Death: how best to die.

[ColinEssex]

I'm led to believe that death comes to us all at some point. Death is something I fantasise and think about a lot. Assuming death is not premature such as a road accident or in the USA, a shooting. How would you like to die?

What's the choices?
Suicide, euthanasia (not legal in UK), a quick death (like go to sleep one night never wake up), a long drawn out illness needing care from family so you selfishly ruin other lives as well.

Is it better to end it before you aren't able to? i.e if you have a terminal disease like some cancers, just walk off a cliff?
What would be awful is to watch family ruin their lives lifting you, wiping your bum, washing and dressing you. Is that selfish to be waited on whilst others sustain injury lifting you and moving you.
When is the optimum time to die? Before terminal illness strikes? Just after diagnosis? When walking 100 yards is impossible?

Perhaps to set an age limit. Say if I get to 75 then I've done enough.

Col

 

[MrsGorilla]

Perhaps to set an age limit. Say if I get to 75 then I've done enough.

I think I saw a Star Trek episode about that one time.

 

[Frothingslosh]

I think I saw a Star Trek episode about that one time.

I believe that one was due to disease.

You can, however, fall back on Running Man.

 

[forest1000]

I think Logan's Run was interesting, but way too young. I'd want to go without fanfare and no burden on my family. Personally, if I was riding my motorcycle along the Lake Huron coastline (Ontario, Canada) and stopped to watch the sunset and went there, I'd be OK with that.

 

[scott-atkinson]

Whatever and whenever I go I would like it to be quick and without burden to others, other than them dealing with their grief at my passing..

 

[ColinEssex]

Whatever and whenever I go I would like it to be quick and without burden to others, other than them dealing with their grief at my passing..

Yes, I think we all can agree on that, but let's suppose you develop a chronic illness that you know will be reliant on family or whoever to tend your needs. What do you do? Go with it racked with pain and massive mobility issues? Or see it coming and end it before you can't do anything about it?

As an aside - hi Cindy, good to see you here. Not much change really, I've been banned about four times mainly for questioning Americans who think they are gods gift.
Religion and guns are still being discussed, some newish posters here, some are religious freaks, one used to send me creepy PM's and I see he is back again.
You still keep your gun on top of the wardrobe? How's Christianity going? Still with it?
Take care

Col

 

[Brianwarnock]

Col you have to be carefull not to react too quickly as the medical profession can't always be accurate, what we really need is assisted dying when the time is right.
My wife was given 3 to 10 with a probable 5 years when her first cancer was diagnosed, she knew that the end could be drawn out and painfull, but 16 years later we made our last long haul trip to Japan, during that time we had visited China twice,Australia, Singapore, and I could go on, sure her mobility was restricted and there were trips she could not do but people were always helpful and understanding.
She lived long enough to see our first grandson born, but 12 months after her second cancer she said that she had had enough and was ready to go, that is when assisted dying is needed, fortunately she died only 6 days later, in pain despite the morphine but at home with her family.

Brian

 

[Brianwarnock]

And BTW 75 is far too young, many very active members of our U3A are well over 80 and I certainly feel that I've got more than one year left.

Brian

 

[The_Doc_Man]

My father-in-law of course didn't actually pick how he died, it just happened - but he went the way that to me was the best of all possible ways.

He was a retired carpenter and housing contractor, doing handy-man jobs now and then but on full Social Security. He came home one day, ate an early dinner (as is common for folks who grew up in a country setting where the sun was your alarm clock), and sat back in his recliner to watch the USA TV show Crossfire. For our UK friends not familiar with this show, it is essentially a political debate between the host and some political figure of current prominence. Roy liked that show.

A couple of hours later, my mother-in-law, who was in her bedroom reading, realized that Roy had not come in to get ready for bed (again, he went to bed early, which was common for folks who grew up using daylight to make their schedules). She found him in the den, leaned back in his recliner in a position I've seen a hundred times in retirement homes, with his eyes closed and his mouth open like he was asleep and snoring. But he wasn't asleep OR snoring. He had passed away leaned back all the way in his recliner, with a full belly and his favorite show on TV. He had a diagnosed heart arrhythmia that caused his heart to sometimes slow down a bit. Well, it slowed down all the way to zero and Roy expired. There was no pain on his face, no grimace, no sign of a struggle. He just went to sleep and didn't wake up. Because he was being treated for a heart ailment and there were no signs of violence, the coroner's office declined the option to order an autopsy, so we were spared that heartache, too.

To my way of thinking, that is the way to go. Peaceful death through natural causes after a life of work making places for other folks to live. He was survived by two of his three children, one of whom is still my wife. He survived as a soldier in WW II, landing on Omaha Beach in the 3rd wave on D-Day and making it through southern Europe, ending his service as MSGT "Roy" on V-E day, having liberated a couple of death camps. He came home, started his family, and lived long enough to see four grandchildren and one great-grandson.

In memory of Roy...

