Euthanasia - dying with dignity?

Yet, so often in the West, death is that of which we so often avoid speaking, much less consider. Perhaps it's no surprise that we find ourselves speechless when confronted by death. Eight years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 19.

It was during three successive diagnoses and respective chemotherapy regimen, an incredibly invasive treatment, that I devoted considerable time to thinking about the meaning of my existence. One of my resolutions was to write a will, yet despite my surviving cancer, I have still not written my last will and testament. Perhaps it is because my personal wealth is not much higher than the probate solicitor's and executor's fees.

However, the unpreparedness of civilisations to consider death is a perverse delusion. There is no reason to consider the meaning of life if we never intend to die. Slavoj Zizek, a Slovenian philosopher, describes the gap between that which we know and that which we experience as the parallax view. We all know that we will one day die and yet we live as though we will never die.

Climate change, poverty, inequality, injustice and exploitation are facets of our existence that deserve no consideration if our desire is to only to live well. On the other hand, perhaps considering these challenges is in fact the only way to live well. Maybe in the discussion of euthanasia, more consideration will be given to dying well, regardless of the cause of death.

One only has to encounter the miracle of birth to recognise the fragility of life. In many cases the membrane which separates life from death is a lot closer, and much less impervious than we would like to imagine. But in my experience, the questions which arose during my consideration of death, though complex, were not devoid of hope.

Who or what is God? And if God exists, does this change our philosophy toward others? Is there a meaning to life, and if so what's mine? What, if anything, comes after death? And in this life, what lasting legacy will I leave behind when I am gone, when only those who knew me will be able to tell my stories?

In Monty Python's unforgettable Meaning of Life, the dinner party who sup upon the poisoned soup ask the Grim Reaper if they should take their cars. To my mind, this articulates the attitude most people take towards their inevitable end. Everyone loves a bargain, but negotiations with the Grim Reaper are always going to be somewhat unfair, sometimes grossly so.

Perhaps, the notion of dignity and choosing the time and means of one's passing are just part of this process. But however you choose to look at it, and however it comes, for most people death is life's final indignity.