I've been frequenting this forum for a while, and I've noticed one thing: people often confuse suicide with suicidal ideation. Let's be clear: most people here don't really want to die. They live in a fragile balance where the idea of suicide becomes a way to survive, to cope with daily pain. It's a valve of release, a thought that comforts, because there's always a "plan B" in the back of their mind.
Let's not fool ourselves: suicide itself isn't "difficult." It's final, raw, and immediate. Someone who truly wants to end their life doesn't spend months or years pondering methods or seeking comfort in forums. They act. Period. Those who hang themselves in 99% of cases don't even know where the carotid arteries or the brainstem are. This is why more lethal methods, like a firearm, are so devastating: they leave no margin for error, except for a tiny, insignificant minority. There is no "failure" with a gun; there are just inexperienced people, like in any other field. It's like riding a bicycle: there's no guarantee you won't fall, but if you're experienced, the risk is minimal. Yet, my schoolmate has broken all her bones and suffered a head trauma, and she still keeps falling.
A firearm, in particular, doesn't leave room for endless, inconclusive attempts. There's no room for second thoughts or partial failures. That's why it's hated by many users: it eliminates the possibility of procrastination, of seeking another way, of clinging to that "maybe tomorrow" that so many tell themselves. It's a method that ends the game.
So why so many "failed" attempts? Because suicidal ideation isn't a real desire to die, it's a cry for help, a survival strategy. It's living in a limbo between pain and hope, a way for many people to hold on to life, paradoxically through the thought of death.
This doesn't diminish the suffering of those who talk about it, but it highlights the intent of those who want to portray suicide as something complex or unachievable. The act itself isn't complicated; it's facing the pain, the emptiness, the loneliness. The truth is that, in many cases, the thought of suicide doesn't lead to the end, but becomes the engine to keep living one more day.