A Plea For 'Free' Suicide

Aside from blind optimism which we often read in self-help books, few activities serve as much an antidote as suicide. Our world is threatened by vast tragedy. It is not uncommon in the midst of frustration to feel melancholy over the ills of the world. Love promises as much happiness as sadness; In the world of business, we are constantly bullied by the ones who are in power; When we stray away from the path of the flock and habour a confused wish to be pioneers of hitherto unknown and difficult truths, our peers remind us of the scarcity of great minds and of us being alone in noticing the fact; Science promises us as much optimism as pessimism. Most of us are firmly convinced that humans are the masters of nature, yet we are increasingly confronted by the even more powerful natural disasters. Little wonder Arthur Schopenhauer, the leading authority in pessimism, promotes suicide.

We have invented various ways to commit suicide. In old days, members of our species chose to hang themselves or jump off of a building. Nowadays, most of us choose to poison ourselves or take in sleeping pills. In ancient Japan, the most noblest form of suicide was Seppuku (切腹) which was widely adopted by samurais. A samurai must follow the precise rituals to perform Seppuku. First, he must dress himself in white robes and have his favourite meal. And he should, with his sword on a desk, compose a death poem to honour the activity he is about to perform. I am reluctant to imagine every samurai was a poet. But as John Ruskin put it,

'There is a satisfactory and available power in every one to learn drawing if he wishes, just as nearly all persons have the power of learning French, Latin or arithmetic, in a decent and useful degree.'

The purpose of drawing, Ruskin believed, may not inspire every one to become great artists, but it may give us a way to express and to see rather than merely look. He went on further,

'My efforts are directed not to making a carpenter an artist, but to making him happier as a carpenter.'

In like manner, a samurai does not necessarily have to be a great poet to write poems, but he does so in order to express and honour his death. Afterwards, he should have his assistant ready holding his sword. Then he will open his robes and pull out a short dagger to cut his stomach open. His assistant will then fatally offer a decisive blow at his head. Seppuku is a work of art.

On the other hand, in ancient Europe, suicide was never respected. It was considered a crime as a violation against the province of God. If we were made in God's image, what right do we have to end our own life?

Suicide is now not considered a crime. It nevertheless elicits some interesting responses. If you tell your friend of your plan to attempt suicide, he will, encouraged by blind optimism, persuade you not to do such stupid thing by informing you all the wonders of the universe that you are able to witness. If a stranger walks by and notice that you are about to jump off of a building, he will, with rarely seen kindness, calls to notify the police to make sure they will send over professionals with expertise in psychology to explain to you the reasons why you should embrace life. Even if the inevitable happens, when it gets on the headlines of every newspaper the other day, people will spontaneously sympathise your death as if a tragedy happens. How kind they are to suddenly remember the virtue of compassion as taught in Christian ethics.

So what is wrong with taking my own life? The life is mine and it seems natural to suppose I have the right to end it as well. What is the point of cherishing life when it is surrounded by misfortunes? How insensible and sadistic these people are. Fortunately, not every one is as insensible. The Swiss offer a new perspective to look at life. They have no patience with all the talks of even euthanasia in most civilised countries. They have taken it a step further and offer a new form of suicide- suicide with medical assistance. This method of suicide is not only applicable to those who are physically unhealthy, but also to those who suffer from no physical illness. Their all-in-one service does not just give you medicine which can put your life to an end peacefully, but it also offers to handle your corpse once it is done.

Through contemplating matters regarding suicide, we may learn how to cherish individual freedom and eradicate our mindsets of imposing social tyranny. Our lives are in our own hands. Their destiny ought not to be determined by those who have no right to possess it. If a man wishes to attempt suicide, let him do so. I do not see by what right we can prevent him from doing so. All prohibitions should not be justified on the ground of preserving the man himself from harm, but of preserving other people from harm. To torture ourselves is to do ourselves injustice. We are not born masochistic. Next time before you look for optimism in self-help books, consult Schopenhauer.

W