http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/6570154/Elderly-couple-who-committed-suicide-rather-than-lose-their-independence.html

The article above is a shocking story about a couple who both decided to end their lives together and gassed themselves in bed to avoid the hardships that old age brings. I neither strongly approved or disapproved, I was just shocked. Perhaps it was the bravery of the two, but also the ability to look death and our mortality in the face. It is no surprise to me that the couple had always been active and had exciting lives. Mr. Milner had always been politically active. He was imprisoned for a month for being a communist activist, dropping pamphlets for peace from a plane on to an RAF base in south England during the cold war. He was described as fun loving and kept up to date with technological advances, even using his own short hand while texting in his 80’s. Mrs. Milner was also interested in politics and was described and being loving fun and optimistic. Just before they died the sent letters to organisations they had been part of saying they would be dead by the time the letters were received and called for the law to be changed, giving old people the right to take their own lives. The amount of comments holding completely different opinions made me realise that there is no ‘norm’ when it comes to view on suicide and old age.

I personally think this was a very selfish act in terms of their children and grand children and I strongly agree with the comment that “It is not true that we ‘belong’ only to ourselves.” Another comment that strongly resonated with me was “Once people believed that life was a sacred gift. Now they believe suicide is a sacred gift.”

But still the fact that the couple did it together displays how strong their bond was even in old age.

While I have all these beliefs and would love to hear your opinion the fact that they lived such active lives and chose to take their own does not surprise me. It seems to me that those who can look their mortality in the face will be the ones who make the most of their lives. On the reverse side those who live for the here and now, ironically as if it lasts forever, never seem to get very far. In short one of the greatest things that hold us back is how blind we are to our own mortality.