***this entry is heavily opinionated AND regarding sensitive topics AND is discussed in a possibly insensitive way and should not be viewed by anyone.***
Why does it feel as though our human society views death as this awful thing? More specifically: that literally anything would be better than dying / being dead?
Let's go through some examples (in other words: I don't agree and here's why):
Most of us have been taught / fascinated / horrified by remedies from days of old. One of these horrific remedies that truly sticks out to me is the lobotomy. For those of us who need a refresher:
- a surgical operation involving incision into the prefrontal lobe of the brain, formerly used to treat mental illness."there was talk of performing a lobotomy"
First of all: if there's any talk of performing a lobotomy in your general vicinity; run.
Essentially: starting in the mid-late 1930's in the good ol' U.S. of A., civilians were coerced to get "fixed" by way of "professionals" jabbing them in the brain with a tiny, metal rod. Well, I suppose "tiny" would be in the eye of the beholder when the time comes to actually shove it - quite literally - in the eye.
Regardless. This lobotomy had quite a popular stint because EVEN THOUGH one would absolutely lose one's personality / artistic inclinations / sense of humor / anything and everything that made them inherently them, it was considered a better fate. A fate better than being (what people considered) unwell, I mean. And we can gab alllll day about the disgusting details of what was considered "unwell", but that is not what I have come here to ponder about. What I am trying to get at is this:
Lobotomies essentially killed the individual it was performed upon. And yet if the people performing these lobotomies were asked why they didn't just kill the "unwell" / put them out of their misery (if they were going to treat these "patients" no better than livestock, you might as well come full circle), they would likely faint. For some reason, it was ingrained in everyone's mind (until the lobotomy, ha ha) that there was no contest; it was not an option to kill anyone, kill one's self, even have suicidal thoughts, but it was an option to have a bunch of mindless, empty, vanilla-mc-plain-wrap bodies droning around these Leave-it-to-Beaver 'hoods.
Perhaps this was a rocky start. A squiffy example. Let us proceed with a slightly different slant:
It's just like our infinite battle against aging, or never-ending search for eternity. For some reason, even when individuals become catatonic, never to scientifically completely return again, modern medicine absolutely refuses to let anything natural happen. Now I have never been catatonic, so my opinion on this doesn't matter. But my opinion is that if I became somehow so mentally / physically traumatized that I completely lost any version of myself that I had ever been / ever wanted to be, I would rather not exist. I would pull the plug, myself, if I could. The day I suddenly need round-the-clock care, lose my independence / freedom to make my own daily decisions, am unable to freely and creatively think - the day I am no longer able to write creatively in the fashion I love to due to this fancied head-trauma is the day it's over, Rover.
I know, I know; this is a slippery slope: should we take little Johnny out back and shoot him if he ever should break his leg or fall ill? In my opinion, no. This isn't even semantics. Because presumably little Johnny would still have his same personality and passionate drives (unless he is the world's most sinfully dramatic child).
Dear legal caretakers: If you have convinced yourself that I am able to communicate: ask me if I wanna live or not. If I am unable to communicate: feed me some arsenic pie, kill me off real quick and painless-like and let's call it a day, eh?
Anyway, just thinking.
Additional thoughts:
1. human instinct to have hope: but what if this is the one case where the person does "pull through"?
2. human inability to "let go": i'll just wait for another week, i'm just not ready yet
3. some kind of religious influence: ...i don't have an example, actually, i know very little about this
4. societal influence: doc: "if i let them die, i have failed!" patient's fam: "killing is heartless!"
These all just sound so bloody selfish. Who does this person's life belong to?? Why is this person not weighed in on the formula of reaction / when trying to figure out what to do with person's empty body?
Ugh.
No comments:
Post a Comment