This has been a sore subject for me for several years; when do you give up?
 
I remember years ago having a discussion with dgtile regarding the European players moving their last remaining scout from side to side hoping to salvage a DRAW when the situation was hopeless and they had no chance to win. The argument was why would they choose to string a player along when the situation was hopeless and they had no chance to win, only to force a player to DRAW. I have to admit that as I get "wiser" I tend to think the same way, just fling the last scout around the board in the efforts of getting a draw. But the reality is that I would , more than likely, prefer to drink the kool-aid than play like a pansy and string the game along.  
 
Giving up doesn't always have to be a bad thing. Sure you lose the game but you also acknowledge  the others players ability to win. Drawing out a game in the hopes of coming back from an unwinnable situation is in some ways unsportsmanlike and downright nasty. When a player had you beat and all you do is drag the game on, ask yourself how it might feel if the shoe was on the other foot. Would you like it if some knucklehead wasted your time in order to not give you a deserved win.
 
Maybe Jim Jones knew something none of us did and having the followers drink the kool-aid might be a bad idea to us. But to him and the other hundreds of people, it made sense. Sometimes checking out early before the credits roll by might seem like a cop out. But in the end you might be preventing someone elses misfortune by doing what's going to be done anyways.
 
If you have a chance to win, then take it. If you're at the end of the game and you have only one shot to win, take it and see what happens. Dragging the game on in an effort to delay the inevitable is just wrong. Of course this is just opinion, most of you will disagree so feel free to roll me under the bus and reply.