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user-inactivated  ·  3134 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: How do you convince a completely miserable person that the world isn't such a terrible place?

I try not to assume that I'm correct in my decision to continue living. I only know that I did it for selfish reasons because I like life and what I've done with it so far, and death is scary. As well, there is little consequence to me to delay death until later because I doubt that if there is something after death that it will evaporate before I get there. I also want to see my son grow up and I owe it to him to be around because I brought him here and will not abandon him no matter what happens to me personally.

This decision would be entirely different if every day was waking agony and the decision to delay death would only serve to continue that.

The idea that I might do 'something good' with my life is based on some cosmic sense of right and wrong, which we also don't have any proof of. I went to war. I killed a LOT of people. Hundreds, if not four-digits because I was in the Air Force and we don't do this onesie-twosie. They were praying, living, and fighting just like we all were but they were holding the wrong flag. They got killed because they believed in something slightly differently than us in the grand scheme. Their lives were worth that small belief difference to us.

So, if someone believes in something much more important (life being too painful to continue) then why should I stop them? I've killed for less.