Shotgunned by a jealous husband at age 99.
I'm with Fishin. I don't want to see it coming, so someone shooting me in the back of the head sounds quick enough.
I was also going to say I wanted to go in my sleep, but hey, you can't win'em all.
I really do not care how I die just want it to be quick and painless no long illnesses.
I am really scacred of death, who isnt ? So I wanted to say - in my sleep - but since that is forbidden, I voted through drugs. If I knew it was happening, I would probably scream and shout so much that the devil's messenger boy who will come to pick me up might crap in his pants !!
While I am no advocate for suicide, I sometimes wonder what I would do if I found myself, at an elderly age, infirm, in pain and unable to care for myself. Could I make a decision to end it myself? Maybe I'd try a Thelma & Louise (but without the Louise) jobbie.
With a very amusing will...
Hmmm, there's an idea!
"In order to inherit my estate, my family must strip naked, shave all hair, and stand naked in the rain at the busiest intersection/main street where they live, during rush-hour, singing 'Goldfinger', for half an hour. Then, and only then, will they be entitled to a miniscule share in the remains of my worldly goods - a Timex watch, some loose change and a few odd buttons".
Heeven, my father was in just such a state (well, almost unable to take care of himself) when he opted out as you wrote. Nearly tore the family apart. Wish he had felt like he could share that decision with the rest of us...we might have supported him. I take that back...my mother would never have gone along. Anyway, it made for several very difficult years for all of us, and we will never be able to resolve a lot of it because he's gone & can't help us.
Seven years later my mother died. She was sitting on the edge of her bed, getting dressed to go to her volunteer job when she had a massive coronary and fell backward onto her pillows and died. They said she probably never knew what happened. She had just had a full physical three weeks before and passed with flying colors...no history of heart disease. The week before she died, she had gone to Seattle to see my sister for her 40th birthday. Mom loved Seattle and didn't get to see that child much. All in all, she went out the way all of us would like to. Just sort of plucked out of her everyday life & gone. Poof.
Just because everyone throughout history has died, is not necessarily proof that I will die.
I'm afraid of death, but if it has to happen, I would like to die saving lives. I would want it to mean something.
Who was the comedian - Steve Martin maybe?- that said,
"I want to die quietly in my sleep, like my father died; and not screaming and yelling like all the people in the bus he was driving at the time."
While I know it is difficult for family members to think that someone would do such a thing, decide to leave them, leave unanswered questions/goodbyes, etc., I guess I look at it from a pretty selfish place ... I am interested in MY happiness over that of my family. If I was so devastated with my quality of life that I would prefer not to suffer for an indeterminate time which could be YEARS, I would like the decision to be mine. I could decide I do not wish my family to change my diapers at age XX, even though I am aware that they would want me in any condition.
The question is ... do I want to be there for THEM, or for ME?
The fear is that family may not support such a decision if made aware of it. It would have been dreadful if your father told you all his decision and sometime tried to stop him, citing he was not of sound mind, or whatever. Other people cannot always understand and empathise fully with the sufferer. I have no idea if I could do it or not but my biggest fear is to be old and suffering excruciating pain and no enjoyment of life left.
I used to work with a guy that said as soon as things looked bad he was going to go jump off this bridge - well it's be tougher getting on the bridge right now.
Visitor's Mom did it the right way. I'm with Sophia... in my sleep, but I'd add, without warning!
Having seen mother, father, mother-in-law and father-in-law go... I'd say, my MIL did it best. We were shopping, she sat down and had a massive heart fibrillation & couldn't be revived. I guess you could call that an extreme sport. ???
Heeven, don't worry, I'm better now. Found a support group for family members of suicide victims (still not sure "victims" is a good term) and I learned a lot. More importantly, it gave me a place to verbalize for a few months until the weight became bearable. It happened a number of years ago. The reason I told the story here is to make a point: It may have been a better death for him, but it wreaked havoc within the family. I'm sure he wasn't thinking about that, only saving us the pain & expense of dealing with him, and saving himself the embarrassment of being dependent on others. Legally, I believe we should all have the right to end our life painlessly when it becomes unbearable and there is no medical solution. We do that much for our pets. I just brought all this up because I don't want anyone to think suicide is an "easy out." You have to think, think, think about what you're leaving behind.
Yep, Mom did it right. We all considered it a sort of cosmic payback for what we'd had to go through with Dad. Sign me up for her way when my time comes!
You got that right Visitor. If we could all go quickly and suddenly like your Mom that would be good. I hate to see suffering. Glad to hear you are doing better now. I don't mean to glorify or encourage suicide in any way. It is a serious, serious thing and to be honest I do not think many people ever consider it. I certainly do not encourage it ... to anyone. It's just something that has crossed my mind when I have seen people who were suffering horribly and imagined myself in their situations.
Visitor
I understand your pain because I went through the same thing.
Heeven
I also see your point. I wouldn't want to live in severe pain that would last for the rest of my life either and I know I would consider suicide myself if I was just left to suffer and be a burden to my family for the rest of my living days, but I would write a long letter explaining everything to my family and tell them all I loved them dearly before I did anything.
I agree that it should be OK to end your life if you really want to, but it is not for me and not very often for my animals. There is a dignity in the reality of death that shouldn't be hastened. You never know.
I'd take lots of drugs if I were in pain, however. Lots and lots... and I'd be very irritated with my government if they felt like trying to stop me.
Piffka
I couldn't agree more.
