Write A Two-Page Paper In MLA Format About The Following
Write A Two Page Paper In MLA Format About The Followingwhat Issuicid
Write a two page paper in MLA format about the following: What is suicide? Do you think suicide would describe the feeling of the people today, who feels alienated from "self-action"? Is suicide an individual's active self against "an individual personality"? Is genocide linked to suicide in any way? Is genocide a suicidal act against the one mind of a people?
Paper For Above instruction
Write A Two Page Paper In MLA Format About The Followingwhat Issuicid
Suicide has been a complex and multifaceted phenomenon throughout human history, often associated with individual mental health struggles, societal pressures, and existential crises. Defined broadly, suicide refers to the act of intentionally ending one's own life, often rooted in feelings of despair, hopelessness, or perceived insurmountable difficulties (World Health Organization, 2014). Understanding its underlying causes requires exploring psychological, social, and philosophical perspectives, especially when reflecting on broader contexts such as societal alienation and collective acts of violence like genocide.
In contemporary society, many individuals report feelings of alienation and disconnection from self-action. This sense of alienation—estrangement from one's own purpose, community, or identity—can resonate with the feelings that often precede suicidal thoughts (Durkheim, 1897). The notion that individuals feel detached from their ability to influence their lives or achieve personal agency contributes to a sense of despair that may culminate in suicidal tendencies. Therefore, in a sense, suicide can be understood as an act driven by intense internal suffering linked to societal and existential alienation. It reflects a desire to escape a perceived absence of meaning or control over one's life circumstances.
Philosophically, suicide can be interpreted as an act of self against the individual's own personality or existence. The French philosopher Albert Camus (1942) argued that suicide is a response to the absurdity of human life—an act of surrender to meaninglessness. Camus posited that while suicide might act as a rejection of life's absurdity, true rebellion involves embracing life's uncertainty without succumbing to despair. In this context, suicide becomes an active confrontation with one's own internal self, a final assertion of personal agency over one's ultimate fate.
The linking of suicide to genocide introduces complex moral and existential questions. Genocide—systematic, state-sponsored mass destruction—can be seen as an extreme form of collective alienation and dehumanization. Some scholars argue that genocide embodies a form of collective suicide against the identity or "one mind" of a people (Lifton, 1993). It is a destructive act aimed at annihilating a group’s cultural and biological essence, which can be interpreted as a collective act of despair or nihilism directed outward rather than inward. Alternatively, genocide may be viewed as a manifestation of destructive ideologies and societal pathologies that devalue human life, rather than a literal act of suicide; nonetheless, both stem from profound existential despair and dehumanization.
In conclusion, while suicide primarily pertains to individual acts of self-destruction driven by psychological and societal factors such as alienation, its conceptual links to collective acts like genocide highlight the deeper human struggles with meaning, identity, and despair. Both phenomena reflect moments when individuals or groups perceive life, identity, and existence as unlivable or intolerable. Understanding these connections underscores the importance of addressing societal alienation, mental health, and collective trauma to prevent such tragedies and foster a more compassionate understanding of human suffering.
References
- Camus, Albert. The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays. Vintage International, 1991.
- Durkheim, Émile. Suicide. Routledge Classics, 1897.
- Lifton, Robert J. The Proteus Effect: Stem Cells and the Human Spirit. Routledge, 1993.
- World Health Organization. Suicide fact sheet. WHO, 2014. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/suicide.