DYING WITH DIGNITY

Lately, the broad subject matter of governmental involvement in what I believe most of us would consider personal decisions has been upper most in my thinking and writing. Specifically, I have offered my thoughts on religion, capital punishment, abortions, and now dying with dignity.

It has been my great fortune to have experienced a near perfect life.

When I stop and work to fully comprehend who I am and what I was born into, terms like miracle, beyond grateful, and near perfect easily tumble into consciousness. Of course, words like perfect make it sound like some fairytale and that would be absurd on its face. Life, anyone’s life, at ground level is filled with hurdles and mistakes and pain; mine is no different in that way. And I am not talking about viewing it from 30,000 feet up either; that is still too close to representing a given moment. The perfection I am wanting to describe takes in my mom and dad and two wonderful and physically challenged brothers, Rochester, New York, the United States of America in the second half of the 20^th Century and Mexico in the first quarter of the 21^st Century, Earth and the solar system and out where Hubble and the James Webb telescopes take us. What a remarkable time and place from which to live out my life.

So, as I sit back and take that all in, the ultimate reality is that it is coming to an end. I became acquainted with death when my oldest brother mercifully passed away after 17 years of complications from too many birth defects to count. Then my dad led the way in my early 40’s followed by mom four years later. Next was one of my best friends in life, and not long after my other brother, who was blind from birth, passed over. More recently, my wife, who was my best friend of 48 years went before one of my other dear friends has followed her. So, it should be no mystery as to why I might be starting to give my swan song some lyrics. Being alive is obviously not a forever thing, and dying is as inevitable as this morning’s sunrise. Far from fearing it, I know I will find peace in the nothingness I was unaware of prior to my birth.

So, the only real issue I am left with is where, when, and under what circumstances will my passing all take place? There is no indication that will be anytime soon, I generally feel good. To be perfectly blunt about it, however, I only have one BIG concern; pain. Dying has far too many people involved; it’s my life and I am wanting control over when I know it to be time to join the others.

What is currently so disconcerting about that is it seems like governments and the healthcare industrial complex have more to say about when and how I choose to make my exit than I do. Those folks, the whole lot of them, have no flaming clue as to who I am but total strangers have constructed laws legislating something as personal as my death. That is wrong! It’s my life and I want it to be my death. This can’t be that hard to comprehend. It should be obvious that I am not talking about suicide; I love my life far too much to end it before I know when it’s time for nature’s curtain call.

I get that some folks are not of sound mind or body to drive these decisions, therefore, some rules are required. That’s not the case here. The only help I want is to be prescribed a set of timely medications that control pain as I ease my way out of here. That doesn’t seem like too much to ask.

This is my definition of dying with dignity. So, when the time comes, and that could be tomorrow or 20 years from now, if you are around, I would sure appreciate your support.