From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!eagle!mhuxt!mhuxa!houxm!ihnp4!ixn5c!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcs!donchin
Newsgroups: net.suicide
Title: Re: Continuing a lengthy flame - (nf)
Article-I.D.: uiucdcs.1902
Posted: Wed Apr 20 04:34:14 1983
Received: Fri Apr 22 07:00:50 1983

#R:mit-eddi:-10900:uiucdcs:22100007:000:1006
uiucdcs!donchin    Apr 18 20:33:00 1983

I'm not sure I agree. I've been in this situation you described.
My friend was, similarly, moving on towards 18, and I kept her alive
until she no longer needed me, again by the methods you describe.  Yet,
you say that the important thing is to drive home that you care about
the persons life.  That you want them to live.  This may be a mistake.

For a while, my friend was bound by a promise that she made to a friend.
She promised her friend that, for the sake of the friend, she would stay
alive.  The friend had told her: "If you kill yourself, you will hurt me
more than you can imagine."  And, although it did keep her alive, it ruined
completely her friendship.  People should not stay alive out of a feeling
of guilt, its not worth it.  If a person is really suffering a nagging
urge to be done with, then so be it.  You can only do your best to make
sure that this is clearly what the person wants.  Human life should not
be held in such high esteem that the human character is sacrificed to it.