Killer be Killed

"She took her own life. She took sleeping pills."
"Why would she do that?"
"She was in a great deal of pain you know." - The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou


1. The Denouement
Hunter Thompson shot himself in the head on February 20, 2005. This was an act not committed out of desperation or depression, but rather to avoid the physical pain of his old age, and the slow decay of his body that was sure to follow. He was 67 years old and his wife knew of his plans four days in advance. Here is his note:

"No More Games. No More Bombs. No More Walking. No More Fun. No More Swimming. 67. That is 17 years past 50. 17 more than I needed or wanted. Boring. I am always bitchy. No Fun -- for anybody. 67. You are getting Greedy. Act your old age. Relax -- This won't hurt."

Make of it what you will. Certainly there were those who looked down on this act. I would argue, though, that Hunter Thompson had every right to do what he did, and that others could save themselves a lot of physical and mental torment if they were open to doing the same to themselves at the appropriate time.


2. Two Kinds of Suicide
Often there will be an instance where a perfectly healthy, young person decides to commit suicide. When they succeed, there is frequently a tragic scene where nearly every parent and grandparent of the young deceased must gather solemnly at a funeral. There they are left to ponder the thousand mistakes they must have made. For how else would their child's misfortunes accumulate to such a point? Many people who have experienced this conclude that suicide is never a solution to the problems of life.

There are really two different types of suicide. A person can be mentally unbalanced or depressed and kill themselves to end that kind of pain. Conversely, they can be afflicted with a chronic or terminal disease, with no real prospect of improvement, and determine that the best of their life is irrevocably in the past.


3. The Law
Assisted suicide is legal in the states of Oregon and Washington, and potentially in Montana pending court decisions. The Bush Administration tried and failed to overturn Oregon's law back when Bush was president. This is fitting, given that the political coalition against assisted suicide is a strongly Republican one. Everywhere else it is illegal to assist someone in their suicide. It is generally illegal to attempt suicide as well, though this law is difficult to enforce.

The message then would seem to be, "Kill yourself, but for God's sake don't involve a second person." If this was basketball, it would be a game where a player could only score if nobody else passed them the ball first.

Certainly the influence of religion on our current laws cannot be discounted. Most religious organizations are strongly opposed to any non-natural cessation of life. Their followers surely take this into consideration.
Focus on the Family (an evangelical protestant organization) says that "Physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia violate the sanctity of human life, so we oppose both physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia."
The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that, "Everyone is responsible for his life before God who has given it to him. It is God who remains the sovereign Master of life. We are obliged to accept life gratefully and preserve it for his honor and the salvation of our souls. We are stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us. It is not ours to dispose of. "

More than religion, however, is the way in which people are socialized to think about life and death. There is an American discomfort with suicide that transcends religion. Perhaps it is a boundless faith in the power of modern medicine. Or maybe it is an unwillingness in this culture to face death in general. As it is, anyone who thinks of these measures must find a way to do themselves in, for the time being.


4. Finality
The point of this is the following. My personal resolution is to do myself in with a .45 at whatever point in the future it is that I'm facing a hopeless battle. Be it disease, cancer, or senility, I will not allow life to control me. What could be more passive and helpless than to waste away at the end of a long life, a burden to others and wallowing in agonizing pain?