My uncle spends $11,000 a month for an assisted living facility. I don't think he's particularly enjoying life.
His experience has done a lot to shape how I want to live my life. That includes how I'll end my life. I want to do it on my terms. To that end, I want us to reframe how we talk about suicide.
Since the ideal death for most of us is to be surrounded by those we love and to go peacefully, with lucidity and not racked by pain, I would like to see people have planned finale events. These wouldn't be in hospitals, they'd be at home or in a place of significance to the person.
Beyond needing to make assisted death statutes more widespread, we'd need to open access to those without a specific terminal condition.
If my life is truly mine, then exercising my freedom should include how I choose to end mine.
I want to do that in a way that allows my loved ones to be there without fear that they're participating in something that may carry legal consequences for them by being there.
On a personal level, I've made it clear to my wife and kids that I don't want the same end as my uncle, gradually losing the will to live along with my senses and faculties with the boundaries of each day shrinking into a world of sodoku, loud TV, and easily digestible meals. It's not for me, and the earlier I can plant that in their minds, the easier it will be for them.
In many ways, religion has framed how we view suicide just as it has framed how we view abortion. It's a sin. But a sin is just a violation of God's law and I'm not convinced there is a God. So there's no reason to worry about what they'd think of how I choose to live my life.
While recent Supreme Court and GOP-led states influenced by religious world-views have sought to restrict bodily autonomy, recent elections and Pew research studies indicate that we are becoming a more secular society.
This whole experience with my uncle has caused me to think about my end as an integral part of my life, just like my education, career and retirement. It's caused me to bring forward plans that I'd left semi-formed. I think about and prioritize what's important to me. I find joy in the now because old age is coming and it's not particularly kind.
Ultimately, I will spend my $11,000 in my late 40s and enjoy it more than $11,000 of semolina and bedbaths in my 90s.
While it might take a while for our society and laws to come to a healthier position on these matters, we can start today on a personal level by accepting our own mortality and writing the story of what we're going to achieve and experience. We can talk with those we love about this. Perhaps most importantly, we can live for the now, since that's all we're guaranteed.
Once you've accepted the finite nature of the canvas, you can start to paint your life on it.
Changes I've made as a result of all this over the past two years:
I have more 1:1 time with my wife and kids.
I cycle 100 miles a week to maintain my health.
I take way more weed gummies and laugh a lot more.
I've adjusted my finances to retire earlier.
@stuartblair You might consider a ladybird deed or living trust on your home too. (can you tell I'm home obsessed? LOL)
@TrueBloodNet my wife and I did our estate planning with living trusts and DNR medical directives last year.
That covers our kids in the event of an acute accident for myself and my wife, but it still doesn't cover the kind of long slow decline and loss of quality of life that I'm discussing here.
Trips in my 40’s & 50’s to Africa, Peru, Hong Kong, Caribbean, Chile, Brazil etc ate up much of my savings. No regrets here.
I hope this continues and that we can move to include this ultimate freedom for ourselves in what is often claimed as the land of the free.