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Will I Go To Hell If I Kill Myself?
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Someone once emailed
me this question: "I am depressed and want
to kill myself. Will I have to go to hell or
reincarnate if I do?" My short answer to
this question is that every action has many
possible karmic implications resulting from that
action. I believe the main factor related to
this kind of question is: what is your motive
for killing yourself? In this case, the motive
is depression. Having suffered from bipolar
disorder and extreme suicidal impulses all my
life, I am aware of medications which can immediately
treat these symptoms. Is the person facing a
hopeless terminal illness and tremendous physical
and financial devastation? Then I would say
gaining control of your end-of-life situation
to spare you and your family of unnecessary
suffering might be worth looking into. There
are certainly more factors to consider which
should be evaluated on a personal and individual
basis rather than on a general basis. The obvious
reason suicide is regarded as having horrible
karmic consequences is because of the tremendous
grief inflicted upon surviving loved ones resulting
from the suicide. On the other hand, sacrificing
your life so that others will not suffer has
much positive karma. Good examples of this type
of suicide include Jesus volunteering to sacrifice
his life on the cross or a soldier falling on
a grenade to save his friends.
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Table of
Contents |
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1. The Possible
Injustice of Suicide |
Some people commit suicide out
of hatred and anger in order to inflict pain and suffering
on others. Such actions do have serious negative karma
associated with them. The person committing the suicide
will probably find themselves in a hellish condition
in the afterlife. As the saying goes: hellish life,
hellish afterlife. In such cases the person has created
a hellish condition within themselves and within others
by their act. At death, the suicidal person merely "steps
into" this hellish spiritual condition they created
during life.
All too often, people kill themselves
without thinking how it will affect others. For example,
my sister's father-in-law was bipolar and in a serious
depression when he killed himself with a gun blast to
his chest. My sister was one of the persons who found
him. The bloody horror she discovered inflicted great
psychological harm to her which still affects her to
this day decades years later. I once saw a documentary
about a crime scene clean-up business where they dealt
with the aftermath of suicides. It is often not a pretty
sight to say the least. From my experience, the consequence
of suicide causing the most damage occurs to the person
who finds the body - especially if they are a loved
one. The horrible "fallout" from such suicides need
not happen if the person who wants to end their life
(for justifiable reasons that is) first thinks very
carefully of the consequences of doing so and prepares
an end-of-lifeplan to create an outcome that does not
traumatize people. The problem with this is that people
who commit suicide often do it on impulse or, because
of a severe mental illness, are too impaired or too
desperate to think straight enough to create a successful
plan.
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2. An Individual's
Right To Life and Death |
It is not illegal to commit
suicide; but it is illegal to actively help a person
do so. For those people who are suffering from a terminal
illness or advanced old age and who want to spare themselves
and their family from tremendous pain and suffering,
there is a right-to-die organization called the
Compassion and Choices
which has educational resources for people to plan and
carry out their wishes. In states where voluntary physician-assisted
suicide is illegal (i.e., every state but Oregon) they
promote a method of suicide (which they call "self-deliverance")
that is painless and humane. Their method involves using
over-the-counter sleeping pills and a plastic bag. Although
it may sound bizarre, this method is not only painless
and humane, it is 100% effective if one follows the
instructions properly. The result does not create a
horrible mess for someone to be traumatized over for
the rest of their life. It is not a crime to be
with someone who kills themself as long as they are
not caught actively helping the person do it. Having
a friend or family member present can also discreetly
ensure the process is carried out successfully. Compassion
and Choices also offers the service of having someone
present to observe the process. Currently, right-to-die
organizations advocate voluntary suicide only for people
facing a hopeless and incurable terminal illness or
advanced old age where extreme suffering is involved;
but not for people with severe mental illnesses. As
a person with bipolar disorder who has a psychiatrist
that informed me how my condition may get worse and
out of control as I grow older, I disagree with such
discrimination against people with mental illness by
the right-to-die organizations. However, I also understand
how very controversial the whole right-to-die movement
is politically and how providing help for the mentally
ill conjures up "Nazi euthanasia" - especially among
religious conservatives.
