The Sanctity of Life Myth
Jun. 17th, 2007 11:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nyykiNow that I've got the update done, I want to get on to something the best frined and I got into a conversation about that ended not so happy.
I do not buy the concept of the sanctity of life. I feel that placing a high value on one life out of many is at counter-purposes to reincarnation and the big picture thinking that goes into it, and that all of this sanctity of life stuff is a combination of the "one Life to Live" crowd and an ego response from the fact that we're physical beings. I find the argument counter to any kind of omnivorous behavior as well -- I don't buy that only humans have souls, so either life isn't as sacred as we like to think it is or omnivores are doing some horrendous things to their fellow creatures. (And yes, I'm an omnivore, and I have the utmost respect for those creatures that choose to incarnate in cattle ranches, poultry farms, and other such places to provide needed sustenance for me. If I can, I'll return the favor in the future)
This all came up because of a discussion on suicide. I generally feel that suicide is an extreme solution to a problem, and that it is often a sign someone didn't get the lesson. But I don't accept that it is ALWAYS a negative thing. I also think Euthanasia is a person's right, and that as human beings with free will it is up to us to decide when we can't take it anymore, and we bear the brunt of that decision. I cannot buy that someone who doesn't talk someone out of suicide bears a responsibility, karmic or not, for the person who snuffed it. The thought that, by not taking every possible chance to talk someone out of suicide and otherwise block their success in the endeavor the person is stealing some hypothetical future life from that person is, to my thinking, taking responsibility from the person who did the action and trying to assign it to a third party.
I also feel that sometimes the most compassionate thing a person can do is let someone deal with their pain instead of trying to make it easier on them. This is a common thread among family members and friends of substance abusers, as often efforts to help the person feel less pain from their abuse problems makes it easier for them to continue their destructive behavior.
And yes, I do believe that there are times when a "Do-Over" is about the only decent option for a person. And no, I'm not someone who will always let my friends just snuff themselves, but there is a responsibility invoked for convincing someone not to do it, and each situation requires long and careful though before intervening in another person's life. I know that I don't always have the right answers for someone else, and there are times where I may well tell someone exactly the opposite thing they need out of some misguided impulse to save them from themselves. Finally, many times the moment when a person sees the most clearly is right before they fall over the edge, and sometimes letting them get right to the point where they're about to do the final deed is exactly what they need.
That's my take on it. YMMV, and I hope it does, because I'd hate to think someone thinks exactly as I do on something, that would be bothe boring and redundant.
I do not buy the concept of the sanctity of life. I feel that placing a high value on one life out of many is at counter-purposes to reincarnation and the big picture thinking that goes into it, and that all of this sanctity of life stuff is a combination of the "one Life to Live" crowd and an ego response from the fact that we're physical beings. I find the argument counter to any kind of omnivorous behavior as well -- I don't buy that only humans have souls, so either life isn't as sacred as we like to think it is or omnivores are doing some horrendous things to their fellow creatures. (And yes, I'm an omnivore, and I have the utmost respect for those creatures that choose to incarnate in cattle ranches, poultry farms, and other such places to provide needed sustenance for me. If I can, I'll return the favor in the future)
This all came up because of a discussion on suicide. I generally feel that suicide is an extreme solution to a problem, and that it is often a sign someone didn't get the lesson. But I don't accept that it is ALWAYS a negative thing. I also think Euthanasia is a person's right, and that as human beings with free will it is up to us to decide when we can't take it anymore, and we bear the brunt of that decision. I cannot buy that someone who doesn't talk someone out of suicide bears a responsibility, karmic or not, for the person who snuffed it. The thought that, by not taking every possible chance to talk someone out of suicide and otherwise block their success in the endeavor the person is stealing some hypothetical future life from that person is, to my thinking, taking responsibility from the person who did the action and trying to assign it to a third party.
I also feel that sometimes the most compassionate thing a person can do is let someone deal with their pain instead of trying to make it easier on them. This is a common thread among family members and friends of substance abusers, as often efforts to help the person feel less pain from their abuse problems makes it easier for them to continue their destructive behavior.
And yes, I do believe that there are times when a "Do-Over" is about the only decent option for a person. And no, I'm not someone who will always let my friends just snuff themselves, but there is a responsibility invoked for convincing someone not to do it, and each situation requires long and careful though before intervening in another person's life. I know that I don't always have the right answers for someone else, and there are times where I may well tell someone exactly the opposite thing they need out of some misguided impulse to save them from themselves. Finally, many times the moment when a person sees the most clearly is right before they fall over the edge, and sometimes letting them get right to the point where they're about to do the final deed is exactly what they need.
That's my take on it. YMMV, and I hope it does, because I'd hate to think someone thinks exactly as I do on something, that would be bothe boring and redundant.
