Rational suicide:

[grandmoon]

Beverley Broadbent was not dying of a terminal illness, nor was she depressed or unhappy. But at 83, she wanted to die.

After living a rich and satisfying life, the Brighton East woman said the ageing process had come to feel like a disease that was robbing her of her physical and mental fitness. In February, she said she had had enough.

''I look well and I walk well so people think I'm fine. But I have so many things wrong with me,'' she said. ''The balance is gone. It's taking so much time for me to keep fit to enjoy myself that there's not enough time to enjoy myself.''

In several interviews with Fairfax Media, Ms Broadbent said she planned to take her own life so she could have a peaceful, dignified death. She said she did not want her health to deteriorate to the point where she had dementia or found herself in a nursing home with no way out.

The environmental activist chose to tell her story because she believed many elderly people wanted to die when they felt their life was complete, but lacked the means to go gently.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/rational-suicide-why-beverley-broadbent-chose-to-die-20130401-2h34...

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/rational-suicide-why-beverley-broadbent-chose-to-die-20130401-2h34...

[cat_mioux]

Alexander - I'm coming from a Buddhist view regarding life. According to Buddhism every day of life is a precious gift because every day presents us with an opportunity to develop happiness for ourselves and for others. Every day of life presents us with an opportunity to accumulate good karma.

A person who is suffering from any kind of pain, be it physical or emotional, understandably, may not see their life as precious but it is nevertheless.

From this perspective, our original essence is pure and undefiled, but we willingly take on negative karma, choosing to be born in difficult circumstances or with various physical or psychological challenges in order to give hope to others by triumphing over these difficulties. By showing proof of the inherent power of our humanity to overcome suffering, we open the way for others to do the same. Likewise, we are able to give real support to people who suffer from similar difficulties. In each new life, we again awaken to our original vow and joyfully embrace whatever challenges it presents us.

Such awakening transforms our experience of life from a cycle of suffering to one of mission.

[the_bob_delusion]

Alexander - I'm coming from a Buddhist view regarding life. According to Buddhism every day of life is a precious gift because every day presents us with an opportunity to develop happiness for ourselves and for others. Every day of life presents us with an opportunity to accumulate good karma.

A person who is suffering from any kind of pain, be it physical or emotional, understandably, may not see their life as precious but it is nevertheless.

.

Oooh, the religious card. Let me play the religious card too. Buddhist also teaches to respect other's wishes and not be judgmental of their opinions. So your opinions are irrelevant over someone's personal belief.  You can also say it's good karma to help someone suffering. 

You're beginning to sound like those CHristian RIght to lifers. Are you against abortion too Mioux?

[jean2579]

Alexander - I'm coming from a Buddhist view regarding life. According to Buddhism every day of life is a precious gift because every day presents us with an opportunity to develop happiness for ourselves and for others. Every day of life presents us with an opportunity to accumulate good karma.

A person who is suffering from any kind of pain, be it physical or emotional, understandably, may not see their life as precious but it is nevertheless.

From this perspective, our original essence is pure and undefiled, but we willingly take on negative karma, choosing to be born in difficult circumstances or with various physical or psychological challenges in order to give hope to others by triumphing over these difficulties. By showing proof of the inherent power of our humanity to overcome suffering, we open the way for others to do the same. Likewise, we are able to give real support to people who suffer from similar difficulties. In each new life, we again awaken to our original vow and joyfully embrace whatever challenges it presents us.

Such awakening transforms our experience of life from a cycle of suffering to one of mission.

That is life from your perspective Cat. It is an admirable one, but not mine. How is your life perspective superior to mine when it affects my life?

[twinkles**stars]

should I ever find myself on my own without my beloved children and their children I would find life fairly meaningless.........they are the reason I get up every day and put my pain aside. Respect for others wishes would be nice.

[cat_mioux]

:^O 

I will never condone suicide just because the person has "had enough" or "just in case".

However, I do advocate voluntary euthanasia and I do advocate early abortion if the pregnancy was unwanted.

I'm not judging Beverley to be a 'bad' person. I feel tremendous compassion for her and wonder if there was intervention, if her reasons for wanting to die could have been addressed, she may have felt differently. But it's too late now.

I'm concerned people will start to kill themselves as easily as leaving a job, or moving to another location ... because current circumstances are not making them happy.

A happy person wouldn't dream of killing themselves. Beverley was obviously unhappy and fearful. If Beverley had overcome her fear of the unknown or uncertainty of her future she could have inspired others to overcome theirs. But sadly she has made rational suicide a viable option. People do follow. 😞

[cat_mioux]

Did you know when a family member commits suicide it sets a precedent in the family for generations to come?

How would you feel if your suicide did that in your family? Or would you be okay with your children or grand children or great grandchildren killing themselves if life got too emotionally painful or they'd had enough of life, or they didn't get the job they wanted, or their marriage broke up or they lost their job or they were diagnosed with breast cancer  ......?

[the_bob_delusion]

[quote mid="605057540"]

I'm concerned people will start to kill themselves as easily as leaving a job, or moving to another location ... because current circumstances are not making them happy.

speculations without any foundation. 

A happy person wouldn't dream of killing themselves. Beverley was obviously unhappy and fearful. If Beverley had overcome her fear of the unknown or uncertainty of her future she could have inspired others to overcome theirs. But sadly she has made rational suicide a viable option. People do follow. 😞

What makes you think she hasn't already done that? She's had a fulfilling life and she knows she's ready to go on her own terms. SHe didn't seem like a crazy person to me. Seems like a rational decision to me. 

[the_bob_delusion]

Did you know when a family member commits suicide it sets a precedent in the family for generations to come?

How would you feel if your suicide did that in your family? Or would you be okay with your children or grand children or great grandchildren killing themselves if life got too emotionally painful or they'd had enough of life, or they didn't get the job they wanted, or their marriage broke up or they lost their job or they were diagnosed with breast cancer  ......?

Sets precedent??? where did you pull that out of? Even if there's a correlation doesn't equate to cause and effect??? What if it's due to genetics or some other factors. ?

[purple.cow]

I didn't realise you were elderly. I often think of people here on the forum are younger because old people often don't use the net much. Let alone work out how to chat on a forum. 

ROTFL

That's very typical of younger people.

For some reason they appear to think that once anyone passes a given age they are no longer capable of learning skills and interacting without sounding as though they are over 100.

I've read where someone on here once made a point of saying that I don't talk like a 63 year old when posting, (Meaning I HAD to be far younger) but what I didn't ask them at the time was, "How is a 63 year old supposed to sound?"

Age is no barrier to anything when the individual concerned has a desire to gain mastery over it.

Personally Iove to learn and expand my own world and skills as much as possible.

[the_great_she_elephant]

There is an old saying 'you're never eighty in your dreams'. I guess you''re ageless on an Internet forum too, until you let the can't out of the bag.