Suicide essay sample:
“Amid the sufferings of life on earth, suicide is God’s best gift to man.” Such was written within the first published encyclopedia, Natural History, by Gaius Plinius Secundus in AD 77 (Smithsonian 1). Clearly, suicide has intrigued many throughout the history of the human race. It has been and continues to be one of the most disputed topics within the philosophical and religious studies. For example, the question as to whether or not suicide is a sin has caused much-heated debate between those of the Catholic faith, as well as clergy. The Bible is essentially the law for the religion, and yet it is so incredibly ambiguous that it leads to many interpretations. Not only can this argument over the deceased’s fate be found in real life, but it is also a frequent topic in literature. My Antonia by Willa Cather devoted a lot of time on the subject, revolving around the patriarch of a Bohemian household, Mr. Shimerda (Cather). His suicide and his reasons for killing himself are also equivocal, and it is essential to dissect them in order to figure out whether or not, according to Catholicism, Mr. Shimerda would have committed a grave sin and be put into Purgatory or even Hell.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, suicide is, in essence, a serious sin (Catechism 13). The Church claims that human life is not owned by the human, but by God. Life for man is supposed to be one of service to God, and lived out, to be taken away when God chooses to do so. Law number 2280 states that human life, “is not ours to dispose of” (Catechism 13). “Suicide contradicts the natural inclination of the human being to preserve and perpetuate his life. It is gravely contrary to the just love of self” (Catechism 13). The Church feels that suicide not only breaks the fifth commandment, “Thou shalt not kill,” but also offends the love of the neighbor. “It [suicide] unjustly breaks the ties of solidarity with family, nation, and other human societies to which we continue to have obligations” (Catechism 14). Basically, after killing oneself, the world that once surrounded them will become plagued with grief, and chain effect of responsibilities members of the family must oblige to comes to being. These obligations include the payment of bills, cancellation of accounts, consoling other family members and friends, arranging funeral service, survivor’s guilt, and possibly even discrimination for being related to the deceased. Overall, violating a commandment in itself is a sin, and suicide a selfish act as well. The Catholic Church also discourages despair of the salvation of those who have taken their own lives. “By ways known to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance” (Catechism 14). Therefore, as Ambrosch in My Antonia found himself doing, one can pray all they want, as well as the Church. Nevertheless, it is God’s word in the end that will decide the fate of the one who committed suicide.
However, if suicide is such a grave sin, then why are there at least five accounted and almost accepted suicides found within The Bible? (Meeks 1). Wouldn’t the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the center of the Catholic faith, be considered a quintessential suicide? Similar to the way witches were tried in New England during the 1600s, Jesus Christ was put onto the cross to die, and was taunted to show his true power and save himself. If, in the eyes of the Church, Jesus Christ is actually God’s son, then surely he could have saved himself instead of allowing himself to die. By having these “powers” at hand, could his death be considered a suicide as well? The argument comes into place that Jesus Christ died for the world’s sins. As was said in The Bible, “He [God] made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Therefore, can it be said that if a man takes his life for the good of those around him, can suicide be rightfully justified in the eyes of the Catholic Church?
According to a writer during the 1800s by the name of Robert Green Ingersoll, yes, suicide can in fact be justified and should be respected as a natural practice. Ingersoll claims that, “Under many circumstances a man has the right to kill himself” (Ingersoll 1). Ingersoll brings up the very interesting point that even the belief that God brought man into the world to take him away at His will is flawed. After all, why would God enjoy watching a man suffer from a cancer devouring his body slowly? Why would God take pleasure in seeing his people suffer in poverty, sickness, and depression? (Ingersoll 2). The entire concept makes a lot of sense, and most certainly rings true in the situation discussed in My Antonia. Mr. Shimerda was a very educated and musically inclined man in his homeland of Bohemia. However, upon arrival in the United States, he found the culture and farming aspect to be extremely difficult to live with (Cather ). Simply put, Mr. Shimerda was almost a burden on his family, and had no real assistance to them, other than being the father figure in the household. Thus presents a very interesting paradox. Mr. Shimerda, after seeing how well his neighbors, The Burdens, treated his family, knew that in killing himself he would leave his family even more helpless and prone to receiving more help. By committing suicide, he was making one last final plea for help during that very harsh winter to the Burdens, a clear message that now, without a man in the house, the family would need more help and assistance than ever before. Paradoxically, by killing himself and depriving his family of their head of household, he is ensuring that his wife and children will be thoroughly taken care of. This situation almost made Mr. Shimerda a sort of martyr to his family, giving the ultimate sacrifice of his own life so that they may lead better ones.
