The right to die or the right to kill?

I increasingly hear of assisted suicide as a favorable practice (Ten myths about assisted suicide, 17 December).

Like Kevin Yuill, I disagree wholeheartedly. Pre-Nazi Germany was a hotbed for practitioners of euthanasia. After Adolph Hitler's ascension, euthanasia became so epidemic and widespread that the loss of life has been impossible to asses accurately. These monsters argued merciful motives, yet their means became less and less merciful, as time went on. And the list of those who were eligible for euthanasia was ever-lengthening. One assumes that at first it was a voluntary thing, but that it extended rapidly to the medically evaluated worthless life. Many of those so classified were valuable geniuses of our age, who wanted to live and to be of service and value to humanity.

I don't deny that even I, in the event of all possible outs being exhausted, might contemplate ending my life. I doubt it, but if it ever came to that, then I'd prefer to have the right to take my own life than to be at the mercy of those whose authority foregoes my autonomy. Many crimes have been justified by just or exalted causes, and yet they remain crimes, no matter what pretty rhetoric adorns them. Euthanasia doesn't belong in a society based upon respect for human life. The moment society accepts euthanasia, it has abandoned respect for human life - that fundamental aspect of civilization, so precious and indispensable.

Dharma.

Newest poem

A Poet's words
to heal the soul
to light the darkened roads
to freshen one's world
to cheer the lost
to hail the storng
to sing the songs
of ages long gone
and the fortunes
of ages to come

Dharma Ibarrar-Reyes

By the way, Dharma Rahkonen and Dharma Ibarra-Reyes are one and the same

It has been a while

Perfect Love?

You are your self
an individual,
diferent from me and very other being.
I too am an individual,
diferent and yet ...
Comunication between us,
duplication comes,
a new reality is born.
Affinity is formed.
Can't help it, we share love
Closeness, admiration.
ahh, total understanding.
I'm not you
but could if I would.
You aren't me,
but should you be called
to answer in my stead
the diference
no one could guess.
Your past and present?
To me cristal clear;
as are mine for you to inspect.
But more then just the facts,
my views, reasons and motives,
you perferctly understand.
I need not explain,
we share our love,
our house,our room, our bed
our thoughts, our shames, our pains,
our dreams, our joys
our fantacies, our concepts.
All as if we were one in the other
and yet we are each other alone
this is our love, total love
Perfect love
Dharma