I apologize if this is the wrong place for this post. A friend of mine recently took his own life and it got me thinking about something I've wondered about for a while. Why do we try so hard to prevent suicide?

I remember when my brother was 17 he was joking with his girlfriend and said "brb going to go kill myself" (I understand it's not a funny joke but he definitely meant it as a joke) and within 10 minutes the police were kicking in our door yelling "you have so much to live for!"

How do they know this? Why is it so important to other people that a stranger does not commit suicide? I understand the religious reasoning, and I understand we don't want our friends and family to do it because of the sadness that we will feel but what else?

I'm not mad at my friend at all. I wish he had not have done it, but I fully understand why he did. I guess I am just curious as to why when a stranger is at the end of their ability to cope, we force them to continue. Even just considering suicide can get you locked up for mentally evaluation, which isn't going to help your overall outlook on life and the world as it is.