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Why do people romanticize death and suicide?

ceecee

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Because if death is the only option, they want it to appear as attractive as possible.
 

Lord Lavender

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Thsi ideal of romanticizing dying and suicide is disturbing as we see young people full of promise and joy get influenced and sucked into this twisted quasi-cult of suicide idealization. I know many roamnatic anddrama films e.t.c have emotional scenes of suicides but remember the stoires are told from the perspective of a mentally ill and distressed person if you think about it so the sucide would appear romantic while if you view it with "normal eyes" its a very serious and distressing scene. Think of that poor family and freinds of that person.

Its like a film from the eyes of a hyena. To them eating rotten meat would be "romanticized". I can understand death being romantizied for the elderly and terminally ill as its the only path for these folks.
 

prplchknz

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sometimes you feel like no matter you do it won't get better or only temporarily and you're just tired of trying, but for me anyways and the main reason when i've been suicidal i usually don't attempt is the guilt associated with those i'll leave behind because i know they won't get it, that they believe it's possible for things to get even if it's not. And i feel really guilty for potentially hurting them (ps i'm not suicidal now but that's often my thought process behind it when I am). But I have tried I have gotten to the point of even though they'd be hurt they'd ultimately be better off.
 

violet_crown

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Lot of people mistake "miserable" for "interesting".
 

Tennessee Jed

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Religion romanticizes death. Religion also romanticizes suicide, in the sense of making it forbidden fruit. Historically, a lot of the romance about death springs from religion, i.e., fables about afterlifes, death as a transition or doorway, and all of that.

Looked at from an atheist point of view, death is pretty unromantic. A long dirt nap. You were nowhere for the last billion years, and you'll be nowhere for the next billion years. So lighten up and enjoy your brief window of consciousness.

I apologize (sort of) for the pro-atheism commercial in this post, but a lot of the mystery and romance about death does historically spring from (or arise concurrently with) religion and the dumb egoism of human beings who insist that simply because they're conscious *now*, it must mean they'll henceforth be conscious *forever*. Like they've become little mini-gods just by virtue of being spawned in a sweaty fucking session between their parents. :ranting:

aggro-gatordotcom165785.jpg
 

ceecee

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I can understand death being romantizied for the elderly and terminally ill as its the only path for these folks.

Having just observed 8-10 months of slow death of an elderly person, I can assure you, there is nothing romantic about it to them. They simply want to stop living in a body that's completely betrayed them.
 

Lord Lavender

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Having just observed 8-10 months of slow death of an elderly person, I can assure you, there is nothing romantic about it to them. They simply want to stop living in a body that's completely betrayed them.

I have also watched elderly relatives die as well over a very long period of time (A distant relative is dying right now from dementia and from what I am being told its terrible to watch) and I agree with you there is nothing good or romantic about it. A big problem is the fact that it is considered evil to let people die a quick painless death and there seems to be a culture to prolong a terminally ill persons life beyond having any good quality of life We put pets to sleep when they are suffering so why is the same not done to people?.
 
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I think another part of it is when people die young. It's especially prevalent in well known people and celebrities. There's this mystique surrounding why they died and what could have been if they didn't die. Like a tragedy akin to the stories of Romeo and Juliet, Kurt Cobain's suicide, etc. As morbid as this sounds, I've had thoughts of it before and had idealized it to an extent in the past, but I know better now than to go through with something like that. I agree with others that I don't think it is something that should be held in high regard anymore.
 

five sounds

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"We don't understand death, and the proof of that is we give dead people a pillow." - Jerry Seinfeld
 

magpie

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I don't think death and suicide need to be romanticized but I also don't think they should be condemned.
 

geedoenfj

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You mean in literature and art etc. Because if you want to deliver these incidents within an epic and dramatic frame, get others to live inside the narrative, then romanticizing is the most effective way to do it, Victor Hugo and Delacroix works are very obvious examples of romanticizing the sufferings and death
 
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You mean in literature and art etc. Because if you want to deliver these incidents within an epic and dramatic frame, get others to live inside the narrative, then romanticizing is the most effective way to do it, Victor Hugo and Delacroix works are very obvious examples of romanticizing the sufferings and death

Now that I think about it, some of my own artwork has dark, deathly themes in them. I think there is a correlation between an artist who has seen the dark side and dark art in general, probably in hopes that other people can somehow relate to their anguish. I think there is also a vulnerability aspect to it that is seen as attractive. Interesting.
 

Also

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Death is the only constant. We move closer and closer to our conclusion each day. We all deal with that fact differently.
 

anticlimatic

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Because part of romance is the quest for meaning and death is what delivers meaning to life. No brainer.
 
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Maybe there is something in relation to pain as well. Like how some people get a feeling of ecstasy when they cut themselves. There is also a saying in French called La petite mort, which means "the little death" in reference to a sexual orgasm and how it is similar to dying for that one monent. So I guess death can be seen as a release in some way? Or the whole life cycle in general, how birth is seen as beautiful and death can be seen in that light too because it represents the final journey and is something we will all go through one day. Like how many people find autumn beautiful, but it's really just a bunch of dead leaves that end up crumbling to the ground. You can find many symbols around you that represent the end to something, so death is everywhere. Also the idea of the unknown is attractive, I would think. And some people just find unconventional things attractive, like many e4s.

Sorry for the incessant rambling; I just really find this topic fascinating. I'm trying to dive into my own psyche as to why I do as well, haha.
 

entropie

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if you are young, death is the only solution.
if you are old, you are afraid of death.

It's a living oroborous
 

Numbly Aware

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Because its a sweet escape.

 
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