Ah, interesting. I do not know any Dutch except, now, "winter", "koning", and "-je". Anyway, if you ever want to learn a little Norman (specifically Jèrriais) I'd be happy to share the love.
When you say you are a linguist, that means to me that you have a PhD in Linguistics and/or are working as a Professor of Linguistics at a university. Is this your case? (If so, where do you teach/what was your dissertation on?) I, myself, am no linguist, but an avid philologist with a Linguistics minor (mostly out of convenience).
I meant Romeo and Juliet as an example of suicide. I do not consider Romeo or Juliet to have been suffering from chronic depression. Moreover, having lived with (long ago) "clinical depression" and having known many others who have as well, I will be among the first to assert that in most cases [and indeed in my own], with proper intent and endeavor, such poor outlook can be overcome and life can be dramatically improved for these people—to the point where, for most, suicide is still a very real tragedy for them. Indeed it is true, however, that because future is by no means assured, no one can ever know how happy they could have been. The same applies for those who make poor decisions (but remain alive) and suffer for them.
I think we are agreed that there are worse things than death, and I am not in favour of prolonging life beyond its capacity to be productive and/or enjoyable. I do not, however, sanction euthanasia or simple suicide. I believe there must be better ways to go out.
I disagree with you that there is no cure to the type of depression you speak of. I personally have been cured of it (a deceptive term), and I know others who, like myself, have found a cure. There is, to my knowledge, however, no medical cure. It's an illness of the mind and heart, and it is there that the solution must be found. It's been well-put that, usually, "suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem".
Agree that there are major problems with psychopharmacology. As a general rule, I will not touch drugs. I take vitamins only when I'm already sick (or about to be) or severely taxed and likely to get sick. I take other drugs only when prescribed, and I generally try to avoid prescriptions where possible. I do not touch painkillers. Maybe I'm just being reactionary to my youth on ritalin and desipramine, but I feel that often the "cure" can be worse than the disease with all this.
Fallibility is simply mortality. It is the falling which is arguably a sin (depending on how one defines sin).
Suicide et al.
When you say you are a linguist, that means to me that you have a PhD in Linguistics and/or are working as a Professor of Linguistics at a university. Is this your case? (If so, where do you teach/what was your dissertation on?) I, myself, am no linguist, but an avid philologist with a Linguistics minor (mostly out of convenience).
I meant Romeo and Juliet as an example of suicide. I do not consider Romeo or Juliet to have been suffering from chronic depression. Moreover, having lived with (long ago) "clinical depression" and having known many others who have as well, I will be among the first to assert that in most cases [and indeed in my own], with proper intent and endeavor, such poor outlook can be overcome and life can be dramatically improved for these people—to the point where, for most, suicide is still a very real tragedy for them. Indeed it is true, however, that because future is by no means assured, no one can ever know how happy they could have been. The same applies for those who make poor decisions (but remain alive) and suffer for them.
I think we are agreed that there are worse things than death, and I am not in favour of prolonging life beyond its capacity to be productive and/or enjoyable. I do not, however, sanction euthanasia or simple suicide. I believe there must be better ways to go out.
I disagree with you that there is no cure to the type of depression you speak of. I personally have been cured of it (a deceptive term), and I know others who, like myself, have found a cure. There is, to my knowledge, however, no medical cure. It's an illness of the mind and heart, and it is there that the solution must be found. It's been well-put that, usually, "suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem".
Agree that there are major problems with psychopharmacology. As a general rule, I will not touch drugs. I take vitamins only when I'm already sick (or about to be) or severely taxed and likely to get sick. I take other drugs only when prescribed, and I generally try to avoid prescriptions where possible. I do not touch painkillers. Maybe I'm just being reactionary to my youth on ritalin and desipramine, but I feel that often the "cure" can be worse than the disease with all this.
Fallibility is simply mortality. It is the falling which is arguably a sin (depending on how one defines sin).