Suicide refers to intentional self-inflicted acts that end in death. Derived from the Latin suicidium, which combines the pronoun for "self" and the verb for "to kill", the word suicide was first used in 1651, but self-initiated deaths have occurred throughout history.
             History tells us many stories of people destroying each other in war. Warriors are heroes of legends. We try to imagine the courage, strength, and wisdom it must take to become a hero, but history also describes how people have died because their lives have became unbearable. They choose to kill themselves rather than suffer hurt and pain. Different cultures and religions have had different ideas about suicide. Even in our own country, these attitudes have changed over time.
             Sometimes the stories about suicide are romantic, like the Shakespearean novel, Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet were only 14 years old, they fell in love, but their families would not permit them to see each other. Both lovers killed themselves when they thought the other had died. William Shakespeare wrote this famous love story to show us how tragic life can be.
             Primitive people often made suicide part of religious ceremonies. Sometimes they even encouraged members of the tribe to kill themselves after a chief had died.
             Until recently, it was customary in parts of India for a widow to kill herself after her husband died. If she did that, it would be easier for him to enter the next life. Hara-kiri (suicide) was also an honourable death for nobles and warriors of Japan. During World War II, Japanese fighter pilots crashed their planes into American ships, making it difficult for Americans to defend themselves.
             Other cultures have not viewed suicide as courageous or honourable. Most of the wise men of ancient Greece thought that suicide was cowardly. During the middle ages, people were taught that suicide was a sin against God, a most unholy act. A suicide vict...