From some reports of near-death experiences I have read
concerning the future, humanity will eventually be able
to live long lives and die whenever they desire. This
suggests to me that medical breakthroughs to help reverse
the aging process may someday become available. It might
even be possible that death by natural causes will someday
be eradicated as polio was. If this type of utopia does
occur someday - one where people have absolutely control
over their life and death - I suppose then people will
need a method to end their lives when they desire such
as voluntary physical-assisted suicide.
It is Compassion and
Choices'
mission to have voluntary physician-assisted suicide
legally be available to people facing a terminal situation.
In such cases, a physician can prescribe the necessary
dose of a barbiturate (usually
Nembutal or
Seconal) that causes
the person to fall asleep and die. This is what is called
"death with dignity." It is the same dignity society
gives even to suffering pets when their owners have
them euthanized. Of course, although pets are not euthanized
voluntarily, many animals in the animal kingdom do voluntarily
kill themselves under certain natural conditions. Self-destructive
behavior is widely reported in nature for some animals
under conditions of acute stress-isolation, overcrowding,
confinement, or alteration in habitat. Such behavior
has been observed in zoo animals including a variety
of primate species. You can read more about studies
on animal suicide in this article entitled
Animal Models of Self-Destructive
Behavior and Suicide
(Crawley JN, Sutton ME, Pickar D. Psychological Clinics
of North America 8:299-310, 1985). Such research proves
conclusively how suicide is a natural act evident in
nature.
If you believe you qualify for making end-of-life decisions
(i.e., have a hopeless terminal illness) and you would
like to die with dignity, you can become a member of
Compassion and Choices online from their website. After
you have been a member for several months, they will
allow you to have access to their published information
including the suggested end-of-life method.
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3. Questions
and Answers About the Right To Die |
The following are some questions
on this topic and my answers to them:
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Question:
"The
long explanation of a method for committing suicide
leads me to believe you may belong to this organization
for other reasons than helping the terminally ill achieve
a peaceful death."
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Kevin Williams:
"There are several reason I decided many years ago to
post on the NDE mailing list the right-to-die organization's
suggested method for ending one's life. My primary motive
for doing this was to help anyone who was thinking about
ending their lives get information on how best to do
it. I have since learned this is considered unethical
because it might provide an incentive for someone who
is thinking about ending their life to do so without
thinking about other options such as seeking help from
a physician and receiving treatment. However, anyone
who wants to end their life strong enough will do so
anyway without the method suggested by right-to-die
organizations. However, not knowing the 'time honored
and tested' method to ending your life can result in
absolute disaster and make your situation much worse.
I also wanted people to become aware of right-to-die
issues and to generate discussion about them such as
we are having now.
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Question:
"Some time ago, I heard that you were very depressed
and had suicidal thoughts."
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Kevin Williams:
"Yes, you are right. I have bipolar disorder which 'runs
in my family.' Along with this illness, suicide also
'runs in my family' as well. I have had severe episodes
of depression resulting in long stays in psych wards.
Such incidents not only caused me much suffering, it
also caused my family a tremendous amount of pain as
well. I want to be sure I have as many options to me
as possible for the future. My psychiatrist informed
me my illness will probably get worse as I get older
and shock treatments may be the only effective treatment.
This is what happened to my grandmother who had bipolar
disorder and lived into her 90's with severe regular
depressions and shock treatments with frequent stays
in mental institutions. She eventually developed dementia
- a horrible illness for those who go through the last
stages of it. Judging from her experience, I have concluded
I never want to live so long to develop dementia and
put myself and my family through such pain. Ironically,
just knowing the suggested method for ending my life
has given me more confidence about facing the end and
has given me a feeling of having more control over my
life and death. This has resulted in my having more
hope in facing end-of-life choices which has given
me more
incentive NOT to end my life.
"I lived and took care of my grandmother for seven years
before we sadly had to put her in a nursing home against
her wishes. Her life in a nursing home was horrific.
Anyone who has ever visited a nursing home can testify
how some of them are nothing short of a warehouse for
tormented old people. Many of these people, if in their
proper state of mind, would probably rather be dead.
