
noalarms
Member
- Jun 18, 2022
- 98
Over the past few years, I have spent much time searching for a method that is peaceful, dignified and quick. All of this research has exposed me to the horrors of dying, and has made me realise that for most people, death is neither peaceful, nor painless, nor quick. I had never truly thought about what death must be like for the most of history, before the invention of anaesthesia and painkillers. I thought of all the horrific ways that someone can die (burning, bleeding to death, drowning, toxic gases), and asked myself, how many human beings have died in such horrible ways, and how many more have survived such agonising torture? I thought of what it must have been like to have been accused of sorcery in 16th-century Europe, and to have experienced the most awful pain that a human can experience. I thought of what it must have been like to have fought in the many wars of history, and of the young men like myself who travelled to far away places with the apprehension of the misery and death that lay ahead of them, and of the women and children who had war brought to them without having any say in the matter. What gives me, having been given almost everything in life, having never experienced the sort of pain that was a staple of life until 75 years ago, (and still is a staple of life for the majority of humans) the right to experience the perfect death that has been denied so many others? I know that millions before me have stared agony in the face, who have decided for themselves that excruciating pain will not deter them, who have sat awaiting a fate that is horrible beyond my comprehension. Their courage inspires me, as does the courage of the billions for whom the luxuries of modern life were the contents of paradise.
A peaceful death is what I would prefer, but I constantly ask myself, does it respect the sacrifices of those who lived before me? I have already decided to reject the world that was built upon the willing suffering of millions of human beings (and the unwilling suffering of millions more). I have decided that I will not honor the sacrifices made for me by parents, who have spent their lives toiling so that I could have opportunities that others do not. I have been given so much, more than almost anyone who is alive today, and I will reject it all, for no other reason than that life is inconvenient and boring, even when it is not plagued by illness, war, crime, toil and persecution. And yet I expect more: I expect that I, a young, healthy, and affluent person, have a right to a peaceful death. In the light of things, this expectation seems almost pretentious. What right have I to what has been denied to so many others, to what is solely the right of those who, for whatever reason, have earned it?
Finally, I don't intend to invalidate the suffering of anyone who comes from a similar background as me, I am only speaking for myself, and I am still not entirely sure what method I will eventually choose, only that I will die by my own hand. Perhaps I'm am wrong about all of this; perhaps a peaceful death is the right of all.
A peaceful death is what I would prefer, but I constantly ask myself, does it respect the sacrifices of those who lived before me? I have already decided to reject the world that was built upon the willing suffering of millions of human beings (and the unwilling suffering of millions more). I have decided that I will not honor the sacrifices made for me by parents, who have spent their lives toiling so that I could have opportunities that others do not. I have been given so much, more than almost anyone who is alive today, and I will reject it all, for no other reason than that life is inconvenient and boring, even when it is not plagued by illness, war, crime, toil and persecution. And yet I expect more: I expect that I, a young, healthy, and affluent person, have a right to a peaceful death. In the light of things, this expectation seems almost pretentious. What right have I to what has been denied to so many others, to what is solely the right of those who, for whatever reason, have earned it?
Finally, I don't intend to invalidate the suffering of anyone who comes from a similar background as me, I am only speaking for myself, and I am still not entirely sure what method I will eventually choose, only that I will die by my own hand. Perhaps I'm am wrong about all of this; perhaps a peaceful death is the right of all.