You know what I see it as? Natural selection. 'Nuff said.
<laugh> I love you!
And I agree, for most cases. There are some truly pathetic people in the world, who attempt suicide just to get the attention - even if they don't consciously recognize it. There are people who succeed just because they couldn't cope with the world - and I am excluding clinically depressed people, as there is a difference between them and the whinging Goth kid. If they kill themselves - ha, sucks to be them. But they are one less burden that other people have to deal with. And in another way, they create a burden in their family.
Now, ritual suicide, like in old Japan, is another case entirely - probably because it was a completely different culture under which you would kill yourself. You would kill yourself not because "life is unfair, whaaaaaaaa!" but because, for example, you are dying slowly with no hope for a curse. Or you are caught between a rock and a wall when it comes to a decision and cannot find a solution without dishonouring yourself or your family or etc. That's a completely different thing, since it is from a completely different culture, and it would be wrong for me to judge anyone for it because of a little thing called cultural relativism. =D
I was clinically depressed for a few years. It was a chemical thing, not situational, and lemme tell you...Zoloft fixed me up just right. Haven't had a problem since that year I was on it. But I understand, generally, where a depressed person is coming from. I never self-mutilated myself (saw no point, don't like pain, felt it was stupid, etc etc etc), and never seriously contemplated suicide. As an atheist, I really didn't like the idea, as I see this as My Only Chance At Life Ever (before I cease to exist), and so I am not trying to hurry the end up for myself. After all, I could have missed out on a lot of good things.
But I was generally a very sad, unresponsive person. I lost most of my ambition in life (and I have never really picked it back up, either - I have occasionally phases where I will have a goal before I just dismiss it - and I hate not having ambition). But I still function well enough as a member of society, though not as great of a student than I used to be.
I'm all for people going to counselers - if they are depressed, going to doctors, etc - but I really have no sympathy for someone who is unable to cope with life because they think they are given an unfair hand in life. And there are some very, very negative people out there who need a wake-up call.