Jan Šinágl angažovaný občan, nezávislý publicista

P.S.

Birth and death are natural. Prolonging dying is a crime against humanity. A conscious person who just exists and is dependent on others wishes to die, not to burden society and his surroundings. The unconscious is only in a "living unconscious". Hundreds of billions "blown up" in the name of "humanity" will be missed for the lives of the young, their future and the future of society. The medical industry does not address this, in the interest of maximizing profits. Nature will let us know how suicidal and inhumane we are if we continue this denial of the meaning of life and its nature. In Japan and South Korea, the elderly are already threatening the future of the country. In this, too, we should learn from the 'primitive' tribes in Africa, Australia and elsewhere. With all due respect to those who retain their vitality and are an asset to society even in old age. Today's society is moving further and further away from maturity. JŠ

***

I'm sorry, I don't mean to be morbid. But I believe it's not wrong to talk about death sometimes. The fact that we're going to die is, after all, the only real certainty in our lives. Not everyone accepts that - if we all accepted it, there probably wouldn't be religions promising reincarnation, resurrection and eternal life of the soul, or companies that will freeze you for a surprisingly folksy fee after death in the hope that when medical science figures out how to do it, they'll revive you.

But Peter and Petra have accepted death. They found each other on the second try, and appreciated theirs all the more for having known other relationships before. At eighty-five, they became afraid. At that age, anyone can die suddenly... and leave the other alone. They decided to prevent it. Scientifically, Peter researched what drugs they needed to "make sure" they wouldn't suffer and look repulsive when they found them. They got ready, wrote a letter explaining everything to their children, swallowed the pills, crawled into bed, held hands and fell asleep for good. They knew that now nothing could separate them.