OMG - I say the thread title, quickly read some posts, and had to stop...
For those who said they (wrongly) felt "guilty, sad, a failure" etc. for not committing suicide,
-- I'll tell you with certainty that LIVING is much harder than DYING (from suicide).

Every minute of every day,
You all deserve a million hugs and praise for your strength to remain alive.

I'm not sure I have as much strength as you all do, but I will continue trying.

I estimate it would take me about 5 minutes to die, to stop the pain,
but instead
that 5 minutes is spent, sometimes almost 300 times/day, feeling intense unbearable pain.
(Based on there's 1440 minutes in a day).

Which is harder? Living or death? You know the answer.

And you all are to be admired for "failing" at suicide, and withstanding the indescribable, almost non-stop pain people feel when they think (feel) they would rather be dead.

I hope I am as successful as you all have been.

Besides, death/suicide is a permanent, irreversible solution/decision,
so whenever I think about taking the easiest way out,
I try to refocus on what can I do right now (like in the next 5 minutes), other than suicide, to decrease the pain?
It usually works, if nothing else, it distracts my mind enough from thoughts of suicide.

For the long term, I know conquering/treating the pain,
is the only way I'll permanently eradicate suicidal thoughts from my mind.

Don't know if it's always possible (to get rid of the pain), but certainly worth trying.
If nothing else, focusing on actively decreasing the pain, should/could make life more bearable, maybe even happy (again) some day. IDK.

Also, I firmly believe staying alive, is a basic human instinct, sort of like breathing,
it is not intellectual.

How those who died (from suicide) got past that, we will never know (? a mistake, an unexpected accident?). IDK.

But I do know failing at suicide is "normal", dying by suicide is not.

I feel very thankful to know, all of you here, that are so strong and normal.
It gives me hope,
that I too can withstand the pain a little longer;
And there's other normal people out there, who wish they were dead (want the pain to stop), but instead reached down deep to find the strength to stay alive.

Those who died by suicide, FAILED to stay alive.
All of you did NOT fail at anything. Really.

For the record, I do believe dying by suicide is a civil right (a person has the right to decide or choose what they want to do with their own body) - And I respect, with remorse if that is the decision they needed to make.

AGAIN, Regardless, living is always harder than dying.
And it makes me really sad, that those who succeeded with suicide,
the reason they failed to stay alive (basic human instinct)
may have been solely due to they could not find the strength to keep on living, a little longer.

I'm glad you all found the strength.