The right to an end in dignity3 min read

Twenty six years ago today my sister Sabin committed suicide. It is a sad day still for us, her family, and maybe some of her friends. But at the same time I still fully respect her decision to end her life young, she was twenty one at the time. She went out with dignity, with her ideals in tact, before life could corrupt her into heavy compromise and jaded routine.

Today in these harsh times with an uncertain future I more than ever stand in favor of every persons right to commit suicide. Over the years I flipflopped several times on the issue. Doubts about the ethical implications of such an act, influenced by some religious and spiritual reflections, made me hesitate. Then the violence and aggression involved made me turn against it. But now I am back and fully convinced, every person has the unquestionable right to end their life at the time they deem right. Of course this should not happen as a rash decision, as is often the case in teenage suicides. With teenagers it may most often not be the right decision and everything has to be done to prevent it. But if an adult takes the educated decision to end their life, for whatever reason really, they should be allowed to do so.

In recent times, with the #Occupy Movement turning me back into the political animal that I have always been, I have consulted my old favorite utopian model again, bolo’bolo. One central element in that book is called “nugo”, a gold capsule, protected by a combination lock, that contains a deadly poison. Every Individual can wear one of these around their neck and use it when they need to. The sentence that sticks out: Life is a fatal error to begin with and there is no greater horror than not being able to die [translation mine]. Ignore the 80s pathos for a moment, if you can, but this really does say it all, we are just trying to do our best here, but the nightmare that is our existence can become so overwhelming, that no one can be blamed for wanting to take a sexy exit.

R.I.P. Sabin

nagu: “Every ibu gets a capsule with a deadly poison, and can commit suicide whenever it wants. It can also demand aid for this purpose.”

nugo

Das nugo ist eine Goldkapsel, 3,7 cm lang und 0,9 cm im Durchmesser, die mit einem Drehkombinationsschloss gesichert ist, dessen siebenstellige Code-Zahl nur das betreffende ibu selbst kennt, und die eine bei Einnahme sofort tödliche Substanz enthält. Jedes ibu kann sein nugo von seinem bolo jederzeit beziehen, ähnlich wie das taku. Das ibu kann das nugo zusammen mit den taku-Schlüsseln an einer Halskette tragen, damit es sofort erreichbar ist, wenn es aus bolo’bolo aussteigen möchte. Wenn das ibu wegen einer Lähmung oder Verletzung sein nugo nicht selbst einnehmen kann, sind die ibus verpflichtet (siehe: sila), ihm dabei zu helfen.

Wenn das ibu genug von bolo’bolo, nima, yalu, fasi, yaka und anderem hat, dann hat es immer die Möglichkeit, endgültig zu verschwinden und dem (Reform-)Alptraum zu entkommen. Es soll nicht die Ausrede haben, dass es zum Leben verpflichtet sei, weil es Verantwortung für bolo’bolo oder andere ibus trage.

Das nugo erinnert das ibu daran, dass auch bolo’ bolo keinen Sinn hat, dass niemand und keine Gesellschaftsform dem ibu in seiner Verlassenheit und Verzweiflung helfen kann. Das Leben ist zum vorneherein ein fataler Fehler und es gibt keinen grösseren Schrecken als nicht sterben zu können.