I know this was the case with my grandmother. People
with dementia are slowly reduced to losing their minds,
memories and personalities, becoming permanently bedridden
and mumbling incoherently. I was horrified as I watched
my beloved grandmother go through this process.
"My grandmother lived in the nursing home for over a
year before she died. Her death was not a pleasant one
either. The bipolar disorder that tormented her all
her life became worse with the dementia. She told me
many times she wished she was dead. Ironically, she
was a devout Christian all her life, taught Sunday School
to children for over 30 years and led Sunday services
for seniors at nursing homes as an adult. It seems to
me the last years of her life of torture was incredibly
unjust. In my mind, no amount of karma justified the
torture she went through - especially because I suspect
this injustice originated from the inhumane laws of
society preventing people from voluntarily having the
right to die with dignity. Even my grandfather (who
I was also taking care of) - a devout Christian all
his life - lost some of his faith in divine justice
and the laws of society which prevents people from having
the right to live and die as they choose to. As
a postscript, when the time came for my grandfather
to go into a nursing home, he absolutely loved it. However,
he didn't suffer from a severe mental illness, thank
God! He especially loved all the attention from the
nurses.
"The last years of my grandmother's life was a living
hell for us all - but mostly for her. Taking care of
her also contributed to my developing a major depression
which resulted in losing my high-paying job and spending
time in the psych ward. And her unimaginable suffering
was absolutely unnecessary in my view. My grandmother's
father, also a manic depressive, shot and killed himself
in front of her when she was in her teens. All her life
she was well aware of what mental illness and suicide
can do to people and families.
"To this day
I believe voluntarily helping her end her life would
have been justifiably merciful. Throughout her time
in the nursing home, we would pray God would take her
away from it all. I even asked her physician if he could
prescribe something to end it for her - something right-to-die
organizations suggest doing. He replied to me in a holier
than thou attitude, 'We don't do that kind of thing
in this country.' To many physicians, death is the enemy.
Death means defeat. To many of them (especially those
with a 'God complex') death is to be avoided no matter
what the cost. And I mean this literally. I read a recent
study how 40% of all hospital costs go to extending
the lives of people in their final years. In the olden
days, death was something to be glorified as a "graduation"
partly due to religious influences. Death was well understood
by most people because most people died at home surrounded
by family and friends. Sex was the taboo subject - not
death. In today's society it has completely reversed.
Sex is no longer a taboo subject - but death is."
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Question:
"Tell me more
about this right-to-die organization."
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Kevin Williams:
"I initially joined the right-to-die organization
because of my own mental illness to have control over
my life and death. The years I spent watching my grandmother
suffer needlessly in old age made me even more convinced
that such people should be allowed to have the option
of ending their lives if they choose to do so. I know
my grandmother would have chosen death over dementia
and the nursing home because she was a Christian and
knew death meant being in heaven. I have vowed to never
lose control of my life and death as my grandmother
had. I also want to have this option available should
I ever be diagnosed with a hopeless terminal illness.
I see no advantage in living to an advanced age when
life becomes a living hell for you and/or your family.
"Although I don't
believe depression, in of itself, is a justifiable reason
for ending one's life, I do believe there are some people
who are hopelessly suffering from a mental illness and
who should be allowed to end their life if they choose
to. I have also observed people in psych wards with
much worse mental problems than mine (such as schizophrenia)
who have tried to end their life. Because of this, they
are kept in institutions for very long periods of time
- some for the rest of their lives. Mental institutions
are filled with schizophrenics who are hopelessly unable
to get relief from medical treatment.
"Should I ever
have a valid reason to take control of my life by ending
it, I will do so without any reservations. I have already
informed my entire family of the possibility that someday
I may decide to end my life. Right-to-die organizations
recommend doing this many times because it prepares
loved ones well beforehand so it would not come as no
surprise (or horror) if it happened. I keep my loved
ones informed of right-to-die issues when I can. Some
members of my family are strongly opposed to this because
of their religious affiliation and their right-to-life
beliefs. Some people might conclude that by ending my
life when I chose to do so, I will be throwing away
an opportunity to pay some karmic debt of mine or may
be giving up an opportunity to help others spiritually
because of my diminished capacity. To this I say: I
know of better ways to pay karmic debts which do not
involve this kind of suffering on my or my loved ones'
part. Because I am not perfect yet (i.e., I cannot walk
on water or raise the dead), I know I will eventually
have to reincarnate anyway like most people until I
am perfect. I can choose to pay such karmic debts some
lifetime in the future. We have this power as sons and
daughters of God."
