What is the worth of life?
When does it stop to have a worth? Who decides?
Is the value of life universal and constant? or do you have the right yourself to give it a value?
Should you not have the right to give your own life the worth you see fit?
...
In my hospital room there are two other patients. Both very much older than me, but not sicker.
They are there for another reason.
The first woman is around 75 years old and just doesn't want to live. She has stopped eating and refuses to talk, sit or do anything. All day she lies in bed half asleep pumped full of artificial nutrition, water and morphine. Just waiting.
She has herself removed the worth of her life.
The other woman is around 80 years old and without modern medicine she would probably have died naturally several years ago from her body giving in. All day she lies in bed praying to God to forgive her, because it hurts too much. She too, pumped full of artificial nutrition, water and morphine. Just waiting.
She wishes she could remove the worth of her life.
I cannot resist thinking how many people in the world who would benefit from just half of the hospital care these women are getting. People who do want to live. People who put lots of worth into their lives.
Why are we putting so much effort into keeping these women alive? Even against their own will. Is this what we think humanity should be about? Taking care of our old ones? Does it make us feel good that we are not like animals who kill, eat or abandon our sick, old or useless.
Does it make you feel human to preserve life at all costs?
Does it make you feel human to violate the worth of life people put themselves.
...
I know by experience how strong survival instincts are, but I also know it stems from our wills. It is not nature that finds a way, it is our wills. It is also our wills that put a worth on our own lives.
And maybe those wills should have the right of choice. A choice to be respected.
Is it not that what differentiates us from the animals?
