Exclusive: Co-hosts of radio show 'The Pursuit of Happiness' committed suicide

Originally posted by missvicky
Maybe they were trying to convince themselves? You know, the more you say something the more you believe it, and then the more it becomes real? Maybe they were reciting mantras they wanted to believe but never quite could...hell who knows. May they be in peace now.

This tendency/mindset is quite common in the self-help industry. People essentially build a business out of trying very hard to help themselves and convince themselves it will all be fine.

The truth becomes apparent when their beliefs are challenged. They're quite easily unhinged. Kind of like some yoga teachers.

reply to post by coldkidc

Suicide is without a doubt a cowardly way out.- It's hard to call it anything but quitting on life

Some people don't commit suicide only because they fear the unknown.
Some don't do it because they fear that they will burn in hell as a result.

These people could be viewed as cowards too.

Originally posted by Panic2k11
Helium and Nitrogen suppress the panic reflex of lack of air that for instance carbon monoxide can generate

That's right, neither are toxic. Both are used in tri-mix gases for deep scuba diving.

The buildup of nitrogen in the blood is what causes "the bends" while diving. When the body is under pressure, nitrogen (which is around 78% of "air") accumulates in the blood. If the pressure on the body is relieved too quickly, the nitrogen basically "fizzes up" and becomes trapped in the joints of the body. It's sort of like shaking up a coke bottle - the more you shake it, the deeper you are diving. The faster you open it, the quicker you ascend.

This is why divers with the bends need to be put in re-compression chambers. When the body is placed back under pressure, the nitrogen settles. "Saturation diving" is when commercial divers spend weeks at a time at deep depths, where the blood becomes saturated with nitrogen. It takes several days at least to ascend to the surface to reduce the amount of nitrogen in the blood.

Helium is added to the breathing gas to reduce the amount of nitrogen for this reason. And yes, when you come back to the surface, your voice does sound funny...

Originally posted by aboutface
Did anyone notice the weird thing in the article? Asphyxiation with a plastic bag is not that rare. Though why add the helium is something I wonder about. So if they died of asphyxiation, what's with the blood dripping through the floor part? Exsanguination and asphyxiation, both? Something is not quite right about this story.

This! And I think alot isn't. Murder by Suicide is very very common. Wonder what they spoke of on their radio show, because this is highly suspicious to me.

Originally posted by TDawgRex


Such a sad story, but one that I believe has a lesson. It seems to me that suicides are rising. Baby Boomers, Soldiers, Retirees and people who expected so much more out of life just to have their dreams crushed by reality. But now these two as well? What gives?

I don't pretend to know what goes through the mind of someone when they decide to take their own life. But I do believe that it is the coward’s way out. Many times it’s a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

I hate suicide as it causes more problems than it solves. It’ll be a rare case when I agree that suicide is the only way out.


www.nydailyne ws.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Yeah, for you mate and suicide to these people is like a light shining on them where all their problems disappear and then can finally rest forever from the bull# in this vile world

Well, I'd imagine that's how they'd see it, personally I think it's a waste of life but sometimes folks just can't see any other way out.

Originally posted by ChaoticOrder

Originally posted by CJCrawley
reply to post by windword

 

I didn't know that helium was so lethal.

It's not at all lethal, but if you breathe it and nothing else, you'll die.

You need oxygen.

lol... I guess they wanted to go out with the last laugh.

I'm sorry that was probably inappropriate.

edit: and not even that good of a joke because helium isn't laughing gas is it?

edit on 6/6/2013 by ChaoticOrder because: (no reason given)

How about, "They wanted to go out on a high note!"

See what I did there . . . since helium increases the pitch of a person's voice. High note. Hello?

Originally posted by Animorganimate

Originally posted by ChaoticOrder

Originally posted by CJCrawley
reply to post by windword

 

I didn't know that helium was so lethal.

It's not at all lethal, but if you breathe it and nothing else, you'll die.

You need oxygen.

lol... I guess they wanted to go out with the last laugh.

I'm sorry that was probably inappropriate.

edit: and not even that good of a joke because helium isn't laughing gas is it?

edit on 6/6/2013 by ChaoticOrder because: (no reason given)

How about, "They wanted to go out on a high note!"

See what I did there . . . since helium increases the pitch of a person's voice. High note. Hello?

redacted

Originally posted by coldkidc
Suicide is without a doubt a cowardly way out.- It's hard to call it anything but quitting on life

Sometimes yes. Sometimes no. To make a blanket statement like that is wrong.
Every situation is different. Many people have chronic and extreme illness' that
you know nothing about. Many people are in a kind of pain that you can't imagine.
It's not 'cowardly' to need to end the pain. Not even close.

Originally posted by Timely

He does not care that the rest of the family deem it selfish and would like for him to stick around.

How ironic when people call those who are thinking of suicide "selfish", because they are thinking about not sticking around for the sole benefit and enjoyment of those who have attached themselves emotionally to that persons physical presence, even though they might be in tremendous physical suffering, or mental torment.

Sounds like "the family" are the truly selfish ones here.

Originally posted by aboutface
Did anyone notice the weird thing in the article? Asphyxiation with a plastic bag is not that rare. Though why add the helium is something I wonder about. So if they died of asphyxiation, what's with the blood dripping through the floor part? Exsanguination and asphyxiation, both? Something is not quite right about this story.

