Suicide and the Afterlife
Probably one out of every ten people who come to this site looking for information on NDEs are doing so because they want to know what the afterlife is like, before they take a leap and commit suicide. Not only do we not condone this- we don't suggest it.
It's very hard to take an approach on the subject of suicide and the afterlife without presenting any confusion or further questions, or without making it sound like a good idea. It is not. Suicide is probably the worst thing you can do to yourself spiritually.
Look at it this way. Do you believe in anything beyond the physical? If yes, then obviously, you must realize that what you do to yourself in your physical life will follow you into the "other world". You won't "forget" that you killed yourself. That you might never know what it's like to be YOU- the you whom you murdered- again. But what about if you don't believe in anything beyond the physical? Well, why the hell would you kill yourself then! This is all you will ever have, you need to make your mark. Be remembered as a wonderful person who gave something to the world. Don't waste it. What if it IS the only thing you will ever have? You need to make it worthwhile.
But what if your cause for wanting to escape the physical realm is a reasonable one- and then, who judges what is an acceptable reason to end your life? Well, remember that everything you do in the physical decides what your afterlife will be like. And your damage in the physical does not end when you die.
There are two main reasons people take their life. One is negative, the other, well... less negative. These things will be factors in the death experience resulting from the act.
Selfish Suicide
Life sucks, and you're sick of the effort-
the afterlife will await you will guilt and undoubtedly, penalties. Why? Because by taking your life, you have left a legacy of sorrow and troubles. Imagine how your family and friends feel. They will blame themselves. They will cry and mourn. They will think of you, and wish they had done things differently. They'll feel like they failed you and will carry the burden of your life ending with them until their own death.
Selfless Suicide
You have a fatal illness-
When one is terminally ill, and their life is nearing its end, sometimes the afterlife consequent of suicide will not be so unpleasant. When the friends and family are waiting, wondering when you will die... when they watch you live each day in misery with a condition that is fatal and is guaranteed to only get worse until the painful end- when they are not just emotional but financial ruins because of the hospital bills and overpriced treatments/meds that are keeping your tortured body alive... what is there to do? I can't justify it, because this is a hugely controversial topic. But there are times when we must make difficult and morose decisions. The afterlife will assuredly be kinder to those who are trying to do what they think is best... for EVERYONE.
Dying for others-
Ghandi nearly died during hunger strikes. Buddhist monks burned themselves in the street to make a statement politically. Jesus allowed himself to be crucified. What is somebody sacrified themselves for the lives of other people? What if an old man let himself be killed to save a young child? We all are put on the earth for some reason- what if for some of us, that reason is to die for others?