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Question:
"I
wonder if there are not degrees to which suicide is
justifiable in this world and in the afterlife. For
example, if someone does it to avoid the pain of a terminal
illness - or to end depression - or even to prevent
themselves from having to spend a lengthy term in prison.
Does the right-to-die organizations look at these moral/ethical
issues or does it focus more on technique?"
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Kevin Williams:
"Right-to-die organizations do not advocate
voluntary
physician-assisted suicide for any reason. Their foremost
mission is to change current laws to allow only people
who want to die as a result of a hopeless terminal illness
or advanced old age to have the right to have a physician
prescribe the proper medicine to end their life. Ending
one's life with medicine such as Nembutal or Seconal is far more
preferable than over-the-counter sleeping pills and
a plastic bag. As the current law exists today (except
in the State of Oregon where physicians do prescribe
Nembutal and Seconal) all other methods for people to end their lives
fall short of physician-assisted suicide. If someone
wants to end their life strong enough, they will use
whatever method have available - even if it is a very
bad method such as hanging or shooting oneself. Currently,
right-to-die organizations will provide educational
material to anyone who joins; but they will not provide
any other services such as having another member witness
the process. Only people who meet their criteria are
allowed that service. But it is the goal of right-to-die
organizations to never have people use their method
of over-the-counter sleeping pills and a plastic bag
anymore. Voluntary physician-assisted suicide is preferred.
Despite what some people claim, right-to-die organizations
do not advocate involuntary 'euthanasia,' involuntary
'mercy killing,' or any other 'Nazi euthanasia' programs.
"I also don't believe there is a 'one size fits all'
karmic consequence for people who end their lives. Everyone's
particular situation, physical condition and spirituality
is unique. The notion that everyone who kills themself
goes to hell is about as absurd as believing only those
who pledge allegiance to Jesus' name go to heaven. While
right-to-die organizations do not officially sanction
physician-assisted suicide for the mentally ill, there
are a large number of members who believe it should.
Again, I believe the organization must take this position
mostly for political rather than ethical reasons. Currently,
right-to-die organizations are the only advocate for
people who are facing a hopelessly terminal situation
and want to end it before their situation gets worse."
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Question:
"Many
people have lived lives of horrible suffering and hellish
conditions. Why should people facing a terminal situation
have special rights? Shouldn't this fact make all suicide
unjustified and forbidden? I didn't realize there are
some suicides which might be justified and should be
made legal."
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Kevin Williams:
"It is the duty of society in general to help people
overcome adversity and suffering. Anyone who has to
parts of Mexico, for example, can find poor children
begging for food and in need of medical attention. It
should be the duty of the Mexican government, religious
organizations and aid-workers to help these people.
In the same way, it is the duty of society in general
to help anyone suffering - whether it is to feed and
cloth the poor or to help those with terminal illness
who have chosen to end their life. Unfortunately, society
in general is mostly ignorant about end-of-life issues
(until it 'hits them in the face') and are not in favor
of physician-assisted suicide for those who need it.
Ironically, this ignorant position is mostly held by
religious organizations whose duty is to help those
who suffer. Right-to-die organizations only seek legalization
for the most vulnerable people in society - people who
have absolutely no hope in an end-of-life situation
and want a way out. As I mentioned before, Jesus himself
committed suicide Other people have many other options
to ease their suffering. The most vulnerable people
do not have any choice but to live out the rest of their
life in hopeless and unnecessary suffering. Many physicians
today already help people in their final stage of their
terminal illness with pain by giving them a massive
dose of morphine called 'snowing.'
The primary purpose is to ease pain but it also has
the secondary benefit of hastening death. This is what
happened to father when he was dying of an infection
related to lymphoma. The morphine kept him in a coma
to the very end and certainly hastened his death which
is what everyone wanted."
