Lost in a Dream
He/him - Metal head
- Feb 22, 2020
- 1,776
I haven't been sleeping much the last few days, so I've spent a lot of time thinking about my own plans, and writing my own ideas down. It's kind of my way of venting when there's no one around to listen, but I wanted to share some of my insomnia-induced creativity I guess, just in case someone finds it useful when discussing The Right to Die.
Someone who loves playing video games might want a new console very badly if they don't have one. This is understandable, considering how popular certain gaming systems are. Receiving them as birthday gifts or at Christmas can be a very beautiful thing for some people, but if you start adding a bunch of unnecessary restrictions to it, just to make it harder to access this supposedly "free gaming system", it becomes much harder for people to willingly accept that gift, but if there is no option to refuse, and you're stuck with it anyway, then you can't honestly call it a gift.
Gaming Console Analogy
Now, imagine for a moment that YOU, the person reading this IS A GAMER! I have a brand new gaming console that YOU want, still in it's original box, and I'm going to give it to you for free. You might think this is very generous, and say, "Thanks! I'll take it!"
"Not so fast," I say. "The gaming system itself is free, but there are some conditions you must agree to before you can actually USE the console."
Excited about getting this wonderful gift, you might be willing to do just about anything to gain access. Putting yourself in the gamer's shoes, I want you to pay attention to EACH AND EVERY requirement and decide if you still want the gaming console I just shoved into your arms.
1. You must pay $60-100 for every game you buy if you want them to work properly. Prices below $60 are negotiable, but the lower the price, the more likely you are to get a game that won't even work. You're not even allowed to have digital copies anymore, you can only play games with a disc and pay for them in person with cash. What you can afford will ALWAYS dictate the quality of the game discs you buy, just like the good old days!
2. You must pay $5 to the online gaming store EVERY TIME you play a game. Every time you play a game you yourself already purchased, it will be locked until you enter your Disc Key and send your additional $5 (this is to prove your identity as the system's owner and it comes with a $5 identification fee per gaming session). This is non-negotiable, and this will be done with EVERY game you own. If you run out of money, your gaming console will become a useless brick until you GET the money. And don't try to weasel around it either by having multiple games open at once for extended periods. If you run more than one game at once, your system will crash, and your access to it when you restart will be restricted behind a $50 pay wall.
3. Every time you sit down on the couch and pay your $5 to play, you will be required to wear the Reverse Bear Trap from the Saw Franchise on your head, and roll a pair of dice, hoping you don't get Snake Eyes, otherwise, the trap goes off. Some people may find this exciting and totally worth it! It makes life interesting, and this is why I think YOU should accept my gift and enjoy the gaming system as much as you possibly can!
4. You are NEVER allowed to get rid of the system. If you try to return it, sell it, or give it away, you will be locked up in a mental hospital and FORCED to play games on THEIR SYSTEM until you become addicted to gaming again. At the hospital, you won't have to deal with the Saw Trap, because it's a safer environment, but when you go back home, the Saw Trap will be required once again.
5. If you are ever hospitalized for trying to get rid of the system, you will have to pay your medical bills directly to the gaming store, who paid off 25% of the costs already out of the kindness of their hearts. This means you could be court-ordered to pay the remainder back to the Game Company. You may have to pay added fees for every gaming session, on top of the $5 you already had to pay. Depending on how much you owe, your payments per session could be as high as $15-$25!
6. If you refuse to play video games ever again, without trying to give the console away, you will be thrown out on the street and forced to sleep under an overpass until you agree to play on the system again. If you agree to keep playing, you will be welcomed back home with open arms. Now get that Saw Trap on your head and buy that new FPS game you've been wanting for $90!
Those are the requirements for accepting my free gift. Do you still want it? If you say yes, it means you're a brave soul, and you love life because you're willing to do ANYTHING it takes to keep things interesting! If you say no, you're just a spineless coward who can't handle gaming. Besides, it's already in your hands, so it's too late. If you truly, and honestly DO NOT WANT THE CONSOLE, you must deliberately set your dice on snake eyes and let the Saw Trap do it's thing. It is the ONLY way.
My Right to Refuse
This is what I see life as, a gaming console I never asked for being shoved in my arms, bringing with it a whole bunch of other issues I never consented to, with no option to turn it down at the beginning. If someone genuinely wants to play video games with the Saw Trap on their heads, then I hope they enjoy it for a long time, and I hope they NEVER, EVER get snake eyes. As for me, I would NEVER consent to playing video games with these kinds of requirements. A free game system is a kind gesture, but when every gaming session is pay to play, and there's a risk of a horrible death associated with it every time, it's less appealing.
