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Povilas S Sep 06, 2020
Should death be the choice of the individual?
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Life initially can't be the choice of the individual. Death can. Should it be? Under what circumstances should individual's choice to take his/her own life be allowed/accepted? Is it right to place any restrictions on that at all? Should one be helped to do it quickly and painlessly if one wishes? What do you think are the problems involved in allowing a person to end their life?
If we place individual rights on or near the top of the pyramid of values, which contemporary societies seems to at least attempt to do, this is a very important topic to discuss. This is the topic that had enormous stigmatization for centuries. But if you think about it without prejudice, it might appear as quite simple. This takes a new turn and becomes especially relevant when we are talking about the possibility of (theoretically endless) extension of biological human life. If you could choose to live as long as you want, it becomes very important that you could choose to die whenever you want as well, because after all you might just decide at a certain point that it's enough.
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When life in itself becomes problematic, yes.
It is unequivocally true that once born, we all should have a 'right to life'. Nevertheless, there might be some instances where life itself becomes a burden to bear with. I cannot posit for anyone else, but personally, I strongly believe that death should be a plausible choice for me under some special circumstances. If I shall ever suffer from an illness that has no cure (and no signs of probable cure in near future), and only the vegetative functioning of my body is operational making me fully dependent on assisted living, I would rather be dead. In such a scenario where I can no longer actively engage with other human beings and will only cause them suffering and pain (even though I myself would have lost all perception of pain, fear or any other emotions), I would sign up for euthanasia.
My rationale for such voluntary death stems from the following moral/ethical codes I hold dear for life:
1. I do not want my life to be extensively dependent on others whereof I have no purpose to serve except just 'existing' in mere flesh and bones.
2. I am concerned about the economic (and environmental) impact I would make (negatively) by just choosing to continue existing as a non-functional individual devoid of any somatosensory meaning and purpose. I don't want the resources to be appropriated just for prolonging my supposed 'living'.
3. I am cognizant enough here and now when I can think rationally for myself and for others; hence, I in a fully conscious manner will sign up for such a voluntary death keeping in mind the fact that if ever someone else dear to me makes a similar decision for him/herself in an apriori manner, I should respect that. I consider the Kantian Categorical Imperative the fundamental line of thinking for deriving moral values for my life. Within that principle, I do not wish to be a redundant 'noise' that might hinder others' normal peace of life just because of my will to survive just for the sake of surviving.
Watch this video to learn about Kantian Categorical Imperative:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bIys6JoEDw
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The idea of Suicide is Imposed Externally
The point raised about the choice of ending one's own life is in line with basic human rights. The question of human rights is debatable, although the concept of human rights is relative in nature. The idea or thought that I should end my life now..my life has no meaning..is the lack of determination and self-control. Such an idea is not acceptable in any situation. We can never justify that Death can be better than life because the concept of death is subjective in nature. A person who is mature enough to confront the ups and downs of life can alter any situation in his own favour by standing firm.
The point to ponder here is that whether the choice of an individual solely belongs to him or its the external factors that force this choice upon an individual, secondly, do the impact of such a decision is limited to that person only or it is affecting the lives of other peoples as well.
In most cases, in which a person took their own lives is related to external factors. These external factors result in abnormal mental activities, Person starts considering himself irrelevant in society. For prominent personalities like actors, writers, painters who took their lives, they are obsessed with their lives and works. For example, Van Gogh, spend his whole life painting the image of the Sun, As he achieved his goal, He committed suicide. No one living a happy and contented life makes a sudden decision of ending his/her life.
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