Death on Desire

Death on desire is also known as “Mercy killing” and ‘Euthanasia’.

In Greek language, Eu means good and thanatos means death… Euthanasia meaning good death.

It is ending the life when one does not want to live. It is also known as ‘death without suffering’.

  • It is illegal in India and most of the countries of world, except Netherlands and Belgium.
  • Medical ethics and most of the religions forbid it.
  • Killing a terminally ill patient at his/her will is justified by few as it provides release from useless poor quality of life, saves economical burden and relives from emotional drain.
  • It is legal in war and as punishment by court of law.
  • It is active or by commission where lethal drug is injected.OR It is passive or by omission where treatment is not given for disease.
  • Voluntary: Patient requests and grants permission. OR Involuntary: Here person is unconscious, so cannot say. Legal guardians give consent.
(Ref: Dr. Swaraj Haldar, IMA Editor, New Delhi)

If you are above 70, physically depilated (unable to get up from bed and do your routine activities yourself) and suffering from terminal illness with no cure… your desire to die may not be wrong.

But if you have none of above and at any age, you may feel your search for meaning of life-living is over with conclusion that there is no or hardly any meaning of living-life… then?

How long one should live?
  • For 100 years of age?
  • Till the goal/ambition is achieved?
  • Till the offspring grows up and becomes independent?
  • Till you retire?
  • Till you lose interest in surrounding and so living?
Birth, marriage and death are accidents - planning, rationalism, desire and such other factors have no role to play.

Because male-female had physical relationship and the environment in uterus for sperm-ovum fertilization was optimum, you are born. Marriage is a second accident. I am omitting the discussion about these first two topics. Death can be acute-immediate-fast or chronic-slow- gradual-delayed. The discussion that follows is related to later said - gradual death.

What is an Instinct?

We have inherited desire to live long- as long as possible, irrespective of physical disability. All in living world - botanical and zoological - have common wish to live possibly longest.

Actually, we have been busy planning all the time for living and its outcome—so we have ignored death – missed the importance of death. We are never preparing oneself for death and so it becomes a great shock when we happen to face it all of a sudden.
What is Death?
  • Is it stoppage of body organs functioning - brain, heart, lung, kidney, blood circulation, movements and all that?
  • Actually what happens?
  • Does something live body—light-soul?
  • Is there any stimulus that orders to stop all the functions?
Science is yet to find out the exact mechanism of death.
  • So we cannot say - why one lives long or short life?
  • And why some fatal illness or serious accident does not kill one?
  • What controls body and leaves the control at the time of death?
Till medical science gives us answer, any imagination is not wrong - be it GOD or Spot of light.
  • After death what is our concern with one’s own body?
  • After death, what happens to all our intelligence-thoughts?
  • Last but not the least important is how much control or concern we have on all our assets/earnings? (All we have gathered troubling oneself)
  • If we leave everything including our body—what do we carry with us at all?
Answer is yet to be found out.

You may get some clue to the answer by observing the body and assets of near ones died recently.

If I say, everyone has to live one’s own life- though it is a simple sentence - very difficult to digest, understand and accept it as it means. Instead of living oneself, we are habituated to live only for eithers - offspring, spouse, parents, brother/sister or friends. If I say nobody listed here are yours forever, but yourself and your body till you live, you may feel insulted or sorry but fact remains as it is. Social formalities and customs demand caring them all, but you have to be simply you-yourself.

Just think of parents of your grandfather whom you do not know, similarly great grand children will hardly have any relations - relax.

Conclusion/summery is a question mark with variable reply from person to person, you have to ask and reply yourself. When should one desire death — welcome death? If you do not have physical fitness to live or if you have lost consciousness with doubtful reovery—would desire to prolong life?

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2 Comments

  1. You have raised valid point but unfortunately in our country there is no debate on the subject, Religion coming in the way, I suppose. 'Guzarish' film made an attempt to rack up this topic but was met with a BIG flop tag!

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    1. SR Ayyangar
      Thanks for showing interest in the subject.
      Thanks for the comment.
      I wish you send your views on this subject.

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