WORD: Coward

[SpikeOtacon]

What does this mean to you? What it means to me is someone who is blinded by a fear of something and doesn't even try to work it out. Is too scared to deal with something, so they avoid it.
I speak from experience.
Tonight, I did the most cowardly thing I've ever tried to do. Slit my wrist. And why? Because I let the simple things in life fuck me over while bigger problems finish me off. It's my problem. I'm a fucking moron for letting them get to me. As of lately, I've had a crazy love life, a hard time at work (I face being fired) and hard family relations.
My love life...enough about that fucking thing.
My Job has been rough since I haven't been in much of a writing mood and I now have three assignments due.
My family? My brother is crazy and my Sister hates me because I forgot to get her online the other day while I was watching them. My parents are assholes who try to run my life, even though I am not up for dealing with thier shit. It's my life, I don't need them telling me what to do.
I would like to thank KaFKa especially. His last words to me on AIM before he left was 'Coward'...and it stuck out. Thanks man. If you hadn't have told me what I was, I would have been a fucking idiot and have done it. I realize that I am not the only one with a fucked up life here, And such examples (no offence to any of you) would be Shimarisu, and Sord. I have no right to do what I was gonna do. I haven't given life, I have no right to take it.
A few other people I would like to thank for snapping me out of it before I started..

Sin- who may be an asshole sometimes, he's a good friend.

Akdov- Even when he's drunk he talks to me over the phone and diverts me from my problems. He's always there for a good laugh.

HazMat- This man stuck up for me in a bar one time when I was about to get my ass kicked for calling the bartender a fucker because I was drunk off my ass and he wouldn't give me another. God, I hope I never get that drunk again.

Sord- Why? Because him and I have become good friends on this site and can share some fairly private things with each other. I haven't seen him in a few days, but i'm hoping he's ok.

KaFKa- Counter-Strike buddy, and has been there for me in the past. Him and I were planning to do a Group fic but I don't know if he's still interested.

Sounomi- Even though I haven't talked to her in like...forever, I do see her as a friend who gives her honest opinion about things. In our earlier days of discussion, some of her opinions came back onto me, and made me a better person for it.

Sarah- Another person who's open-mindedness has affected me in a positive way. She's been there for me during each break-up and each beginning, as well as some of my family troubles. She didn't have to, but she did.

And to all the others who aren't on the list that I forgot, thanks.

alright, I'm done.

[Skuda]

well, Coward= One who shows ignoble fear in the face of danger or pain. but to me, a coward is someone who doesn't do something they haev to do. Like when it's your time to die, and you high tail it outa there, your not much better than....um...steamed couliflower!

[Firocket1690]

On 2004-02-09 19:43, Scott_Kuda wrote:
Like when it's your time to die, and you high tail it outa there

You can avoid death ?
Shimarisu's been dying to know how. (no pun intended)

[Skuda]

um yah. death can be avoided at all times. just be careful. Death is a close friend of mine. we have a few laughs over recent killings. hahahaha! but really, I can see spirits, and have seen lots. I'm not afraid. I usually talk to them and my friend thinks I'm wierd. One tried to bite me but I laughed and made chompy motions with my mouth!
If you're going to be afraid of something inevitable or something that can't harm you, that's just plain, crazy.



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Scott_Kuda on 2004-02-09 19:59 ]</font>

[Dime]

On 2004-02-09 19:43, Scott_Kuda wrote:
Like when it's your time to die, and you high tail it outa there, your not much better than....um...steamed couliflower!



How is one supposed to know when it's their "time to die"?

[KodiaX987]

A coward is someone who disconnects during battle mode. Case closed! http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif

[Skuda]

you just do. it's like when you know when to urinate. it's just a feeling. I've seen my grandfather die. I saw it in his eyes. it's cold and foggy. he knew it and I did too.

[Dime]

On 2004-02-09 20:03, Scott_Kuda wrote:
you just do. it's like when you know when to urinate. it's just a feeling. I've seen my grandfather die. I saw it in his eyes. it's cold and foggy. he knew it and I did too.



Bullshit.

So if someone is trying to stab me I'm supposed to let him because "ITS MY TIME"?

[Skuda]

If you were to die from that, it would be premature death. If you get stabbed and say it's your time, you would be an idiot. fight to the finish.

off topic: Dime, I respect that you have things to say, but you always seem to be on the opposite end of the argument. do you have a grudge against me or something?

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Scott_Kuda on 2004-02-09 20:31 ]</font>

[anwserman]

A 'coward' is somebody who knows what is right and what is wrong, and whom thinks about a given situation before running headfirst.