 

[Libre]

I think it's time society really tackled the issue of medically assisted suicide.
We're living longer, and many diseases can be held more or less at bay without a cure for many years - but the strain on the patient and the families can be intense.
Why is it not the option of ANY individual to check out painlessly and gracefully when THEY think the time has come?
Then the inevitable questions of mental state, financial state, the possible pressure from the family to please expire when you may not want to.
There are always conundrums when questions of life and death are discussed.
Me?
I love a line from the Dallas Buyers Club that the main character utters.
He is riddled with aids. Emaciated and gaunt, can barely walk, yet he pulls out his IV, puts on his cowboy boots, gets dressed and walks toward the exit of the hospital. The nurse asks him - WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING? You have to take it easy - you're too sick - just relax and be calm (or words to that effect).
The main character answers - If I'm going to die then I'm going to die with my boots on.
Love it.
But actually, I think I'd rather die peacefully and painlessly - if I had a choice.

 

[scott-atkinson]

Yes, I think we all can agree on that, but let's suppose you develop a chronic illness that you know will be reliant on family or whoever to tend your needs. What do you do? Go with it racked with pain and massive mobility issues? Or see it coming and end it before you can't do anything about it?

Col

I'm not sure given that situation whether I would have the courage to take matters into my own hands, or indeed have the strength or mobility too..

But supposing I had the strength and mobility, would I walk off a cliff to save my family grief, I'm not sure I would have the courage to do that.

If others took matters about me into hand then that would be better especially if I wasn't able to myself.

 

[SachAccess]

Absolute valid. For a person with chronic health situation it should be allowed. That is my personal opinion.
Legally it would be very tricky. Also, what will happen to term insurance plan in that case.
There is no point in living, if you do not have any income source, can not move on your own.
You will feel bad about bothering your family members and at the same time can not help it.
Painless would be my preferred option, valid term insurance will be a bonus.

 

[NauticalGent]

My wife and I were talking about this not too long ago. I told her I would want to be doing one of our family dinners and I would excuse myself to my room to rest. After a time, my wife would come to check on me and realize that I had passed peacefully in my sleep.

She told me I was a selfish prick for wanting to go before her.

Women...you just cant please them.

 

[KitaYama]

Now that @SachAccess brought up an 8 years old thread, it may worth knowing that some countries are going to allow end your life in peace. You can rest peacefully and make the life for your family easier.

Assisted dying pod you can 3D print yourself approved in Switzerland

A review of the pod found no legal obstacles preventing its use in Switzerland, but critics fear its goal to "democratise" voluntary euthanasia with AI brings new risks.

www.euronews.com

Sarco pod - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[SachAccess]

Now that @SachAccess brought up an 8 years old thread, it may worth knowing that some countries are going to allow end your life in peace. You can rest peacefully and make the life for your family easier.

Assisted dying pod you can 3D print yourself approved in Switzerland

A review of the pod found no legal obstacles preventing its use in Switzerland, but critics fear its goal to "democratise" voluntary euthanasia with AI brings new risks.

www.euronews.com

Sarco pod - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I did not notice that it was 8 years old.

 

[NauticalGent]

Not your fault. A spammer, whose post has been removed, used ChatGPT to reply to and "revive" this thread. Doing so made it appear like it was new...happens to all of us!

 

[The_Doc_Man]

OK, perhaps a slightly different answer...

I tell folks that my goal is to die at age 105 due to being shot by a jealous husband who catches me in the act.

You can't always reach your goals, but without them you have no direction at all.

 

[Pat Hartman]

I think I saw a Star Trek episode about that one time.

You did. It was a Next Generation episode. They didn't do as many morality plays as the original series but they did some. Loxana Troi (Deana's mother) fell in love with a scientist who was working with the Enterprise crew to save his planet and they were close to solving the problem when he got to his 60th birthday and his family guilted him into going home to die instead of finishing saving his planet and marrying Loxana.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

There was a movie called Logan's Run that had the theme of age limits. It starred Michael York and Jenny Agutter. Basically you went through three stages and when you reached the end of the third stage, you were "invited" to a birthday party that was actually a death-day party. But the two protagonists decided that the years they were allotted weren't enough and escaped from their domed city, reaching an outside world that had a LOT more people in it than they first guessed. They succeeded in starting a revolution to stop the slaughter of people who hadn't yet reached middle age (by our standards.)

One could suggest that some societies actually would prefer for their members to work themselves to death. Look at how the USA has raised the "normal" retirement age. Let's watch China, whose aging demographics will leave them without enough workers all too soon.

 

[Pat Hartman]

Look at how the USA has raised the "normal" retirement age.

Technically that is the age at which SS benefits kick in and it is also a function of the increase in the life span during the past 100 years. As with any insurance, the whole idea is to collect payments but never pay benefits. So, if people are going to live longer, then the payout age has to raise also. I sort of retired at 55. At least that was when I stopped looking for work. All the jobs I have taken since then have found me some how. I find myself STILL taking small projects but only because I like what I do.