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Question:
"Some
accounts of near-death experiences describe people
being told that it is not their right to decide when
their life is to be over. This is a right that should
only God's."
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Kevin Williams:
"Yes, I have read some of these reports. In fact, a
great number of experiencers are told, "It is not your
time yet to die" or some variation of this. On the face
of it, it does appear that our days are numbered by
God and the time of our deaths are predestined by God.
However, this is not how I interpret it. First
of all, I believe there are very few things in life
that are predetermined and the time of our death is
not always one of them. I believe people are told, 'It
is not your time to die yet' because their mission in
life is not complete. It would be safe to assume that
people facing a hopeless terminal illness have probably
finished their mission. Even if you believe otherwise,
should a person kill themself, they would probably be
told in the afterlife that their mission is not finished
and they are returned. But because so many suicides
by terminal people are successful, it could be safely
assumed that indeed their missions were finished. But
again, applying a 'one size fits all' answer to this
question is probably not sufficient."
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Question:
"Has
there ever been a NDE where they were told suicide was
OK?"
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Kevin Williams:
"There are many reports of NDEs involving suicide that
are heavenly and where no condemnation is given. Nevertheless,
many successful suicides result in horror, grief, confusion,
and shame by family and friends. This situation can
occur if the suicide act was not planned and carried
out correctly according to recommendations by the right-to-die
organizations or if it was committed for less than justifiable
reasons. Suicides resulting from NDEs obviously are
rejected because they were told to return. Also, this
does not necessarily mean all such NDEs are hellish
as Angie Fenimore's NDE was. Suicides resulting in irreversible
death probably mean the suicide's mission was completed.
It may also mean their suicide was planned even before
they were born. In other words, part of their mission
may have included death by suicide. After all, Christian
scriptures state clearly how Jesus himself was on a
"suicide mission" from the day he was born. He also
voluntarily submitted himself to death even though he
could have prevented it. It is also true that suicide
experiencers are sometimes told that suicide is not
the answer. However, I don't interpret this as being
a 'one size fits all' edict applying to everyone. Even
the Bible states:
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"For everything
there is a season, and a time for every matter
under heaven: a time to be born, and a time
to die." (Ecclesiastes
3:1-2)
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"This
certainly is true according to a large percentage of
NDEs where they are told, 'It is not your time to die
yet' or 'your mission is not complete' etc. So, I believe
the time for us to die is not entirely in our hands.
This suggests to me that if a person successfully commits
suicide, then it was indeed their time to die. Otherwise,
it will only end up as a NDE.
Many NDEs from suicide have been documented which are
very positive. Here are some links:
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a. |
Eileen's positive suicide NDE |
b. |
Chris Carson's positive suicide NDE |
c. |
Helen's
positive suicide NDE |
d. |
Dr. Kenneth Ring's and Dr. Peter Fenwick's NDE
Research on Suicide |
e. |
According to
P.M.H. Atwater: |
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"Seldom
are suicide near-death scenarios hell-like.
Contrary to popular notions, most suicide
NDEs are positive, or at least illustrative
of the importance of life and its living.
Although I have yet to find a suicide
experience that was in any way transcendent
or in-depth, just to have something
happen, anything that affirms that he
or she is loved and special, seems miracle
enough for the one involved. Near-death
survivors from suicide attempts can
and often do return with the same sense
of mission that any other experiencer
of the phenomenon reports." (P.M.H.
Atwater)
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f. |
From the
International Association
for Near-Death Studies
website: |
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"Although it
may be tempting to conclude that people
who attempt suicide are being punished
for trying to induce their own deaths,
we must avoid this temptation, as the
following paragraph will explain.
"People who are in a distressed
frame of mind at the time of their near-death
episode and those who were raised to
expect distress during death may be
more prone to distressing NDEs.
People who attempt suicide are almost
always in a distressed frame of mind.
Usually they are attempting suicide
because they feel themselves to be in
unendurable and unending emotional or
physical pain. In addition, they
are almost certainly aware of the widely
held belief that suicide is cowardly
and/or the wrong way to escape the pain
of life. Although they hope for
relief from their pain, they may also
consciously or unconsciously fear punishment.
