Ancient vogue of suicide as a form of retaliation against despotic rulers eventually gave way to teachings that made life more desirable. [1]
In pursuit of revenge, a renegade mortal betrayed his friend for thirty pieces of silver before choosing suicide as a final escape from the harsh realities of existence. [2] The Phrygian mystery cult celebrated Attis's ritual, but Amos proclaimed Yahweh as the “God of all nations” before he was stoned to death. [3]
Man's capacity for the recognition of values and the comprehension of meanings testifies that such beings have emerged from the purely animal stage of existence, and that suicide among men signifies their failure to attain the artistic levels of mortal experience. [4] Those rejecting survival are committing a cosmic suicide, preventing the evolution of supreme values in their own personal experience. [5]
Widows faced great fear in some cultures, where they were blamed for their husbands' deaths and either killed or allowed to commit suicide on their spouses' graves to join them in spiritland. [6]