Because, there is nothing wrong to be a coward... or to be labeled one for that matter. Sigh, I've experienced two people in my life who have committed suicide, and this whole topic is getting depressing.

Spike, I'll download AIM if you want to talk about it.. because another software download means nothing if I can help ease somebody's emotional pain.

[Dime]

On 2004-02-09 20:29, Scott_Kuda wrote:
If you were to die from that, it would be premature death. If you get stabbed and say it's your time, you would be an idiot. fight to the finish.

off topic: Dime, I respect that you have things to say, but you always seem to be on the opposite end of the argument. do you have a grudge against me or something?

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Scott_Kuda on 2004-02-09 20:31 ]</font>


No grudge, I just find your reasoning to be flawed. You make no sense.

When you die, you die. There's no way to stop it, and no, unless you're 90 or have cancer you don't KNOW that you're dying.

Hell, I could be hit by a stray bullet in the next 5 minutes.

[Dangerous55]

On 2004-02-09 20:33, anwserman wrote:
there is nothing wrong to be a coward...



Well see, yeah there is something wrong with being a coward.

[hollowtip]

A coward is someone who surrenders to their temptations.

Someone who retreats from honor, while advancing to self-fulfilment.


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: hollowtip on 2004-02-09 21:59 ]</font>

[KaFKa]

On 2004-02-09 18:22, SpikeOtacon wrote:

I would like to thank KaFKa especially. His last words to me on AIM before he left was 'Coward'...and it stuck out. Thanks man. If you hadn't have told me what I was, I would have been a fucking idiot and have done it.

my friend, you are welcome. you are usually frank and open about things, and willing to talk about your issues. but when you were limiting yourself to three word messages, i got angry and snapped, but shortly therafter felt a large amount of remorse. i am truly glad that you were able to pull yourself out of it. http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif


KaFKa- Counter-Strike buddy, and has been there for me in the past. Him and I were planning to do a Group fic but I don't know if he's still interested.

sure, im still interested, just dealing with some life issues of my own at the moment. just send me an IM when you wanna plan things out.

on to the thread topic;
my views on what coward means is one that takes the simple and selfish way out of things, without any concern for those around him/her.

i used to consider myself a coward, but i have long since matured and grown.

[undevil]

I think cowards are people who run away from trouble when they signed up for it/were involved. Like if you run away from the military.

I also think commiting suicide is an act of cowardice. That is taking a shortcut out.

[flash_fire]

As I said in another thread, Slitting ones wrist is one of the most cowardly ways to commit suicide as well as the fact that suicide is cowardly. Double Coward! Anyway, yeah its statistically the suicide of choice for girls because they are too afraid to actually get it over with and do something like use a gun or slit their own throat. Alot of the time it just ends up in a bit of blood loss and a lot of "help" from guys with degrees in Psychology.

[undevil]

Well bleeding to death slowly is not that painful so I can see why it would be an option.

If I were to commit suicide it would be with a gun shot to the head as I have the guns in my hand and could use them at any givin time. But I don't plan on doing it.

[opaopajr]

*tsk tsk* some people need to go to a hospice ward for failed suicides. using a gun is one of the worst ways to attempt suicide. you aren't always successful, and when you aren't the results are ugly. a life as a paraplegic or vegetable, alive beyond your control and in pain. nope, doesn't sound like fun to me. *tsk tsk*

slitting your wrists can be an effective means of suicide, but too often people screw it up - but thank goodness, because it is usually a cry for help. slitting your wrists crosswise cuts several tendons, and usually doesn't get deep enough to open the arteries. the best slitting method is slitting lengthwise, less tendon damage and greater chance to get in deeper and hit the artery there. it also helps to be in something warm to help the blood flow, like a warm bath.

then there's the more assured way of killing yourself, such as drugs and asphyxiation. carbon monoxide (as from a running car in a garage), or natural gas (sticking your head in a gas stove and blowing out the pilot light). or something less disruptive like mixing drugs with alcohol - very dangerous, and yet people who aren't attempting suicide make this mistake all the time. horrible combinations are heroin and alcohol, cocaine and alcohol, cocaine heroin and alcohol, alcohol and OD extra strength tylenol, OD sleeping pills and alcohol, and then there's the ever popular OD alcohol (though you'd have to shotgun around 1/2 a gallon of whiskey on an empty stomach). then there's the odd stuff like hemlock, mistletoe, foxglove, holly, and death cap mushrooms (they grow wild here! yay!).

but i hope none of you are planning to do any of this.

personal suggestion: i recommend reading books on suicide. suprisingly enough they are the most cheerful, life affirming books i've ever had the pleasure to come across, especially compared to any others i had to open for a term paper. so yeah, go snag a teen suicide book, grab your favorite blankie and cuddle up for a good read. http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif

[anwserman]

On 2004-02-09 21:06, Dangerous55 wrote:


On 2004-02-09 20:33, anwserman wrote:
there is nothing wrong to be a coward...



