Thursday, December 22, 2011

Efficient Exits

Watching several versions of old Scrooge's journey through his almost-demise has brought another interesting thought to mind.  Most people simply do not think about leaving this life, this earth.  If one has not been required to become a caregiver, been really sick themselves or moved into old age, with its attendant introspective considerations as to ending life, or some combination of these disruptive conditions, ideas of how removal from this life/earth might be accomplished just do not occur.

It is accurate that people do not simply evaporate off this earth at will, out of this body, into some type of cleanly vaporous oblivion.  Things get much more complicated or messy than that.  Say life ends quickly, in an instant (this likely does not happen as often as we may believe, percentage-wise); someone then has to deal with the aftermath of it all - a body, grief and/or horror, planning, expense, disposal of lifeless remains, stressful ritualism.

It seems as if, as an intelligent race, humans could have achieved more enlightened progress solving this unavoidable outcome.  Perhaps a remote, comfortably serene platform could be built in the middle of an ocean somewhere - at the end of life, one could choose to go there and inhale a properly soothing concoction, designed to render the willing participant unconscious.  A quietly silent slip into the ocean then ensures consumption by other living creatures, effectively assuring an ecological continuation of that life form.

This method at least seems more sensible, functional . . . and humane.

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