In a heightened state of pain, as well
as of fear and/or guilt, they are highly
distressed and, consequently, may be
somewhat more prone to having a NDE.
"However, the facts remain that
the overall majority of distressing
NDEs did not occur in the context of
attempted suicide, Many pleasurable
NDEs were the result of attempted suicide,
and many people who were in a distressed
frame of mind and/or who expected
judgment
and punishment during death had a pleasurable
NDE."
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g. |
According to "Recollections
of Death" by Dr. Michael Sabom, p.
51, the following NDE resulted from a suicide
attempt: |
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"I arrived
at some place where all my relatives
had gathered: my grandmother, my grandfather,
my father, my uncle who had recently
committed suicide. They all came to
me and greeted me..."
This NDE describes
an uncle who committed suicide who was
not in a hellish state.
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h. |
From Dr. Kenneth Ring's book "Heading
Toward Omega" (page 44-45): |
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"In 'Life
At Death' I compared the NDEs of
three categories of people who differed
chiefly in the circumstances that had
brought them close to death: illness
victims, accident victims, and suicide
attempters. On the basis of my own findings,
I then proposed what I called the invariance
hypothesis to indicate how situations
such as how one nearly dies affect the
NDE. What the invariance hypothesis
states is that there are no relationship:
However one nearly dies, the NDE, if
it occurs, is much the same.
"Research published since 'Life At Death'
has tended to lend strong support to
the invariance hypothesis. We now have
cases on file of almost every mode of
near-death circumstance that you can
imagine: combat situations, attempted
rape and murder, electrocution, near-drownings,
hangings, etc., as well as a great range
of strictly medical conditions - and
none of these seems to influence the
form and content of the NDE itself.
Rather it appears that whatever the
condition that brings a person close
to death may be, once the NDE begins
to unfold it is essentially invariant
and has the form I have earlier indicated.
"Subsequent research on suicide-related
NDEs by Stephen Franklin and myself
and by Bruce Greyson has also confirmed
my earlier tentative findings that NDEs
following suicide attempts, however
induced, conform to the classic prototype.
"In summary, so far at least, situations
covering a wide range of near-death
conditions appear to have a negligible
effect on the experience."
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Question:
"Were the people who jumped out of the New York City
Twin Towers when the terrorists attacked it justified
for doing so?"
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Kevin Williams:
"I believe they were justified. They were doomed and
faced a horrible death if they decided to remain in
the Towers. It reminds me of the Jewish people at Masada
who heroically took their own lives instead of being
captured by the Romans.
"The lesson to be learned here is probably this: Don't
commit suicide unless there is absolutely no hope at
all and your mission is not complete. If you don't meet
this criteria, your suicide may only results in a NDE
which means your mission is not completed. If a person
is in the process of dying because of a terminal illness,
it can be safely assumed their mission is complete.
If a person finds themself in combat and falls on a
grenade to save the lives of others, we can probably
assume their mission is complete as well. If you are
a 91 years old invalid facing senility or a terminal
illness, you can probably safely assume your mission
is complete.
"As a side note,
the rebuttal that nursing home caregivers are receiving
good karma from people who may owe them a karmic debt,
doesn't hold water to me. There will always be a great
number of needy people who can generate karmic goodness
for toward caregivers.
"If a person is killed while
defending their children from being raped and murdered,
for example, we can probably assume their sacrifice
for their children is good karma and their mission is
probably complete. If a person is terminal and ending
their life will spare their loved ones a tremendous
amount of needless suffering and financial ruin, we
can probably assume their mission is complete. Animals
such as beached whales, lemmings, ants, bees and a number
of other critters including insects chose to end their
lives under certain conditions which suggests that suicide
in many cases is simply a part of the natural order.
If a person commits suicide before their mission is
completed, it may only result in a NDE.
"People often get killed while doing risky things that
often appear to 'fly in the face of God' such as mountain
climbing, sky diving, hang gliding, etc. These people
put their lives in their own hands when doing such things.
Aren't accidents involving these type of sports a form
of suicide? I believe so. Where is the line drawn? It
would be difficult for me to believe that people who
die while sky diving have not fulfilled their mission.
