Why/How individual’s who are ill or suffering can (seemingly) “choose” to live or die, but in generally good health we cannot “choose” to simply let go in the same way?

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It just seems in certain age or conditions there is a point in which a person can hang on or let go. Why is this not something we have within us at all times? How does the body register this. I understand how organs must be working and bodily systems, too, but how/why does the mind/body only accept this choice to pass on only when suffering?

Edit: I am not referring to physically harming one’s self to end their own life, but more the mental, psychological, & perhaps spiritual realization/decision that automatically influences the body to shut down on its own.

In: Biology

6 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

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Anonymous 0 Comments

I just experienced this with a sick and dying loved one this week. In my opinion …..they don’t choose to die, they choose to stop fighting so hard not to die. her husband and three children had been with her all day, then he took the kids home to bed and her father came to be with her, while he was there holding her hand she slipped away. I think she fought all day to do her best for the kids, she didnt want them to see her die. then when Daddy was there she felt safe and relaxed and slipped away.

Anonymous 0 Comments

You can choose to die when healthy, it’s just the body is so resilient that it takes a long way to go down usually. By that point people can change their mind and it reverses.

Hope brings a huge benefit into our life and stress when directed to solving a goal is beneficial. I would say these can keep us going during high impact on the body, but hopeless directionless stress can kill you.

You can choose to stop hoping and so thus die at will

Anonymous 0 Comments

You got it in you at all times but your body is resisting with all he has.. because well its actually all he has.

There are people who were triwed to commit suicide by overdosing but didnt realize they only took placebos. They still got into critical condition even though all they took was a small amount of sugar.
Their Body was just ready to go down and so it happened.

Anonymous 0 Comments

A lot of it is that it “seemingly” happens that way, as you put it. People remember situations and tell stories about their loved ones (or even celebrities, viral stories etc) who seemed to hold on for something and then just let go and died. But they don’t remember all the ones who dies suddenly as much. So it is a perception thing. Also, we are pretty good at giving treatments that can prolong dying people’s lives. But when those treatments are stopped (say, when the whole family arrives), they die quickly.

Anonymous 0 Comments

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