Death, along with sex, is one of the greatest taboos of humanity. So when Ezekiel Emmanuel took the stage in New York with his statement, it came as a big surprise. He is only 57, he is in good health and in full bloom, but he is already planning the date of his death. Ezekiel does not want to be a long-liver and plans to die at 75. On his next birthday, he received an unusual congratulation from his brother. In the telephone receiver, instead of the usual wishes for "long years of life", our hero heard the phrase: "Do I really have to endure you only 18 years?"
Shocking statement from a medical representative
It's amazing to hear such a statement from an oncologist, director of the Clinical Bioethics Division of the US National Institutes of Health. Dr. Emmanuel knows more about the potential of modern medicine than anyone else. Nevertheless, he believes that 75 years is quite a long life span. Man has already managed to get enough of a full life, he built a career, gave offspring. So why does he absolutely need to cross this line, beyond which the risk of developing dementia is inevitably? More than anything, he doesn't want to be a burden to his family. In his speech, Dr. Emmanuel urged people to think carefully about their tomorrow. It's time to consider the nature of our death and face the truth. There is most likely an ideal time to leave, so why not end at some specific point?
Old age inhibits the course of life
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Speaking at the New York conference, our hero admitted that he had been thinking about this problem for most of his adult life. He has long prepared his children for the fact that he is not going to be a long-liver. On the one hand, the death of a close relative is always a huge loss for people. But you can put up with this, taking into account the irreversibility of the laws of life. Many of us resist to the last and try to delay the end of an elderly relative as far as possible. “These people are already deprived, they are deprived of their creative potential. They cannot make a feasible contribution to work or to society. Unfortunately, their loved ones, seeing the image of a completely helpless person in front of their eyes every day, will forever remember them as such. I want my children to remember me full of strength and energy."
This point of view is not new
Of course, we do not regard the opinion of Dr. Ezekiel Emmanuel as the ultimate truth. You can express your opinions on this matter. However, the desire to die young has been experienced by many progressive representatives of humanity throughout our history. Greek mythology tells about the goddess Eos, who begged Zeus to grant her beloved Titonus eternal life. The deal took place, but the lucky one, according to Zeus' terms, could not remain always young. He had to go through all the stages of aging, like other people. He was to enter a state of deep insanity and become very decrepit. Ultimately, Eos could not stand existence with a decrepit lover and locked him in a separate room, from where he himself begged for death from Zeus.
Euthanasia booths
Among the modern authors interested in this story was the writer Martin Amis, who excited the public with the assumption that special euthanasia booths could soon appear in the cities of Great Britain. Any person who is acutely aware of his old age and failure will be able to voluntarily look there and say goodbye to life. This will avoid many of the humiliations associated with age.
Provocative point of view
But back to Dr. Emmanuel. People sensed a provocative note in his statement. Perhaps the discrepancy occurred due to the type of activity of our protagonist. These words were spoken publicly by a doctor, a person who vowed to protect and preserve the health of others, a person who should give others hope and strive to protect them from death. If you put aside the established superstitions about life in the afterlife, today's people get a chance to fight age-related diseases with the help of medications of the latest generations. Science has stepped far, and every person who is not ready to accept the inevitable end gets some consolation from the realization of the power of modern medicine.
How long can a person maintain an active lifestyle?
An important argument in favor of Dr. Emmanuel's theory can be the opinion about the inability of older people to maintain physical activity. Despite innovative therapies, worn bones and tissues will never return to their former shape. Currently, more and more people are living with disabilities and various chronic diseases. Here is a simple example given by our hero: today, after a stroke, people survive 20 percent more often. However, these patients can no longer be full members of society. On the one hand, these statistics indicate the triumph of medicine, but on the other hand, patients are doomed to drag out a miserable existence: to be bedridden, to stop recognizing relatives, to lose speech skills.
Conclusion
It is important to note that, unlike the writer Martin Amis, Dr. Emmanuel does not push for targeted action to hasten death. According to our hero, everything should go on as usual. Personally, upon reaching the age of 75, he plans to completely abandon medical care. He will not take any pills, antibiotics, and will give up his pacemaker. This is a personal choice of a respected doctor, which, however, cannot in any way affect health policy in general.