Well see, yeah there is something wrong with being a coward.



No there isn't.

Such as being out and about with your friends, and they get some ingenious idea to do something. They all go out and do it, you stay back, they call you a coward and then they all somehow tragically meet their end OR get severely injured.

THATS why there isn't anything wrong with being a coward. Because as a "coward", you aren't headstrong and rush into things, you look back and ponder all possible outcomes.

EDIT: I think we're talking about two different types of cowardly.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: anwserman on 2004-02-10 06:59 ]</font>

[flash_fire]

I think your meaning of Coward Answerman is not Cowardly, I think you meaning is using your head to make good choices(especially if they are doing something a tad bit illegal?).

[BogusKun]

On 2004-02-10 04:25, undevil wrote:
I also think commiting suicide is an act of cowardice. That is taking a shortcut out.



And when you were a little boy/girl, you run from the house when your mom tells you to step on a roach. Heh, I never kill them... I just let them free and stuff http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif.

No wonder why they kept coming back.

[Anubis_]

Being a Coward means, You run away from something, That was worth fighting for.

[undevil]

Fighting for your country is worth fighting for.

Fighting for people you love is worth fighting for.

[BogusKun]

I rather fight for the people who love me...

Fighting for your country is sort of fighting what you believe in, yes. It all gets broken down to it. But sometimes... there are some people who feel a bit of hate for their country. But this should tell them to move, and live another life somewhere else. Even though you can't cope with the governments and ideals of one country's standards. It just means that, you need to get your lazy ass up, find a job, bag enough money... legally... and move out.

Then that will show them that at least America cares.

Freedom? Not to the fullest, but it grants enough.

"Try living in Afganistan... Or help by making it better." This type of quote shouldn't persuade you that fighting is the only way. You can't be considered a coward if you don't want to fight.

Fighting and Peace... The art of Negotiation and the only ways of negotiating.

How would you like it if someone came to your door and said... "Fight for us... or be a coward"

Hell, I would be a coward... There are many elements out there that persuade people into fighting... money, fame, personal assistance. But, what ARE you fighting for? That is the question you must ask yourself before you start rating people/self a coward.

[Ketchup345]

I agree; killing yourself is cowardly; probably one of the most cowardly things you can do.

If you think it would help, try going for help. Also, maybe some time away from your immediate family would do good? Like spend a few weeks at a cousins or other relative's.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Ketchup345 on 2004-02-10 13:50 ]</font>

[BogusKun]

I moved in with my friend.

[Bradicus]

No there isn't.

Such as being out and about with your friends, and they get some ingenious idea to do something. They all go out and do it, you stay back, they call you a coward and then they all somehow tragically meet their end OR get severely injured.

THATS why there isn't anything wrong with being a coward. Because as a "coward", you aren't headstrong and rush into things, you look back and ponder all possible outcomes.

EDIT: I think we're talking about two different types of cowardly.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: anwserman on 2004-02-10 06:59 ]</font>

There is something very wrong with being a coward. In my mind, a coward is someone who refuses to take a challenge that they know needs to be done. Someone that will horribly hurt others to save themselves from minimal pain. You, sir, are cautious. Very different from a coward.

In my mind, nothing is more cowardly than suicide. Everyone walks on egg shells around such mentally unstable folk, when they need something to shake them out of such a pathetic mindset.

no spellcheck for me.

[SpikeOtacon]

Who here though, would call me a coward for being so stupid as to even think about trying it?

[Bradicus]

On 2004-02-10 15:35, SpikeOtacon wrote:
Who here though, would call me a coward for being so stupid as to even think about trying it?


http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_lol.gif
We will all feel that way at least once in our lives. I'd call you human for thinking it.

[Dangerous55]

On 2004-02-10 06:58, anwserman wrote:

No there isn't.

Such as being out and about with your friends, and they get some ingenious idea to do something. They all go out and do it, you stay back, they call you a coward and then they all somehow tragically meet their end OR get severely injured.

THATS why there isn't anything wrong with being a coward. Because as a "coward", you aren't headstrong and rush into things, you look back and ponder all possible outcomes.

