Harimedia Forum

Dear Hari!
For already 6 months at least, I am studying this site - http://www.exitinternational.com/
It is about voluntary euthanasia - assisted suicide. Most of the people there have serious reasons to quit their lives at will - they have much physical pain or they know that soon they would be completely unconscious, or would loose the ability to take care of themselves and don’t want to make problems for their families. This people, (I ve seen a lot of videos with interviews), are very strong people - not just those who are afraid of life... They are not hysterical - they are calm, peaceful and happy and they want to leave peacefully AT THEIR WILL, with a good mood, listening, (perhaps), to their favorite music, eating the favorite dish, with the friends or relatives, who sit with them in love till their last moment and say goodbye ... some receive a psychological help before, (to get read of fear of death), and at some point they just drink special medicine, and go. It’s not so easy, (quite difficult in some countries) ,to get permission to do it and sometimes people have to cross half of the world to be able to do what they want. And even in the countries where it’s permitted - there is a quite long process to reach the goal.
As we know - the idea of leaving "this world" at will is not new in spirituality - great yogis did it and spiritual teachers of the past, (they didn’t need a medicine of course - they could just leave the body ...if it’s true)
If we believe that our evolution is the product of our will and the challenges we get is also chosen by us, I think, its natural, if at ANY point of our life, (doesnt matter how sick or what we are ), we can choose to top it, ( I develop the euthanasia idea and take it from the medical context to the more existential field) ... without fear, without sorrow and grief - I decide - I dont want more experience like this - and I quit. Ofcourse we can change our lives to some extent and to build different situations around ourselves... but its not always possible and even if it is – its just one of the options we have – isn’t the right to exit at will the same kind of option (but not popular due to the traditions and beliefs of the past ?
You often point the acceptance of life and circumstances of life, as one of the primary tools in spirituality... but isn’t the expression of the free will the same important tool ?
I wish to be of service, for example, and I see my life as an opportunity to do good things, but what if at some point I loose the desire to do good things and to evolve at all, or I can see any other reasons, (doesn’t matter what kind of reasons, as its my life and my choice), and decide to finish this lifetime and start the next one. Reload, restart... I chant mantras or connect to the Divine ... and peacefully fade away… Isn’t it a NORMAL situation for a soul in this world - when we can express our desires to leave at will?
Isn't it better to prepare to die and to make good arrangements - small meditative exit party with close friends...and concentrate on the Divine and go in the best and peaceful mood? Instead of some stupid dying in the car crash, screaming out of fear, or in a hospital... crazy and unconsious from pain or during the teeth brushing in the bathroom ?
Isn't the overly increased value of our own lives born out of religious fear and lack of mystic experiences when people don’t have the experiences outside of the body and see the bodily life as the only experienced type of existance?
What is your attitude to this point?
Ofcourse it’s selfish towards the people who love us just to quit without consideration of what they would feel and leaving them without our help and care, and also, of course, I value much the lives of those I love and want them to live forever and not to leave me.
I ask about the situations where this type of exit would not cause much harm to others.
I also know that circumstances of life can change and what is seen as black today can be pink tomorrow - but isn’t it also a free will - to wait or not to wait till this tomorrow and to accept the present moment or just to say - that’s enough for this time - I better go ?

I shall answer in an extremely simple manner.

I decide what to do, when to do it, how to do it, according to what I think is best at the time I do it.

Along with this I accept the consequences of what I do. I try to live in the principle of there is only one of us and do things which fit within that principle.

I also am aware of the laws of the state and am aware of the consequences of not following those laws.

And so I act.

I see no reason to make this answer longer as all the elements of my answer are contained in these three sentences.

OK, previous reply was not very good. Here is more:

Do people have a right to do this? Who am I to give or take away, confirm or deny anyone's right to do anything? I value that every individual is responsible for whatever decisions they make. They have to do what they think is best. There are many factors to be considered. What is best for us may not be best for those around us. There are consequences to all actions. Suicide, whether assisted or not, has consequences. Obviously, the consequences are different. One who kills themselves out of intense desperation and the inability to see any other solution in life is treated as a patient needing healing after death. There is compassion there, but there is also a long period of rehabilitation as the soul must recover from the deep trauma that brought this intense act on. But killing oneself more or less whimsically, or even after some consideration that includes elements like, there is nothing for me in this world, I am bored, I am stuck, I wish to go somewhere else, or whatever, will create a more difficult situation in between lives.

We are given the opportunity to find a situation in this life that reflects our evolutionary journey. This opportunity takes into consideration the consequences of our previous actions and the mentality with which we performed them. As we need to have experiences that balance out what we have done, we are placed in situations that accomplish this. We agree to this in between lives and we might even know how hard it will be. To decide to trash the life is to interrupt the process we initiated and thus derail our development. This life is an opportunity. Whatever we might think is bad about it could be related to how we see our life and not the life itself. By adjusting our perception and by adjusting our consciousness, we can move beyond difficulty and accept it as a catalyst for advancement. Opting out of life when there is absence of intense trauma is to disrespect the process and the personalities that assisted in the creation of the life scenario. This will not be seen with the same compassion as the ending of life of one who has gone far beyond their limits of tolerance. But we will not know until we are in that situation between lives. And we cannot predict what will happen.

As far as those who are clinically confirmed to have a limited duration of life and are sure to face a painful end, this is quite different. Now one could say that the pain one has to face is part of the process of experience. Others may say it is their karma to suffer. These points may or may not be true. I cannot say. I feel that this situation is not obvious and I will not approve or condemn it as I simply do not know. If I were in the same situation, what would I do? I cannot say, as I am not and it is only real when one is living the situation. Even if I were to say now that it should not be done as one has to embrace the pain and suffering, if I were in such pain I might think differently, or I might not. Because I cannot predict how I will feel when in the same position, I hesitate to pass judgement on those who are.

As far as allowing others to do it, we are then in the legal realm. If it is against the law, regardless of whether we feel the law is correct or not, and if we facilitate it and are caught we shall suffer the consequences according to the law. If one goes somewhere where they allow it legally, then this factor is not there. So long the law is so, one should know it is illegal, rightfully or wrongfully. If one feels the law is wrong, the only option is to lobby to change the law.

If one has the option of ending life by some legal or illegal means and decides to do it, then this fits within the concept of everyone having free will. We have the capacity to do what we think is right, but we also must embrace the consequences. By declaring one's power to make a choice one also declares one's acceptance of the consequences of that choice. If one has a desire to end one's life, no one can stop them. Where there is a will there is always a way. Yet, what comes next? That remains to be seen.

I do not think the idea that no one would be harmed by such assisted suicide is specifically relevant to my previous comment. One should not think that there will be no consequences to it. As one does not know the consequences, one has to consider what they might be and how one might react. Then again, the consequences might not be as bad as we think.

After all, keeping people artificially alive on machines that financially ruin the lives of the family with hospital bills that run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars is also not natural, not necessarily included in our life's plan, or at least needed, and is as contrived as ending life. I see little difference between these, except for one being cheaper and thus less of a burden on the family. I thought I would bring up this point as it is interesting, at least to me!