Relieving the Burden
There is an interesting thread on The Druid Network member forums, discussing views on life, death, rebirth, afterlife, etc. One of the comments I made was about the choice an individual can make on commiting suicide. I thought I’d try and air my thoughts, to give them some form.
In general, I’m against suicide. I think it’s a waste of a precious gift, something not ours to prematurely end, an aberration. If we’re here to bear witness to the world, to love and to learn, and impart love and learning. It’s a terrible waste to end that process wilfully.
When is it acceptable? Well, I suppose we’d have to look at circumstances where people do end their lives, and what drives them to it, and when people want to end their lives, but can’t. Depression, and illness are big factors (in my view), and age is another. Is it acceptable to end ones life because one is terminally ill, or incapacitated? If it’s going to end at some point soon, and one is experiencing a considerable decrease in quality of life, is it acceptable for them to seek a timely end?
I’m not sure if it can be judged by illness or whatever befalls us. For me, it would be the burden I place on my tribe, my family. I ask myself if it would be fair to put a carers life on hold, if there was no hope of recovery. If I was simply wasting away with age, and it was a long drawn out process, would it be fair for me to place that burden on others. Carers that perhaps would not understand my wish in those final days? Would I make good my escape, on one of those ‘up’ days, drag myself off to a place to die in peace, and beauty? Romantically, I’d like to think I would, and if peace didn’t come in time, would I have the balls to take a blade with me to fall on it?
In some ways, it’s resource managment. If I kept chickens, I paid with time and resources to keep them healthy, and fed, so that they could in turn be harvested for eggs. When a chicken is too old to lay anymore, do I still pile money and effort into this chicken? Or do I kill it, while its meat is still good, to feed my family for a Sunday, knowing that the chicken had been treated well, and had died before the debilitating effects of age had set in too far?
technorati tags:suicide, assisted, peace, death, chicken, resource, management, illness, terminal, age, old
I don’t believe it! There I was, reading, pondering the issues, formulating a considered reply… then you go and wave poor old Spike in my face! :P
(http://www.rosher.me.uk/wordpress/?p=62 for the uninitiated.)
Actually, it is not without relevance. I sent Spike on when she became unable to deal with her quality of life, although she could have lived for some time longer. I do think quality of life is important, but perhaps there are varying levels of quality for varying lives. I could live tolerably well without legs (though I hope not to have to), a chicken couldn’t.
Though I can imagine bodily breakdowns, intellectual degeneration etc that might make euthanasia a reasonable and rational option, I cannot ignore the pain I might be conferring upon my family/tribe in requiring their assistance. I do suspect I would not give up this life without a struggle, and that by the time I was ready to go I would not be able to take the final step alone. This is not a situation you can plan for.
There are times when I think the legal system has invaded too far into our lives; creating an environment where there has to be a law, allowing or disallowing every state or action. This is one of those times.
I am sixty five. Fortunately, at the moment I am still In relatively good health.compared to a lot of people my age.The thing Is, I tend to think a “Lot”, about my fellow humans suffering In the true physical sense of the word, (and they are not an old ancient like me. So I tell myself on a daily basis, what right have I to ponder on “The pain of death”. When there are literally millions dying by “The Minute all over the globe. who have never been as lucky as me.
Well put, Bart. Thanks for the sobering wake-up call from my own naval-gazing.