EDIT: I think we're talking about two different types of cowardly.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: anwserman on 2004-02-10 06:59 ]</font>



Those friends are not being brave, and you are not being a coward.

Being a coward, to me, is running from something, or not doing something that you should do because of fear of harm. Could be anything, fighting for various things, standing up for certain people, etc.

Not doing "Jackass" like stuff is not being a coward.

[Scejntjynahl]

You ppl judging cowards like if it were a disease. It is a natural part of life like love, anger, despair, etc etc.

Been a coward and not realizing is the danger. But been a coward and knowing that your are been one, gives you hope. Cowardiness believe it or not, has helped many avoid situations that are life threatening... ie Dark Alleys and such.

Yes, when one has a life that has become unbearable and they contemplate death as a release, that is not been a coward, a coward wants to survive not die.

Contemplating death is something we all do at one point or another, for many reasons, good and bad. My personal opinion is simple: "Death will hunts all down, when and where is unknown" so, with that in mind, why would I want to rush it. Live and live, till deatch comes looking for you. And even then, defy it, and laugh at it, till you cant laugh no more.

[BogusKun]

Well sometimes Cowardice keeps you alive...

[Allos]

On 2004-02-10 17:12, Dangerous55 wrote:

Being a coward, to me, is running from something, or not doing something that you should do because of fear of harm. Could be anything, fighting for various things, standing up for certain people, etc.





I read my grandpa's diary the other night and this reminded me of it. I was reading the pages of his service as a Marine on Iwo Jima. A few cowards (as D55 defines it) from his squad started running when their first fire fight broke out on the island. Two of my Grandpa's friends and even more from his platoon were killed by Jp firing when they tried to stop the cowards. It happens to be that the cowards were replacements, but hey. Four squad members left alive after that little engagement.



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Allos on 2004-02-11 17:12 ]</font>

[BogusKun]

On 2004-02-11 17:11, Allos wrote:


On 2004-02-10 17:12, Dangerous55 wrote:

Being a coward, to me, is running from something, or not doing something that you should do because of fear of harm. Could be anything, fighting for various things, standing up for certain people, etc.





I read my grandpa's diary the other night and this reminded me of it. I was reading the pages of his service as a Marine on Iwo Jima. A few cowards (as D55 defines it) from his squad started running when their first fire fight broke out on the island. Two of my Grandpa's friends and even more from his platoon were killed by Jp firing when they tried to stop the cowards. It happens to be that the cowards were replacements, but hey. Four squad members left alive after that little engagement.



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Allos on 2004-02-11 17:12 ]</font>


I had some friends (some enlisting some commissioning) in the Marines...

Funny thing is on the enlisted part, you have many Will-Be-Recruits {USMC} these days backing down from joining (when they have passed the Delayed Entry) when they hear stories about where they may be going, what they may be doing, and etc...

Even some that are actually in the training field (after basic)

One Marine, (knowing where he will end up), decides to smoke a cigar (while on leave after boot). Supposely, he knew the consequenses but as a Marine-In-Training, he isn't allowed to finish training after this misdemeanor. All Marines are usually briefed on what-to-do/what-not-to-do. Oh well...

The Second Marine (Food Service Specialist) knew that he was going to be away from his family (due to being on active) knowing that his duty station was deploying for at least 6-months... he was afraid to leave his family... doesn't make him a coward, but in the eyes of the contract it does. How does he do it? Takes ** advice... but he didn't kill himself.

How?

By swallowing 6 pills of asprin leading to a medical overdose. He was guaranteed medical discharge. Of course this is a risk that may be suicidal. Marines cannot serve after attempting a suicide act. Instead of taking the easy way out (Subtraction of Contract - During Training Only), he pulled this off.

Wierd.

These are forms of cowardice, but the reasons why they did it... proves itself in this post. You can come up with many reasons with all this evidence. And I have talked to them both after discharge so I pretty much know what's on their minds when they did what they did, during, and after.

NOTE: The first guy is currently working at Gold's Gym and making at least 500,000 a year as a personal trainer... and he had a Black belt in Akidou before enlisting... (Son of a bitch! I wish I had that job, meh.)

There are other stories to tell, but my memory is fucking up a bit so, talk about it in a few...

[derBauer]

Being scared is ok, being a coward is not.

Don't kill yourself. Go to the mall with a friend and hang out and bullshit around. Talk things over. Drink a coffee. Go home. Be happy.
I went to the mall tonight to eat and when I was done I watched a group of kids play DDR for awhile. Just get out and do something. I bought a new shirt too.