How could a man with only good intentions that are not selfish in the least bit be sentenced so harshly and looked down upon by his religion? It seems to be very unfair, and not only in this situation. Without a doubt, some form of mental illness or insanity causes many suicides. “People who take their own lives are viewed as suffering from emotional, psychological, mental or spiritual illness” (Meeks 1). Since the 19th century, suicide has been seen more as a symptom than a sin (Meeks 2). If one takes into consideration the number of suicides committed in a barbaric fashion, the number of suicides committed due to the voices they heard in their head, it is plain to see that insanity can be a huge contributing factor in many cases. Practically all of those who decide to take their lives are victim of some sort of mental depression, a serious disease in its very self (Ingersoll 6). With this fact in mind, how can one be punished for killing themselves if they were not in the right state of mind? After all, having a depression condition must be just as “God sent” as a cancer, or any other disease for that matter. Therefore, the judgement of a suicide as a sin is not a fair one, nor is it a practical one.
Regardless, with the exception of a number of priests and other lesser clergymen that takes these sorts of facts (not beliefs) into consideration, the Catholic Church as a whole remains unmoved in its beliefs and stance that suicide is, in fact, a sin. Simply put, “Is suicide a sin? Yes, because it is an act of rejection against the Holy God who has all the answers” (Whiddon 3). There is no way around it, Catholicism condemns suicide and considers it a self-serving act, thus proclaiming it a sin in the eyes of God.
So where does this leave Mr. Shimerda of My Antonia? Unfortunately, going by the rules of Catholicism, he will remain in limbo or Purgatory until he can repent for his sins. Either this scenario or he will be sent to hell for violating the fifth commandment and taking a life, even if it was only his own (Meeks 2). However, due to his intentions of helping out his family (no matter how distorted they may have been), Mr. Shimerda would probably end up in Purgatory until he can be judged. According to the Bible, only one sin is deemed unforgivable. This sin would be blaspheming the Holy Spirit, which is also debated over by Bible scholars around the world to this day. Basically, it means to deny the work of the Holy Spirit, thus rejecting forgiveness (Meeks 2). So, if this is true, Mr. Shimerda’s fate most certainly is residing in Purgatory, until he has repented completely for what he has done. Unfortunately, all of his family’s prayers and fulfillment of certain superstitions (such as burying his body at crossroads) will have no effect. The Catholic Church states that God and God alone will decide and influence the fate of the deceased, not the living.
Overall, in accordance with the Catholic Church and its beliefs, suicide is indeed a sin. It is considered a selfish act and nothing more, nothing less. It defies the will of God, because it is God’s decision how and when to take life, not man’s. Suicide violates the fifth commandment, “Thou shalt not kill,” by killing oneself, and taking one’s life away. No matter what the situation, suicide not only destroys the life of one; it destroys the life of many. In My Antonia, the Shimerdas suffered greatly during that first winter in America. Mr. Shimerda did not have to take his life, he could have survived and learned the skills and practices to keep up a successful farm and take care of his family. However, in a sort of martyrdom, he decided to take his life for the benefit of his family. Mr. Shimerda clearly felt that his presense was unnessesary, that he was only a burden on his family that would continue to hold them back. By committing suicide, Mr. Shimerda knew deep down that his neighbors would come to his family’s aide, and would give them all the help and assistance they needed to get through that tough time. Although his intentions may have been cowardly, they were still good. However, this does not excuse the act of being a sin in the eyes of his God.
A lesson should be learned from this situation, as well as the suicides of others in throughout history. As the saying goes, suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. There is always hope for a better day, for happiness, for your prayers to be answered. The power to take one’s life is the greatest power a man possesses, and he must never use it as a means to escape. Every day that you are alive you are making the choice to do so, and it is never too late to turn around and fix mistakes of the past. A famous quotation sums just about all of this up by Lina Wertmuller, and is as follows, “Some rainy winter Sunday, when there’s a little boredom, you should always carry a gun. Not to shoot yourself, but to know exactly that you’re always making a choice.” Even when you have hit the bottom, always remember that the only way left to go is up.
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