Probably decomposition...they were dead for a week...things leak. Yeck.

Originally posted by FlyersFan

Originally posted by coldkidc
Suicide is without a doubt a cowardly way out.- It's hard to call it anything but quitting on life

Sometimes yes. Sometimes no. To make a blanket statement like that is wrong.
Every situation is different. Many people have chronic and extreme illness' that
you know nothing about. Many people are in a kind of pain that you can't imagine.
It's not 'cowardly' to need to end the pain. Not even close.

Have you ever lost someone to suicide???
My brother was not a coward...he was in great emotional pain...he actually believed that he deserved to die because he didn't "fit in" with society (this is how he felt...I always thought he fit in).

Geez...there's nothing more painful than mourning a lost one than to hear someone call them a coward. Tact, people.

Originally posted by coldkidc
reply to post by TDawgRex

 

Suicide is without a doubt a cowardly way out.- It's hard to call it anything but quitting on life

It's like pushing the car off a cliff because it won't start...it's simply an eject button

And that's from someone who lost one of their best friends to suicide

I don't completely blame him because I honestly think the Army & a few tours in Afg & Iraq did a number on his psyche but when I consider the person I knew for many years I'm confident that it was a decision made in a moment of weakness & clouded judgement

ETA: I never listened to this radio show - I might give it a listen out of morbid curiosity now though...ironic title if nothing else

ETA again: Um...ok, I just listened to some of their stuff...sounds a bit hypocritical in retrospect (not to speak bad of the dead but damn...they should have taken some of their own advice before going around telling others how to live)

edit on 5-6-2013 by coldkidc because: (no reason given)

I really think that the last thing these people cared about was them being seen as "cowards". I don't really think they'd care. So many of you can continue trumpeting the "it's a coward's way out", but they're dead and gone now and don't exist to even care what they're called or thought of as!

You're basically insulting something which no longer exists - like a mammoth. I doubt the mammoth cares about whether you don't like the way it looks - why? Because it no longer exists to care!

"the coward's way out"

What an ill-founded opinion. Disappointing that many have little understanding regarding mental illness and/or how physical/mental suffering can be overwhelming to some.

Originally posted by coldkidc

Suicide is without a doubt a cowardly way out.- It's hard to call it anything but quitting on life

For someone whose never had it very hard, sure, its easy to put an arbitrary label on it and demean others who you think are below you for considering it.

But Id bet that no one on this board who talks like you do so flippantly and... almost smugly, about it, has ever had any real mental torment; crushing depression, any panic disorder that never goes away, a mental/physical wasting disease like MS, felt true despair for any reason, etc.

Its annoying seeing spectators judging from that safe distance, where they dont have to actually feel anything themselves. Your (all of you who judge) vision is so tiny and narrow, and your arrogance so broad that you think you can judge anothers actions in a situation you have no personal experience with....

Originally posted by coldkidc
And that's from someone who lost one of their best friends to suicide

So basically you know # all about anything pertaining to personal experience on the subject. You do not gain some kind of legitimate understanding through osmosis by being around it.

Originally posted by CaticusMaximus

Originally posted by Timely

He does not care that the rest of the family deem it selfish and would like for him to stick around.

How ironic when people call those who are thinking of suicide "selfish", because they are thinking about not sticking around for the sole benefit and enjoyment of those who have attached themselves emotionally to that persons physical presence, even though they might be in tremendous physical suffering, or mental torment.

Sounds like "the family" are the truly selfish ones here.

I was not judging; just relating his position. However he does also have a couple of young adults ( his kids ) to whom this mostly relates. ( very distant relative to me; by marriage )

I was just pointing out a particularly resolved mindset, not one to be given a dismissive "coward" !

The ones left behind do carry the pain though, is it really that selfish to not want that pain ?
Not a place I'd like to see my son in !

My point was; that ultimately it is his call. His alone.

reply to post by CaticusMaximus


You sure made a lot of assumptions in that reply...

Originally posted by coldkidc
reply to post by CaticusMaximus

 

You sure made a lot of assumptions in that reply...

And you don't? To broadly label everyone who commits suicide as a 'coward' is nothing less than pure ignorance.

reply to post by jheherrin


I understand that the position I took on this is going to upset some people - to clarify I didn't say they're cowards - one cowardly act doesn't define the person but I did say that it's a cowardly act in & of itself

The reason I've said that is because, even it they're suffering (like Caticus suggested) or if life is just so hard I couldn't possibly understand what they're going through - they decided to quit, not finish the meal on their plate, bail out early, not finish the race, sit down & refuse to proceed in this journey of life..etc.

Whatever reason or justification you may want to make as to why the choice was made, the truth is that they did not push through & continue - they quit mid-trip

To be completely fair, I feel a bit differently about the concept of euthanasia
I can see where there truly could be a point where continuing to live does nothing but burden your loved ones & in cases like that it could be considered to almost be compassionate in a way

Originally posted by TDawgRex
It's not only cowardly, but selfish as well.

If somebody wants to die, and you expect them not to because you'd be sad, doesn't that make you selfish? Why are your feelings more important than theirs?