[Androgeos Exeunt]

I saw Dilmah reading this article on Facebook, so I did a Google search and read it myself. Fascinating.

Anyway, for you tl;dr folks, here's the short-short version: a genius boy weighed the pros and cons of life using his tiny dynamo, decided it wasn't worth the trouble, and killed himself because "the mathematics he has used are indisputable".

I'd conclude that he's a complete and arrogant nutjob and did the right thing for himself, but I thought I should ask the community the same question anyway, since there are some pretty intelligent people here, not just in terms of logic.

[General Battuta]

His 'reasoning' was rationalization - this kid was depressed and needed help. It's tragic he didn't get it.

[Nuke]

of course it aint worth living, only instinct for self preservation and the desire to see others suffer keeps me going. people who are happy seem surround them selves with enough bull**** to act as a buffer zone against grim reality. and that is something i cannot tolerate. so i do my best to remove the bricks from their walls.

[Alex Heartnet]

The fact that he came to that conclusion should tell us how seriously messed up modern society is.

There are a wide number of causes that one could rightfully blame.  Sadly, none of these issues in society will be addressed properly, and instead something that was probably not a significant cause will get scapegoated.

[LordPomposity]

Life is not worth living without Snuffy.

[BloodEagle]

The article doesn't show the math.   

[Fury]

A lot more people would off themselves if they didn't care doing so would hurt close relatives. There are situations where close relatives wouldn't care and of course, some people don't have any close relatives left.

I have pondered the question "What makes life worth living?" many times. While I know many answers to the question, none of them apply to my own life. Not currently anyway. While I'm not suicidal, I can see why people want out.

I'd categorize people as follows:
- People who are happy for their material success. They are driven, wealthy people.
- People who are happy for having people who they love and love them back.
- People who have neither, but who are not yet suicidal. Their life is full of shades of gray.
- People who are somewhat suicidal but don't commit the action because they still have something little to live for, usually another person or people he/she does not want to hurt.
- People who are suicidal because they have nothing to live for, no material success or nobody to love and more importantly, nobody to love him/her back.
- People who are suicidal even though they have something little to live for. Extreme cases who want out even if it hurts other people.

Living just for the sake of living is no life. But on the other hand, unless you live you never know what's around the corner. If I didn't have people I care about, I'd probably be gone already too.

[karajorma]

His 'reasoning' was rationalization - this kid was depressed and needed help. It's tragic he didn't get it.

Unless of course the police reading his diaries start killing themselves too.

[Bobboau]

>>>diaries posted to internet
>>>wave of mass suicide sweeps the industrialized world.
>>>all according to keikaku

[NGTM-1R]

Unless of course the police reading his diaries start killing themselves too.

Well, you're assuming the police are rational too.

[LordMelvin]

I just woke up and was confused to see a poll without snuffalupagus as an option.

As far as the thread topic is concerned, it seems to me that his mathematics neglect the potential for fourth-dimensional appearance of quasi-externally induced changes in factors that appear to traditional euclidean analysis to be constants, viz, there is a finite but existent potential for circumstances to develop in which I, as the person analyzing the relevant psychohistorical factors, not only become significantly more wealthy (because frankly, it'd be hard to get much less wealthy, but that's another story) but find the means and motive to put that wealth to use in the creation and execution of a plan to become a costumed hero, perhaps themed around a nocturnal rodent of some sort, which end result is significantly valuable enough, however unlikely, to remain a worthwhile investment of the effort required to not commit suicide like a freaking punk.

Also, I've done this entire post using only three sentences, which, though overabundantly supplied with comma splices (and parenthetical inserts), are technically grammatical, a feat that I feel is frankly fantastic.

[deathfun]

His 'reasoning' was rationalization - this kid was depressed and needed help. It's tragic he didn't get it.

It's easy to say someone doesn't get it while looking from outside in.
Meanwhile, I look from the inside out, and I get it

[Androgeos Exeunt]

The article doesn't show the math.   

True, but I don't think most laymen would understand it.

[Ravenholme]

His 'reasoning' was rationalization - this kid was depressed and needed help. It's tragic he didn't get it.

It's easy to say someone doesn't get it while looking from outside in.
Meanwhile, I look from the inside out, and I get it

See - I've been there and I decided that it was the most irrational thing I could do under the circumstances. Okay, I'm no genius but I'm a decent science student, I know the score with logic and rationalisation.

That and I found Dylan Thomas, and "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" struck a chord with me for a variety of reasons.

[Dragon]

If he came to logical conclusion based on data available to him and made a conscious decision about ending his life, you can't really blame him. I wonder what his reasoning was though, it's easy to make an error in such a personal matter.
Anyway, I have one certain thing to live for: ambition. I want to do something that will put my family name into the annals of history, and this time not as minor nobles from a backwater country, but as scientists and/or businessmen. Admittedly, the recession messed up by plans for the latter a bit (hopefully, it'll be over when I start trying to make money), but there's still a lot to discover in physics. Either way, you'll all hear of me someday.

[The E]

His 'reasoning' was rationalization - this kid was depressed and needed help. It's tragic he didn't get it.

It's easy to say someone doesn't get it while looking from outside in.
Meanwhile, I look from the inside out, and I get it

No, you're just spouting nonsense.

[Unknown Target]

"Genius" is overrated.

As for his logic, didn't read the article but I could make an argument either way.

Also, The E, is that attitude really necessary?

[Ravenholme]

I'm kinda with The E on this, Unknown Target - Okay, he could've been far more tactful, but very rarely is life bad enough to justify suicide in a supposed 1st World Country.

[The E]

Yes, it is. deathfun has shown himself to be nothing but a common troll on issues that do not involve the merits of various kinds of booze, as such I do not see why I shouldn't call him out for his nonsense. If you look closely at his post, it does not say anything of significance, and bears no relationship with the post snippet it supposedly is responding to. He does not elaborate any point he might have, and tries to cover it up with cutesy phrasing.

Thus, I have to conclude that he is spouting nonsense.

[karajorma]

He is indeed. And if he does it again he'll find himself unable to post on Gen Disc.