Whenever i get on a plane, one of the first things i check is how far i am from the exit doors. I dont do this in case of water landings though. Im mapping out in my mind a what-if scenario where the plane encounters a catastrophic problem where i know a crash is imminent. I know the whole scenario is far fetched, but if the situation were to occur, my plan is to go out one of those doors. I would rather go out with one last thrill of my own choosing than hit the ground in a burning tin can with everyone else. I can imagine the investigation later wondering why this one passenger ended up a mile away from the rest of the wreckage. I dont think it would take too long for them to figure out that I decided on my last flight pattern myself.
Brittany Maynard ended her life recently. It stirred up a whole slew of reactions, good and bad, the internet over.
Because of my recent religious transition, I became very interested in the views of religious people concerning this specific matter because it shows a lot about how they view and relate to the world.
Maynard became the voice of a movement to die with dignity in the face of terminal illness.
For anyone who doesn't know, Death with Dignity laws allow mentally competent, terminally-ill adults to voluntarily request and receive a prescription medication to hasten their death. I would encourage anyone to read up on the process so you can see it's not a hasty one in comparison with the timeline one may have to take advantage of it.
I saw a whole lot of posts about this describing Maynard's actions as cowardly and suicide, but I have to disagree.
Death is scary for anyone, even Christians aim to preserve their own life. If someone has a terminal illness, I cannot judge whether they are brave for seeing it through to the last day, a coward for not, or a coward for ending their life early or brave for taking control of a terrible situation. I would say I cannot possess the knowledge of what fears are running through their mind and I think, out of human respect, that individual should be given the benefit of the doubt for whatever attitude seems better.
Why did so many feel that what Maynard did was so wrong? Why is it that so many people thought their opinion on her actions were more valid than Maynard's and that she should have suffered to the bitter end?
Maynard's personal choice has very little direct effect on me right now. I didn't know her or her family personally. I doubt I would have met her in these last few months of her life. I can't think of a reason to mourn her passing in light of the fact that it happened how she wanted in light of the circumstances, and to top it off, she made an impact in a cause she believed in. Part of me wonders, if she was completely made up, would people feel silly for the way they've acted. For all I know, she could have been and her story would have no less effect on me.
A lot of Christians would say she took away the opportunity for a miracle in her life. Many called her actions suicide, and to be fair, that is what she did. She killed herself, but not in the way we normally think of suicide, an action of peril done alone as a result of depression or other circumstances. She was going to die and said she wanted to live, but that wasnt an option for her. To be clear, I do not condone suicide, I believe situations like hers are an exception. She had the support of her family in her final moments, that speaks volumes about the situation of her death.
A lot of faiths consider suicide a mortal sin which cannot be forgiven and maybe that has a lot to do with the hate she received, even after her death, from christians. I guess it's easier to condemn someone to suffer in life when you think most of humanity will suffer for all of eternity.
I see her choice a lot like my plan for a catastrophic plane incident. She went out of her own choosing, at her own time, in her own way, in the face of death. I'll believe that what she did was brave because it was her decision in the depths of overwhelming circumstances.
