A good life and a good death

Several times this debate has happened, if I have a right to live, why I don't have a right to die. Different religions, creeds, countries and people have their own views and laws for a good life and a good death too. Now, for me, nothing is right and nothing is wrong, as far as a personal conscious allows. I got the encouragement and patience to write on this topic because of one recent death, Robert W. Wilson, 87 years old wall street tycoon, who ended his life by jumping from 16th floor from the building he was residing. To be honest, I didn't know him before this news. Even, I am not sure if anyone from you who read this posting or people in my group, are concerned about wall street and business/money tycoons. However, when I came through this news that he ended his life from his San Remo apartment building, one prestigious and reputed address in New York’s Upper East Side (although, address has nothing to do with anyone's death), the line for me was what he said "I don't want to suffer", in which he tried to explain his thoughts and feelings towards life and about the suffering.

To cover a bit of story, he suffered from a stroke in June 2013, and some news confirms that he had another stroke recently in December 2013 too. Now personally for me, it was his choice as it was his life and he had a right on it, it may be not a right thing by law. But this bigger question is not if he did the right thing or wrong, it's what the message we got from him. What he might be thinking, feeling before committing this act?

Sometimes I have to visit hospitals, a few in my city. I see patients, and not being a doctor, I feel utter pain. I am not saying that doctors don't feel pain, they do, they are humans, however, they see this everyday and are more habitual than us with the patients and diseases. They do operations, treat people, we don't. They know in and out of a body, we don't. So, when I see patients with chronic diseases, like renal failure, liver failure, people with never ending and painful clinical procedures, I hear the voices. I hear from their own senses that they want to end this. They lived and now they are liability, on their families, on themselves. Its obvious for them to say that! One who feels the pain, knows the pain. We can only try to explain.

 

My first line before I go ahead: "I am not against Science and technology".

The more we are growing in the field of science and technology, more we are moving towards suffering and pain, isn't it? Yes, we have found the cure for many things, but isn't it the more diseases we have created/invented? Isn't it the world is becoming to be a more suffering palace? We had a body which was gifted and earlier, we were returning it back more or less in the same state. No doubt we save a lot of people now a days, no doubt we have been successful to place one person's organ into another one's, however, isn't it obvious that we gained the quantity of life, but at the cost of quality?

I am sure few people will agree to the fact that both cure and diseases are by-product of science only. I was going through a recent study where pregnant women are being advised to avoid plastics used in cling wrap, shampoo and computer cables, after a link has been found between premature birth and chemicals known as phthalates. Now plastic is a product of science and the study of prevention from premature birth is also a product from science. Its a relative theory based on create virus first for the use of antivirus. Yes, we made our life easy by using the products from technology, but at what cost? Isn't it easy life is at the cost of quality of life? There are many research and studies filled with how we are becoming our own enemy, by inventing and using the new chemicals, and then finding cure for the diseases which comes in existence by those chemicals.

 Back to the topic, a rightful death, after a rightful life. Robert W. Wilson made his choice, not to suffer, not to become dependent on any person or machine. Though he had good $100 million left in the end, after he donated $700 million, he decided to act like this (he left a note to donate $100 million too after his death, according to news). I can assume he had enough amount of money with him to be on support, support by men and machines. Now, including me, no-one can comment on whether he did right or wrong, esp. when we exclude the laws and religion and keep those things out of scope!

So where we are heading? This might be not something new, a suicide or an attempt of suicide, but the message he delivered is different and new... "I don't want to suffer". Which implies, that if law and religion will not allow a good death, someone will (a thought or a feeling probably). Yes, I can speak from the side of people who talk about the sanctity of life and a suicide or euthanasia is illegal, for the reason I am not to decode or decide what is right and what is wrong. As I said, most of us are confused between right and wrong and if we have to do something, we convince ourselves for the same and on that moment, we act.

The big question left is, does the suffering end by ending our life? Is that the end or a relief? What if not? What if the suffering adds on by committing it? But yes, for the moment, it may be... end of suffering.

RIP Robert W. Wilson, wherever you are.