TORTUOUS SUICIDE: German Man Starved Himself to Death in Forest (OP)
As Salaam Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu
February 12, 2008
He was unemployed, his marriage had collapsed and he had lost touch with his daughter. A 58-year-old German man committed suicide by cycling deep into a forest and starving himself to death in a 24-day ordeal during which he kept a diary of his suffering.
An unemployed German man whose marriage had failed cycled into a forest where he starved himself to death over a period of 24 days, keeping a diary of his physical decline, German police said.
The 58-year-old man, whose name has not been released, was found by two hunters on Monday. He was lying on a mattress in an elevated hide in woodland in the Solling hill region of northern Germany, some 100 kilometers from the city of Hanover where he had lived. He had probably been dead since December.
He wrote in his diary about the collapse of his marriage, about how his grown-up daughter become estranged from him and his long period of unemployment, according to a local newspaper article, the contents of which were confirmed by police in the town of Northeim. He stopped being eligible for jobless benefit payments last October.
The man wrote about the pain he was in as he starved. He occasionally drank some water during his self-imposed ordeal. The last diary entry is on Dec. 13 last year. The diary also contains a note saying: "This notebook is to be given to my daughter (?) after my death," according to the report in the Hessisch/Niedersächsische Allgemeine newspaper.
Its sad to read such stories. This one is particularly saddening. Imagine how frustrated he would have been to have taken his life this way!
Its a loss of life and we should be saddened by it. A "lol", "hilarious" or "stupid" should rather be avoided. This man was unemployed...that doesnt make him stupid. I am sure he did it for a purpose (perhaps to convey something to someone) and whatever be it, its between Allah and him. Lets try not to be the judge here!
Re: TORTUOUS SUICIDE: German Man Starved Himself to Death in Forest
format_quote Originally Posted by IbnAbdulHakim
then i ask you if depression is a valid excuse for suicide?!
im sure you will find the answer to be "no".
wallahi if i found you correct i would have admitted it ages ago, but nothing can justify suicide... can it?!
Assalamu Alaikum
Obviously, this guy thought it was. Not everyone sees things the same way and depression (and other possible diseases) can cloud your judgement or even turn you into a completely different person. Not everyone has the same way of dealing with things. Most people don't starves themselves to death, most chose an instantaneous death - just the fact that he dragged it on for 24 days is a sign that something wasn't right.
Either way, God will deal with him when the time comes. Until then, I don't really think anyone can really say if his suicide was justified or not as we are not aware of exactly what he was going through nor his state of mind.
Re: TORTUOUS SUICIDE: German Man Starved Himself to Death in Forest
format_quote Originally Posted by IbnAbdulHakim
then i ask you if depression is a valid excuse for suicide?!
im sure you will find the answer to be "no".
wallahi if i found you correct i would have admitted it ages ago, but nothing can justify suicide... can it?!
Assalamu Alaikum
No, depression is not an excuse for suicide. Nobody in the right mind would think it is. But people who are having a big bout of depression are not in the right mind. Suiciders are not weak pathetic people who give up all the time, they have serious mental problems and certainly wouldn't have gone and killed themselves if they weren't depressed.
Re: TORTUOUS SUICIDE: German Man Starved Himself to Death in Forest
thats sad yet weak
he just took the easy way out and just avoided his problems, instead of facing them like a man. Allah knows why he did it. but still why do dat to u're self? the pain he must have gone through, slowly waiting to die. he must have felt really alone, and dats da way he died.
Re: TORTUOUS SUICIDE: German Man Starved Himself to Death in Forest
format_quote Originally Posted by true believer
thats sad yet weak he just took the easy way out and just avoided his problems, instead of facing them like a man.
If you are depressed you can't solve your problems. It is not a choice to be depressed, it is an illness. Calling depressed people weak is completely wrong and is just as bad as calling somebody who is dying of cancer weak for not fighting the disease off.
Re: TORTUOUS SUICIDE: German Man Starved Himself to Death in Forest
format_quote Originally Posted by Fishman
If you are depressed you can't solve your problems. It is not a choice to be depressed, it is an illness. Calling depressed people weak is completely wrong and is just as bad as calling somebody who is dying of cancer weak for not fighting the disease off.
salam
fair enough brother BUT he didnt have to kill himself
if someone is depressed, they should try to help themsleves and not just
give up and by the way, suicide is haram. even if he is a disbeliver, sucide is wrong and another example of having NO faith. no matter how depressed or how bad ur problems are, u should be strong and work through them instead of giving up and how can u compare that to having cancer?!
there is a diffrence between killing urself and dying of a disease. people cant help getting cancer, its fate and Allah's will. people who kill themselves are
fighting Allah's will. they didnt die naturally. they died when THEY chose to die and that is why it is wrong in islam. I am NOT calling depressed people weak, [maybe u missed da point] i am calling people who kill themselves weak.
Re: TORTUOUS SUICIDE: German Man Starved Himself to Death in Forest
format_quote Originally Posted by true believer
salam
fair enough brother BUT he didnt have to kill himself
if someone is depressed, they should try to help themsleves and not just
give up and by the way, suicide is haram. even if he is a disbeliver, sucide is wrong and another example of having NO faith. no matter how depressed or how bad ur problems are, u should be strong and work through them instead of giving up and how can u compare that to having cancer?!
there is a diffrence between killing urself and dying of a disease. people cant help getting cancer, its fate and Allah's will. people who kill themselves are
fighting Allah's will. they didnt die naturally. they died when THEY chose to die and that is why it is wrong in islam. I am NOT calling depressed people weak, [maybe u missed da point] i am calling people who kill themselves weak.
Yes, I agree that suicide is haram. But what I am saying is that people who have depression should not be treated as weak or pathetic, they need medical help.
Re: TORTUOUS SUICIDE: German Man Starved Himself to Death in Forest
format_quote Originally Posted by Fishman
Suiciders are not weak pathetic people who give up all the time, they have serious mental problems and certainly wouldn't have gone and killed themselves if they weren't depressed.
so your saying its not their fault that they commit suicide but the fault is with this mental problem known as depression?!
no offence little brother in islam but it sounds the same as saying, its not my fault that i stabbed that man, its the fault of the anger i felt due to past events which had built up.
just something to think about...
-
My tears testify that i have a heart
yet i feel me and shaytan never part
-
Re: TORTUOUS SUICIDE: German Man Starved Himself to Death in Forest
Understanding the reason for their actions is not the same as condoning. There's a difference between saying "they did it because of an illness" and "they did it because they're stupid/weak/etc.".
People who commit suicide are not in their right mind. It's not like we're saying "it's okay, they were sick, it's not their fault". It's just that a little understanding and compassion is needed in situations like these. :]
Re: TORTUOUS SUICIDE: German Man Starved Himself to Death in Forest
I am thinking maybe this guy went out alone into the forest to look for a sign. Maybe everyday he is laying there, half hoping someone will come along and find him- save him. And then he figures if no one comes it is meant to be. Surely, it is a long and slow way to go...with plenty of chances to "undo" it. A gunshot is so instantaneous. Maybe, somehow, he never got his sign- or he missed it. (clearly, he missed it.)
Most surely in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and day there are signs for men who understand.
Re: TORTUOUS SUICIDE: German Man Starved Himself to Death in Forest
format_quote Originally Posted by crayon
Understanding the reason for their actions is not the same as condoning. There's a difference between saying "they did it because of an illness" and "they did it because they're stupid/weak/etc.".
People who commit suicide are not in their right mind. It's not like we're saying "it's okay, they were sick, it's not their fault". It's just that a little understanding and compassion is needed in situations like these. :]
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Re: TORTUOUS SUICIDE: German Man Starved Himself to Death in Forest
Jaa-Ro-Nee-Mo!!!
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