In real life, the Saw Trap over our heads is a long list of horrible things life could throw at us. It's a car accident with a drunk driver, a natural disaster, or some kind of illness just waiting to happen when we least expect it. The worst thing is, real life is a survivable Saw Trap, where others can force us to survive after the damage is done. Everyone should stop and think of a worst case scenario where THEY would want to die, and determine for themselves if the risk is worth continuing to live. If someone says no, their answer should be accepted. If they say yes, this is a great thing too, but the people who want to live have NO RIGHT to demand that people who say no keep living anyway.
Some people may complain when you tell them no, and say, "But you're only looking at the negatives in life! Just ignore the fact that they overshadow what little good in life there is, and ONLY focus on the positives!" Ignoring the bad things in life just so you can focus on the good is what I call "burying your head in the sand". It's wilful ignorance. There is no such thing as a perfect balance between the good and the bad, which is why some people enjoy life, while others die from suicide. If you are unwilling to acknowledge the fact that some people might want to refuse consent when life is given to them, or if you are unwilling to respect their wishes without shoving your opinions about life down their throat, then YOU are holding them (and ME) hostage.
I see the right to die as my right to decline the gift with all of the restrictions listed above. Why can't I just get the system and a few free games to get me started and settle with that? Why must my life be at risk every time I play, or in the case of living life, whenever I have to drive to work, go on a vacation, or do something risky and dangerous with a high chance of permanent injuries for thrills? What if I say no to all this and refuse to participate? Apparently, saying no isn't allowed, which is why the right to die isn't legal already. Those who don't care about our lack of consent don't seem to care about the implications of what they're telling us.
Conclusion
Life can't be a gift, if there's no way to refuse it or give it away later on. It can't be a gift if you have to work like a slave your whole life just to pay for it, or if other people want to punish you for your inability to work. The risk of serious injuries from accidents, illness, or some other kind of disaster is always there, even if some people see them as risks worth taking. As for me, I don't see it that way. I never asked for this free gaming console, I never consented to the requirements or the risks just to play, so I'm going to set the dice on snake eyes deliberately, and hope for the best.
Introduction
Someone who loves playing video games might want a new console very badly if they don't have one. This is understandable, considering how popular certain gaming systems are. Receiving them as birthday gifts or at Christmas can be a very beautiful thing for some people, but if you start adding a bunch of unnecessary restrictions to it, just to make it harder to access this supposedly "free gaming system", it becomes much harder for people to willingly accept that gift, but if there is no option to refuse, and you're stuck with it anyway, then you can't honestly call it a gift.
Gaming Console Analogy
Now, imagine for a moment that YOU, the person reading this IS A GAMER! I have a brand new gaming console that YOU want, still in it's original box, and I'm going to give it to you for free. You might think this is very generous, and say, "Thanks! I'll take it!"
"Not so fast," I say. "The gaming system itself is free, but there are some conditions you must agree to before you can actually USE the console."
Excited about getting this wonderful gift, you might be willing to do just about anything to gain access. Putting yourself in the gamer's shoes, I want you to pay attention to EACH AND EVERY requirement and decide if you still want the gaming console I just shoved into your arms.
6 Requirements
1. You must pay $60-100 for every game you buy if you want them to work properly. Prices below $60 are negotiable, but the lower the price, the more likely you are to get a game that won't even work. You're not even allowed to have digital copies anymore, you can only play games with a disc and pay for them in person with cash. What you can afford will ALWAYS dictate the quality of the game discs you buy, just like the good old days!
2. You must pay $5 to the online gaming store EVERY TIME you play a game. Every time you play a game you yourself already purchased, it will be locked until you enter your Disc Key and send your additional $5 (this is to prove your identity as the system's owner and it comes with a $5 identification fee per gaming session). This is non-negotiable, and this will be done with EVERY game you own. If you run out of money, your gaming console will become a useless brick until you GET the money. And don't try to weasel around it either by having multiple games open at once for extended periods. If you run more than one game at once, your system will crash, and your access to it when you restart will be restricted behind a $50 pay wall.
