When is a good time to stop living?
Events in my life have made me take a long hard look at life and living. Modern technology makes it possible to make a person live well past the point they can go on living for themselves. There are those who say that a person must go on living until not even the miracles of modern technology can keep you alive. Oddly enough, many of those folks believe in an afterlife. I believe they take the stance that life is a gift and every second must be savored. I worry that they believe in an afterlife and they are afraid of what's next. I've never been to Hawaii, but I hear it is grand. I sometimes worry that they've never been to the afterlife, but they hear it sucks. A bleak way for a person to have to live, but I suppose it explains their fear of dying. I always heard that the afterlife was awesome. My biggest fear is they've heard something I haven't.
One issue is that once your insurance runs out I suppose you might have Medicaid or Medicare, but those run out too, after that you are eking out extra existance at the expense of your loved one's lives and livelihoods. Do you want to be the one remembered for living an extra month at the cost of your families house and home? I don't. I heard a joke once, "I want to go peacefully in my sleep like my uncle, not screaming like the passengers in his car."
I'm not judging other's choices. And it is YOUR choice, you can choose to eek out your last moments more machine than person, or you can choose to go the way nature intended. Just because one can do a thing doesn't necessarily make it right to do so. I don't believe anyone has the right to choose whether I live or die but me. I get truly sick of people day in an day out taking the one thing that is truly not theirs to give or take. But before you start misunderstanding me, I despise the pro-life crowd, as much as I despise a murderer in the street. None of them have the authority or the right to give or take a life. Not yours!
Understand this also, I believe that if you intend to take the life of me and mine, I've got the right to stop you up to and including ending you. It won't be my first option, but it will always be on the table. I don't feel that one should take their own life either, but it isn't necessarily mine to judge. I've never experienced anything so bad that the only way to escape it is to eat the barrel of a gun. I hope I never do. However, when the day comes that I'm not going to get better, I'd rather go easy and on my own power, than go hard via a machine. All bets are off however, if I can live a normal life on a machine. My brain, in a robot body? If that's an option, I'll entertain that too. I guess what I'm saying is, that when I can no longer live a productive life, I might be done with living it. But I get to decide what "productive" is, not you.
Comments
This isn't a cry for help, right? Woody, you're still productive. Don't crash the car or unplug your life line... :)
Posted by: Becky | September 26, 2007 6:08 PM
Yes Woody, you have again put it on the line. I feel as you do on every point. One especially also confounds me: The loudest "pro-life at any cost" are the very people who thump the Bible the hardest. Did they not read the passage where Christ promises that in My Father's house are many mansions, I go to prepare a place for you? Everything in the Bible or Holy books of all people promises a greater "life" on the other side. I have had a grand life and a great time. In fact, I am still very much enjoying my days and nights too, but the body is telling me the end is much closer than the beginning. I am terrified of being at the mercy of the medical establishment and do-gooders when this body finally can not manage to get up in the morning and take care of itself. I have taken all the steps to insure against this happening, but somehow I don't trust anyone to do as I want. There is big money to be made warehousing all-but-dead bodies you know. Brenda Bowers
Posted by: Brenda Bowers | September 26, 2007 7:10 PM
I have been worrying about this post all week. I don't know you Woody, but, like, are you OK?
Should we not then just legalize suicide of any or all kinds, and if not, why not?
From one of those mean hateful shallow and awful pro-life people.
Posted by: Joel Gillespie | September 28, 2007 4:27 PM
You are not the first to wonder if "I'm all right". I chalk it up to poor communications skills on my part.
I'm fine, but I have a relative who isn't. I'm watching the end of his life unfold from the sidelines and the whole thing got me to thinking.
I tend to frown on the word suicide, because it is a simple term with very broad meaning. I think you've inspired a new entry. :) I hope to have it up by Monday, this will take some thought.
Posted by: Woody Cavenaugh | September 28, 2007 4:42 PM
Woody,
I am very sorry to hear about your loved one. And if is a matter of life being continued or upheld by machinery, I have walked through that difficult matter with many people in my work. It is very very hard. I hated even to bring up the general question, but you broadened the matter in your own post. I think what you wrote opened up the general question of taking one's life, and not merely the awful mess we find ourselves in at the end of life when we're hooked up to machines and the like. If you mean the latter, then your more general statements may need to be drawn back a little, and if you meant the more general statements, then my question is reasonable.
Posted by: Joel Gillespie | September 28, 2007 7:04 PM