Your Messenger message:
"Hi Tony. What is your take on assisted suicide? There were almost 150 people last year who availed of this legal option for terminally ill patients. Is this the same as suicide, spiritually speaking? Is this an interference in the natural order? The _____________ stated that suicide victims go back and repeat their lessons. Is this the same thing?"
My reply:
Hello _____!
I personally believe that pain and illness can be part of one's karma that must be paid to expiate oneself of having caused pain and illness on others. It is feasible, however, for a terminally ill patient to decide to have someone end his suffering not only for his own good but also for the good of OTHERS. You live in a country where religious righteousness is not blatant, and so, that country has all the necessary, legal paperwork and the medical mechanism for such a form of suicide to happen.
Qualms set in when people confuse assisted suicide with abortion. The two seem morally identical but are not. With the former, a mature and rational person decides to have his life ended because there is no option other than to suffer for an interminable period of time. You may balk at the analogy, but it is really like wanting to clean up the bathroom you've been messing. With the latter, the life of ANOTHER is at stake--someone who is unable to speak out on the matter.
The suicide victims who go back and repeat their lessons are those who committed suicide without exploring other, possible, realistic, and available options.
No, there is no interference in the natural order as long as everything has been well thought out and discussed.
"Hi Tony. What is your take on assisted suicide? There were almost 150 people last year who availed of this legal option for terminally ill patients. Is this the same as suicide, spiritually speaking? Is this an interference in the natural order? The _____________ stated that suicide victims go back and repeat their lessons. Is this the same thing?"
My reply:
Hello _____!
I personally believe that pain and illness can be part of one's karma that must be paid to expiate oneself of having caused pain and illness on others. It is feasible, however, for a terminally ill patient to decide to have someone end his suffering not only for his own good but also for the good of OTHERS. You live in a country where religious righteousness is not blatant, and so, that country has all the necessary, legal paperwork and the medical mechanism for such a form of suicide to happen.
Qualms set in when people confuse assisted suicide with abortion. The two seem morally identical but are not. With the former, a mature and rational person decides to have his life ended because there is no option other than to suffer for an interminable period of time. You may balk at the analogy, but it is really like wanting to clean up the bathroom you've been messing. With the latter, the life of ANOTHER is at stake--someone who is unable to speak out on the matter.
The suicide victims who go back and repeat their lessons are those who committed suicide without exploring other, possible, realistic, and available options.
No, there is no interference in the natural order as long as everything has been well thought out and discussed.
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