3. Every time you sit down on the couch and pay your $5 to play, you will be required to wear the Reverse Bear Trap from the Saw Franchise on your head, and roll a pair of dice, hoping you don't get Snake Eyes, otherwise, the trap goes off. Some people may find this exciting and totally worth it! It makes life interesting, and this is why I think YOU should accept my gift and enjoy the gaming system as much as you possibly can!
4. You are NEVER allowed to get rid of the system. If you try to return it, sell it, or give it away, you will be locked up in a mental hospital and FORCED to play games on THEIR SYSTEM until you become addicted to gaming again. At the hospital, you won't have to deal with the Saw Trap, because it's a safer environment, but when you go back home, the Saw Trap will be required once again.
5. If you are ever hospitalized for trying to get rid of the system, you will have to pay your medical bills directly to the gaming store, who paid off 25% of the costs already out of the kindness of their hearts. This means you could be court-ordered to pay the remainder back to the Game Company. You may have to pay added fees for every gaming session, on top of the $5 you already had to pay. Depending on how much you owe, your payments per session could be as high as $15-$25!
6. If you refuse to play video games ever again, without trying to give the console away, you will be thrown out on the street and forced to sleep under an overpass until you agree to play on the system again. If you agree to keep playing, you will be welcomed back home with open arms. Now get that Saw Trap on your head and buy that new FPS game you've been wanting for $90!
Those are the requirements for accepting my free gift. Do you still want it? If you say yes, it means you're a brave soul, and you love life because you're willing to do ANYTHING it takes to keep things interesting! If you say no, you're just a spineless coward who can't handle gaming. Besides, it's already in your hands, so it's too late. If you truly, and honestly DO NOT WANT THE CONSOLE, you must deliberately set your dice on snake eyes and let the Saw Trap do it's thing. It is the ONLY way.
My Right to Refuse
This is what I see life as, a gaming console I never asked for being shoved in my arms, bringing with it a whole bunch of other issues I never consented to, with no option to turn it down at the beginning. If someone genuinely wants to play video games with the Saw Trap on their heads, then I hope they enjoy it for a long time, and I hope they NEVER, EVER get snake eyes. As for me, I would NEVER consent to playing video games with these kinds of requirements. A free game system is a kind gesture, but when every gaming session is pay to play, and there's a risk of a horrible death associated with it every time, it's less appealing.
In real life, the Saw Trap over our heads is a long list of horrible things life could throw at us. It's a car accident with a drunk driver, a natural disaster, or some kind of illness just waiting to happen when we least expect it. The worst thing is, real life is a survivable Saw Trap, where others can force us to survive after the damage is done. Everyone should stop and think of a worst case scenario where THEY would want to die, and determine for themselves if the risk is worth continuing to live. If someone says no, their answer should be accepted. If they say yes, this is a great thing too, but the people who want to live have NO RIGHT to demand that people who say no keep living anyway.
Some people may complain when you tell them no, and say, "But you're only looking at the negatives in life! Just ignore the fact that they overshadow what little good in life there is, and ONLY focus on the positives!" Ignoring the bad things in life just so you can focus on the good is what I call "burying your head in the sand". It's wilful ignorance. There is no such thing as a perfect balance between the good and the bad, which is why some people enjoy life, while others die from suicide. If you are unwilling to acknowledge the fact that some people might want to refuse consent when life is given to them, or if you are unwilling to respect their wishes without shoving your opinions about life down their throat, then YOU are holding them (and ME) hostage.
I see the right to die as my right to decline the gift with all of the restrictions listed above. Why can't I just get the system and a few free games to get me started and settle with that? Why must my life be at risk every time I play, or in the case of living life, whenever I have to drive to work, go on a vacation, or do something risky and dangerous with a high chance of permanent injuries for thrills? What if I say no to all this and refuse to participate? Apparently, saying no isn't allowed, which is why the right to die isn't legal already. Those who don't care about our lack of consent don't seem to care about the implications of what they're telling us.
Conclusion
Life can't be a gift, if there's no way to refuse it or give it away later on. It can't be a gift if you have to work like a slave your whole life just to pay for it, or if other people want to punish you for your inability to work. The risk of serious injuries from accidents, illness, or some other kind of disaster is always there, even if some people see them as risks worth taking. As for me, I don't see it that way. I never asked for this free gaming console, I never consented to the requirements or the risks just to play, so I'm going to set the dice on snake eyes deliberately, and hope for the best.
