The Right to Die

Whenever I read about suicide, including on this site, there is usually a page that tries to talk others out of suicide. Of course, I understand that suicide can be really traumatic for the deceased person’s loved ones. But that argument assumes that a person has close relations with family and friends. If you do not (and some of us don’t) then your passing won’t be deeply felt by anyone.

Secondly, if you have family and friends and you are suffering and you reach out to them and they do nothing, then you’ve done your job. You’ve made others aware of how you feel and they have refused you. You are thus relieved of any responsibility toward them in your passing.

The right to choose your exit from this world is an inalienable right that we all have. It is a legitimate right we all possess and because it offends some, does not in any way remove or delegitimize that right.

I simply don’t understand the motivation of those who go to great lengths to convince people not to end their lives. Assuming you observe the above considerations toward friends and family, why are they trying to keep people from ending their lives? What possible business is it of theirs? Why is it so important for society that these people remain here to suffer?

Those who try to discourage suicide write profusely about the motivations of the suicidal. But what are the motivations of those trying to prevent suicide? Sometimes all I see people with a sadistic desire to see people continue to suffer. Other times, I see the chronically happy trying to convince others that because they are happy that others should continue in this world. This reminds me of a kid who doesn’t want to play football because he is small and keeps getting trounced. There is always some huge star varsity jock there telling him not to quit “cause football is the greatest sport and you shouldn’t be a quitter”.

Let’s face it, suicides don’t have any real impact on society as a whole. It doesn’t have a great negative effect upon the human race, the environment, or anything else. It’s just that it makes chronically happy people feel queasy and they don’t like that feeling that way, so they need to try to stop it.

Dying is something that happens to every one of us. If someone wants to hasten the process, it is their right to do so. Society should help him or her to find a quick and painless method of doing it, rather than leaving them to decide between several grisly, difficult, and often unsuccessful methods that often leave people mutilated or mentally compromised.

In fact, I think that society should encourage suicide as a legitimate option for anyone over the age of 18. There should be service providers who assist you in fulfilling your desires. It should be affordable, painless, comfortable, sanitary, efficient, and private. They should offer mandatory counseling so that customers have no illusions about what they are doing. Should one so desire, they should be offered the services of a  priest, rabbi, mullah, rastaman, quanza official, or whatever you may need to help usher you into the next realm.