DGS49
Diamond Member
Of all the explanations that have been proposed for Robin Williams' suicide, the most logical one has been totally ignored.
What if he coolly and rationally looked at his life, his prospects for the future, and decided that non-existence was preferable to the existence that he foresaw for himself? it doesn't necessarily mean that he was "crazy" or his mind was addled by drugs. Maybe he just made a rational, well-informed choice.
To be, or not to be; that is the question.
There's nothing "cowardly" about it. Does he have an "obligation" to be there for everyone else in the world? I don't think so. We are all "free agents" and responsible for our own maintenance and happiness.
He had provided financially for his wife and kids to the extent there was a moral obligation to do so, and so what if they would have wanted him to be around in the future? They are all responsible for their own lives and happiness - as we all are. Doesn't he at least have the right to make this ultimate Choice?
It is analogous to a company with a valuable employee, around retirement age, who has in his head some of the essential technology that makes the company's products or services valuable. He may have an obligation to try to pass on that knowledge (sometimes it is literally not possible to do so), but doesn't he have the right to retire and cut off all communications with that company? It is HIS knowledge, no one else's. If the company "suffers" it's not his fault, it just is.
Didn't Robin Williams have the RIGHT to decide that he didn't want to live any longer, given everything he knew about his life and prospects? This is the ultimate "freedom."
To be, or not to be. It is everyone's choice. Other than mothers and fathers of minor children, this is the ultimate freedom that no one can rightly take away. You have no obligation to continue living for the benefit of other people. It's YOUR life, after all.
We all know people, usually elderly, who have grown old and decrepit, and are a tremendous burden to their families and maybe to the society at large. I totally agree that no one should "off" them just to ease the burden, but if they want to end it for themselves, then I totally think that option should be supported.
Robin Williams basically made that choice, only a litle bit earlier than most people would have liked for him. But it was his choice to make. Unless there is some clear indication that he was delusional at the time of his death, I think his choice should be supported and not be a black mark on his memory.
What if he coolly and rationally looked at his life, his prospects for the future, and decided that non-existence was preferable to the existence that he foresaw for himself? it doesn't necessarily mean that he was "crazy" or his mind was addled by drugs. Maybe he just made a rational, well-informed choice.
To be, or not to be; that is the question.
There's nothing "cowardly" about it. Does he have an "obligation" to be there for everyone else in the world? I don't think so. We are all "free agents" and responsible for our own maintenance and happiness.
He had provided financially for his wife and kids to the extent there was a moral obligation to do so, and so what if they would have wanted him to be around in the future? They are all responsible for their own lives and happiness - as we all are. Doesn't he at least have the right to make this ultimate Choice?
It is analogous to a company with a valuable employee, around retirement age, who has in his head some of the essential technology that makes the company's products or services valuable. He may have an obligation to try to pass on that knowledge (sometimes it is literally not possible to do so), but doesn't he have the right to retire and cut off all communications with that company? It is HIS knowledge, no one else's. If the company "suffers" it's not his fault, it just is.
Didn't Robin Williams have the RIGHT to decide that he didn't want to live any longer, given everything he knew about his life and prospects? This is the ultimate "freedom."
To be, or not to be. It is everyone's choice. Other than mothers and fathers of minor children, this is the ultimate freedom that no one can rightly take away. You have no obligation to continue living for the benefit of other people. It's YOUR life, after all.
We all know people, usually elderly, who have grown old and decrepit, and are a tremendous burden to their families and maybe to the society at large. I totally agree that no one should "off" them just to ease the burden, but if they want to end it for themselves, then I totally think that option should be supported.
Robin Williams basically made that choice, only a litle bit earlier than most people would have liked for him. But it was his choice to make. Unless there is some clear indication that he was delusional at the time of his death, I think his choice should be supported and not be a black mark on his memory.