Comment by 71a54xd | Hacker News Reader

Comment by 71a54xd | Hacker News Reader

Parent Full thread

Not to be grim, this is a very "adult" subject that most adults have a hard time discussing.

After seeing friends and family struggle with severe injury / deformities and Alzheimer's / mental decline (cancer with grueling treatment as well) - I can as a currently happy and healthy person say that I would likely use some form of firearm to end my life. It's quick, hard to mess up and above all my right as a human being.

I generally dislike political spats regarding labor / "obligations" to society in general - but I think the most sacred right is the right to decide whether you contribute by living. Both capitalism and socialism demonize the idea of suicide because each needs some form of a worker and the pursuit of a certain constructed life to work properly. Something that I'll never understand and that I believe is more morally wrong is family deciding that someone should "get over" their own choice to no longer live. In my opinion nothing is more selfish and less respectful of what life should mean to an individual.

> hard to mess up

I was under the impression it was in fact not that hard at all to mess up.

Though in fact, seems like other methods are indeed likely “worse” in terms of achieving the intended outcome:

https://www.medpagetoday.com/psychiatry/generalpsychiatry/83...

> hard to mess up

I had a co-worker who had earlier in life done that to himself. The bullet took an eye and a chunk of his brain out. He was instantly transformed from one of the smartest people in the room, to someone who could barely keeping up with conversations, with about half of the IQ.

> hard to mess up

I think it depends a bit on technique and choice of firearm. Some people foolishly put a gun in their mouth and assume it will definitely kill. But it's entirely possible to miss the brainstem and just blow off the side of your face instead. Now you are alive but mangled.

Something like a shotgun is probably a bit harder to screw up.

But personally I'm far too chickenshit to use a firearm. I'd probably try to find someone who'd sell me fentanyl, were I interested in terminating my own existence. At the moment, however, I'm far more likely to suffer an existential crisis and so I've zero desire to answer life's greatest question any sooner than strictly necessary.

And here I am in France, where the closest thing to a gun I can get legally is a nail gun.

That would be very dramatic.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com