Reports of NDEs reveal there are no accidents and there
is a reason for everything. This is not to say everything
is predestined. Life is filled with risks which have
the ability to end our lives. Just breathing the air
in some cities is enough to cause our deaths. Isn't
this a type of suicide? I believe it is. Isn't even
the act of being born, knowing it will result in death,
itself a form of suicide? I think so. What about my
fast food habit? Even this would have to be considered
a type of suicide. Where is the line drawn?"
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Question:
"I just can't assume there is any reason for someone
to kill themselves."
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Kevin Williams:
"You are certainly entitled to have this opinion. The
problem lies is when people other than the person facing
such end-of-life decisions (usually a faceless bureaucrats)
want to deny others the right to control their own life
and death. There are many well-intentioned people who
actively seek to deprive others from having a good death.
As mentioned earlier, such people often belong to religious
right-to-life organizations. They constantly fight right-to-die
organizations and seek to overturn laws passed by people
who want right-to-die laws in place. I am referring
to the State of Oregon where a majority of the voting
people (with major help right-to-die organizations)
passed a right-to-die law. But it took one unelected
politician, Attorney General Ashcroft, who decided
to go against the will of the people in Oregon by attempting
to overthrow their law. Fortunately, Ashcroft's edict
was overturned by the Supreme Court.
"Right-to-die
organizations want to educate the general public into
changing laws which prevent heroic physicians such as
Jack Kevorkian from going to prison for helping the
terminally ill."
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Question:
"So, when life gets difficult for some, they should
be legally allowed to end it?"
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Kevin Williams:
"Everyone's life is difficult to various degrees. I
don't know of anyone that is not facing difficulties
in one form or another. It's just that some people are
facing much more difficulties than others. Many near-death
experiencers become so disappointed of having to return
that they often fall into a depression. In fact, one
study revealed that 4% of all near-death experiencers
commit suicide because of this disappointment. The most
difficult part of life which right-to-die organizations
support for physician-assisted suicide are the hopelessly
terminally ill and the very elderly.
"I have never had a NDE,
but after reading thousands of beautiful NDE testimonials,
I have concluded that if were to have a massive heart
attack - for example - I do not want to be resuscitated.
Several decades ago, a women by the name of
Nancy Cruzan
was thrown from her car during an automobile accident.
It took about 13 minutes before the EMTs came and resuscitated
her. Unfortunately, she never regained consciousness
and was in what is called a 'persistent vegetative state.'
Her family knew the woman's wishes was not to be hooked
up to a machine to be artificially kept alive. And it
was only after a painful seven-year court fight that
her parents were allowed to legally remove the feeding
tubes allowing her to die. This event was the 'spark'
which led many people to join the right-to-die movement.
"For people who do not want
to be hooked up to a machine for the rest of their lives
and want to refuse resuscitation, there are ways to
prevent such things from happening. Most states allow
people to have a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) order in their
living wills. Such DNR order means that if you are in
a supermarket, for example, and your heart stops beating,
you will not be resuscitated. But this will only happen
if you have a DNR order easily identified by medics.
The problem with DNR orders is that medics do not look
for them when trying to resuscitate people. Fortunately,
eleven states (including Colorado and California) permit
DNR identification on jewelry obtained through the non-profit
MedicAlert
Foundation in California. Once a person has a placed
a DNR order in their living will, they can join MedicAlert
for a small fee. Then you mail them the last sheet of
your DNR order. They will then inform you about your
choice of necklace or bracelet which clearly states
your wishes to "Do Not Resuscitate." In some states,
this jewelry and/or official papers are the ONLY methods
honored by emergency medics. If such a notification
is not present, you WILL be resuscitated. DNR orders
can be obtained by any physician and are available upon
demand.
"A tremendous number of NDE
testimonies I come across involve the near-death experiencer
becoming extremely upset of their being resuscitated
and begin brought back to life by physicians. Such cases
are another example where some 'faceless second-party'
person in power decides when someone else must live
and die.
"In conclusion, there are no easy answers to such end-of-life
questions. Each person should follow their own heart.
What I have explained in this article is my own personal
opinion. You can take it or leave it."
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