Death Will

Death, I perceive, is seen by most as something that they'd rather not encounter. In fact, I see that in movies, books, poems, stories (at least most of them), Death is an event that people postpone as much as they can, as long as their bodies allow them, far beyond the boundaries of comfort and utility. As their bodies decay, as their strength and abilities deteriorate, they keep on going with their lives. Even when many of them realize that they are doing no good in life anymore, that they no longer even enjoy themselves, that they are only living because that's all they've ever done, they keep on living. They grasp activity after activity until they can't even do that, and eventually they die, failing to take that additional breath of air, their last tenuous grasp on life broken at last. Death defeats them, against their will.

Seems to me like quite an ugly way to go, don't you think? Gloomy.

So the scenario I described is not the only one, of course. People die in many ways. Car accidents, murders, terrorist attacks, sudden heart attacks, war, snake bites, flu, influenza, some chronic disease, or simply old age. However, if you join them all up, you'll notice that all of the ones in this list are involuntary ways to die. Involuntary. You did not mean to, but OOPS, you died. Darn it. Oh no. Sad, sad, sad. Loved ones and family cry. Your body is either placed in a glamorous trash container, burnt, or disposed of somehow, and then everyone else goes on with their lives, trying to forget the loss. To almost everyone, death is a bad thing.

I think death is not bad. It's just the end to every life. And if you know that you're certainly going there, what is the reason for postponing it until the very end? Do you gain something by keeping yourself alive for the longest possible time? More time with your loved ones? I imagine this is the case for many people, like parents and grandparents who want to see as much of their descendants' lives as possible. Some other people live for their "soulmate", so to speak, whose company they still constantly enjoy. And some others may simply be curious to see how much of the future they can see - what happens with the world? What new technologies and wonders will the future bring?

But I'm also sure that there are many people who, past a certain age, are not happy with their lives. Their joints hurt, they can no longer work, and they don't know what they want to do - they just exist day to day, year to year, waiting almost impatiently for the certain end. What I think is: if they're not enjoying it, couldn't they make it quicker?

Yes, there is a notable amount of suicides in the world. But I'm amazed that this number isn't larger. People think of suicides as such a bad thing - are they really? A man decides his life is unpleasant, and is certain he wants to die. Doesn't it make sense then to... DIE? It's his own life. Not his parents', not his friends', not his lover's - it's HIS. His to experience, his to change, his to end.

I think the spirit of death could be much improved. In particular, I think that people should be able to CHOOSE their own death. It's a really important part of life - why not customize it to the exact way you want it? You don't have to choose it to be voluntary, of course, but I think that most people don't even consider it as a possibility. Why not? You lived your life, you reached some goals. You know you still have some others unaccomplished, but do you seriously expect to accomplish any more of them? (Assume that you don't). Then what will you do with your life? If you want to live until you can no longer, then right on, enjoy! But CONSIDER the possibility of a voluntary end! It will allow you to clear up any misunderstandings you had with other people, or to say those things you always waited until later to say, to express your final will clearly, and to say proper goodbyes to the people you care about, instead of cramming it until the last few seconds on your deathbed. (Procrastination is everywhere...)

By walking into death voluntarily, you refuse to be a victim of it. You accept it as your decision, as your own last choice of your free will, and not as what drags you out of life against your last dwindling, hopeless resistance.

Thus, I propose that people CONSIDER this possibility. I think it can be quite a sensible thing to do, depending on your circumstances. I know there's no defined boundary that can tell you when is it "ok" to die, but that's the point, right? It's up to each different person. At 20, at 40, at 80, it's each life's choice.

You could even videotape yourself right before you do it! Then you leave proof of your will, and you can make even up some cool last words to say. Personally, I can think of several different ways to die voluntarily:

1. Jumping off a very tall cliff with sharp rocks at the bottom (preferably with a spectacular view).
2. "Lethal injection" (just need to get the right substances and a syringe. and you might learn some organic chemistry, too).
3. Swimming out indefinitely into the sea in a remote location.
4. Guillotine.
5. Hangman.
6. Total blood donation (and you'd recycle resources!).
7. Ingest some cyanide (I've heard raw bitter almonds can do the trick (like 20 pounds?)).
8. Shotgun blast to the head (beware: VERY bloody!).
9. Hara-kiri (Must be pretty painful, though). And requires getting a sword. (Nah, a good knife should do the trick).

Since the topic of this entry can be highly controversial, I would like to clarify three things:

First, I don't mean to offend anyone. I know that some people may read this and think "INSENSITIVE F***ING BASTARD!!", especially if someone they knew died recently. But hey, if your dead acquaintance died while suffering, wouldn't you rather have had them die by their own will and with certainty towards what was happening to them? I imagine I would.

Second: I'm not thinking of dying anytime soon. Some people could read this and think "OH MY GOD HE'S PLANNING TO DIEEEEEEE!!! Nooooooooooo, don't dooo iiiiiiiiit, we love youuuuuuuuuu!!!" or something like that. No, I still have plans for my own life. But I do think there will come a time when I won't, and then I DO hope to take my own advice. Not soon, though.

Third: Yes, suicide is illegal. I'm not saying that it shouldn't be so, but I do think it's a foolish kind of rule. It's not very punishable, is it? But yes, by making assisted suicide illegal, they also disallow murders from looking like assisted suicides and having the "assistants" walk away innocent. And yes, if a productive member of society suddenly kills himself, the impact upon society is negative, so it makes sense for governments to discourage suicide. I'm not saying the law should change. But each person knows what is best in his/her specific case, right? Decisions about yourself should be made by yourself only.