moment' to be the day I began experiencing IBS. I don't want 50 years from now for this to be the defining moment of my life. And that's what it will become if I let it.


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