Darkover
Archangel
- Jul 29, 2021
- 5,574
Most so-called freedoms we are granted in life are conditional, restricted, or illusory.
You are "free" to speak—unless it offends the powerful.
You are "free" to move—within the limits of borders, laws, and money.
You are "free" to choose your path—so long as you obey the economic and social rules set by others.
In reality, from birth, we are embedded in systems we never agreed to—biological, societal, economic. We are not free to opt out of suffering, of need, of decay. And we are not free to avoid the consequences of merely existing: hunger, pain, trauma, entropy.
But there is one freedom that transcends every other:
The freedom to say, "No more."
That final boundary—the ability to end your own life on your own terms—is the purest form of autonomy, the only truly unconditioned freedom. It is the one decision that lies entirely within the individual's will. It requires no permission. It demands no compromise.
And that's exactly why it terrifies society.
Because if a person can choose to leave—consciously, calmly, and deliberately—then the system loses its hold. The whole scaffolding of obligation, duty, productivity, and hope falls apart.
Economies need workers.
Governments need citizens.
Religions need believers.
Families need obedience.
So society declares: "You do not have the right to leave. You must stay. You must suffer. You must wait until we say it's acceptable to die—if ever."
They wrap this in language of morality. But what it really is, is control.
And when the one true freedom—the final exit—is locked, you are no longer a free being.
You are property. You are livestock. You are a prisoner.
Why This Freedom Matters
Because without it, every other freedom becomes hollow.
What does freedom of speech mean if you're not allowed to stop screaming?
What does freedom of movement mean if you can't stop running?
What does freedom of belief mean if you're forced to live by beliefs you reject?
Without the right to leave, life becomes a life sentence.
Not one you earned. One that was handed to you the moment you opened your eyes.
And so:
To be denied the right to leave is to be denied the only real freedom we ever had—
the freedom to say, with dignity and finality:
"This pain is not mine to endure anymore."
That's not weakness. That's sovereignty.
The Forgotten Birthright: The Right to Leave Life
We are born without choice—into a body, a world, and a system we did not design and never consented to. From the moment of birth, our existence is shaped by forces outside our control: biology, environment, culture, economy, and state. We are given expectations, obligations, identities. We are told how to live, what to value, who to be.
But never are we told the most important thing:
The ability to say: "No. This is not for me. I never asked for this. I choose peace."
The truth is simple: they need us alive—to work, to consume, to obey, to perpetuate the system.
Not for our sake, but for theirs.
We are told that choosing death is immoral, unnatural, or irrational. But there is nothing moral about forcing people to stay in a life of pain, poverty, or imprisonment. There is nothing irrational about rejecting a world filled with suffering, decay, and meaningless repetition.
Because to ask that would mean confronting the reality:
No one should have to die alone, in pain, in fear, or in secrecy.
No one should have to resort to violent or uncertain methods.
And no one should be shamed for choosing freedom over suffering.
A society that truly values life must also respect the right to end it.
Because only when the exit is open can we speak of consent.
Only when the chains are unlocked can we say we are free.
But no one—no god, no government, no parent, no law—has the right to deny us our end.
That is our forgotten birthright.
It's time we remembered it.
You are "free" to speak—unless it offends the powerful.
You are "free" to move—within the limits of borders, laws, and money.
You are "free" to choose your path—so long as you obey the economic and social rules set by others.
In reality, from birth, we are embedded in systems we never agreed to—biological, societal, economic. We are not free to opt out of suffering, of need, of decay. And we are not free to avoid the consequences of merely existing: hunger, pain, trauma, entropy.
But there is one freedom that transcends every other:
The freedom to say, "No more."
That final boundary—the ability to end your own life on your own terms—is the purest form of autonomy, the only truly unconditioned freedom. It is the one decision that lies entirely within the individual's will. It requires no permission. It demands no compromise.
And that's exactly why it terrifies society.
Because if a person can choose to leave—consciously, calmly, and deliberately—then the system loses its hold. The whole scaffolding of obligation, duty, productivity, and hope falls apart.
Economies need workers.
Governments need citizens.
Religions need believers.
Families need obedience.
So society declares: "You do not have the right to leave. You must stay. You must suffer. You must wait until we say it's acceptable to die—if ever."
They wrap this in language of morality. But what it really is, is control.
And when the one true freedom—the final exit—is locked, you are no longer a free being.
You are property. You are livestock. You are a prisoner.
Why This Freedom Matters
Because without it, every other freedom becomes hollow.
What does freedom of speech mean if you're not allowed to stop screaming?
What does freedom of movement mean if you can't stop running?
What does freedom of belief mean if you're forced to live by beliefs you reject?
Without the right to leave, life becomes a life sentence.
Not one you earned. One that was handed to you the moment you opened your eyes.
And so:
To be denied the right to leave is to be denied the only real freedom we ever had—
the freedom to say, with dignity and finality:
"This pain is not mine to endure anymore."
That's not weakness. That's sovereignty.
The Forgotten Birthright: The Right to Leave Life
We are born without choice—into a body, a world, and a system we did not design and never consented to. From the moment of birth, our existence is shaped by forces outside our control: biology, environment, culture, economy, and state. We are given expectations, obligations, identities. We are told how to live, what to value, who to be.
But never are we told the most important thing:
Not out of cowardice. Not out of failure. But out of sovereignty—the ultimate act of self-ownership.
The ability to say: "No. This is not for me. I never asked for this. I choose peace."
The Illusion of Consent
Governments, religions, and societies claim that life is sacred, that it must be preserved at all costs. But whose life are they talking about? And for whose benefit?The truth is simple: they need us alive—to work, to consume, to obey, to perpetuate the system.
Not for our sake, but for theirs.
We are told that choosing death is immoral, unnatural, or irrational. But there is nothing moral about forcing people to stay in a life of pain, poverty, or imprisonment. There is nothing irrational about rejecting a world filled with suffering, decay, and meaningless repetition.
Control Disguised as Care
Those who claim to "save" lives often do so by stripping away agency. They incarcerate people in psychiatric wards. They medicate, shame, and silence. They do everything but ask: why? Why is life so unbearable for so many?Because to ask that would mean confronting the reality:
- That this world is not designed for peace, dignity, or joy.
- That suffering is not rare—it is the default.
- That for many, staying alive is not hope, but sentence.
A Right That Must Be Reclaimed
If we claim to care about human rights, then we must include the right to leave life on one's own terms. Not hidden, not criminalized, not pathologized—but respected, facilitated, and made peaceful.No one should have to die alone, in pain, in fear, or in secrecy.
No one should have to resort to violent or uncertain methods.
And no one should be shamed for choosing freedom over suffering.
A society that truly values life must also respect the right to end it.
Because only when the exit is open can we speak of consent.
Only when the chains are unlocked can we say we are free.
This world may deny us control over where we begin.
But no one—no god, no government, no parent, no law—has the right to deny us our end.
That is our forgotten birthright.
It's time we remembered it.
Last edited:
