Why Do We Die ??

[Dozy]

For all of the advances in rates of survival for all sorts of diseases and in overall lifespan of people that have been made in parts of the world over the last 100 years, what has not been advancing at the same rate and appears to have remained completely constant is the rate at which our bodies seem to wear out and at which age we begin to struggle health wise, meaning that whilst 50 years ago someone would die at 70 after 5-10 years of declining health, these days someone born now may be expected to die 10 years later, but the onset of morbidity is at approximately the same age so they are likely to have 20 years or more of noticeable decline of health before death.

 

...

 

... results in more people surviving long enough to acquire the cancers which have always been a feature of old age.

 

...

 

And, worse than the cancers, more and more people are becoming senile, as they live longer, with the prospect of "living" for longer still, unable to care for themselves and ending up in a nursing home, with the sort of quality of life that would have a pet owner prosecuted by the RSPCA for cruelty.

 

I say roll on the day when the Government recognises that people should be allowed the right to choose to die with dignity. I have no wish to end up sitting in a pee-stained chair, dribbling food down my chin - but dread the possibility that I will deteriorate mentally to the extent that I don't have enough wits left to kill myself before I get to that stage.

[GrooveArmada]

Alot of people frightened of dying. I could not care less if i dropped dead typing this now. If i had the choice and was to come back would like to return as a part of the female body next time

 

I bet you would

 

Would come back as your eyes lol there is no lying in them and bet they seen a few sights

[Tipex]

I personally would not want to live forever, not to mention the huge social problems that would cause, I mean, people wouldn't stop having sex would they.

As for why we die, I don't really know, no-one does.

 

The answer that I'm leaning towards the most though would be the idea that we are driven to procreate and once we have ensured the survival of our children to child bearing age we aren't really required anymore, the selfish gene and all that.

 

Sex isn't everything and can be controled.

[artisan]

Sex isn't everything and can be controled.

 

The doctor once said,

You must give up sex by half.

I thought which half shall I give up?

Thinking about it, or talking about it.

 

(with apologies to Frankie Howard:D)

[medusa]

And, worse than the cancers, more and more people are becoming senile, as they live longer, with the prospect of "living" for longer still, unable to care for themselves and ending up in a nursing home, with the sort of quality of life that would have a pet owner prosecuted by the RSPCA for cruelty.

 

I say roll on the day when the Government recognises that people should be allowed the right to choose to die with dignity. I have no wish to end up sitting in a pee-stained chair, dribbling food down my chin - but dread the possibility that I will deteriorate mentally to the extent that I don't have enough wits left to kill myself before I get to that stage.

 

Having recently lost a very close relative to dementia I couldn't agree with you more. She weighed less than 4 stone when she died and had been silent, helpless and shut in a world of her own for almost 2 years, after 5 years of gradual decline and loss of abilities.

 

She died blind, deaf and emaciated in a state that I couldn't imagine even the most cruel of sadists imposing on another human being, let alone on one who was naturally so gentle and loving.

 

Months before she died, when we knew that she had passed down a one way street of decline, our family made a vow not to mourn for the person in that bed. That was not our relative, who had departed a long time ago. We mourn the loss of the person instead.

 

As a pet owner I have the privilege of being able to prevent my much loved animals from having to go through things like this and it's soul destroying to watch it happen to another human being and not be able to help them.

[melthebell]

Having recently lost a very close relative to dementia I couldn't agree with you more. She weighed less than 4 stone when she died and had been silent, helpless and shut in a world of her own for almost 2 years, after 5 years of gradual decline and loss of abilities.

 

She died blind, deaf and emaciated in a state that I couldn't imagine even the most cruel of sadists imposing on another human being, let alone on one who was naturally so gentle and loving.

 

Months before she died, when we knew that she had passed down a one way street of decline, our family made a vow not to mourn for the person in that bed. That was not our relative, who had departed a long time ago. We mourn the loss of the person instead.

 

As a pet owner I have the privilege of being able to prevent my much loved animals from having to go through things like this and it's soul destroying to watch it happen to another human being and not be able to help them.

 

one of the reasons we SHOULD have an option for "assisted suicide" without fear of long prison sentences in certain cases, i know i wouldnt want to go out like that, a shrivelled, anguished shell with no dignity

[flamingjimmy]

Sex isn't everything and can be controled.

 

wrong on both counts:P

[medusa]

one of the reasons we SHOULD have an option for "assisted suicide" without fear of long prison sentences in certain cases, i know i wouldnt want to go out like that, a shrivelled, anguished shell with no dignity

 

The really shocking thing was that the medical profession could (and was willing and trying to persuade us that it was appropriate to) prolong her 'life' yet further by putting her on parenteral or nasogastric feeding and IV fluids when she was no longer able to swallow for herself. They couldn't do anything to bring back the faculties, lost senses and quality of life, but they could prolong her existence.

 

As a family we were unanimous that it was inappropriate to do that and that if she had no quality then prolonging her existence just to avoid her dying was wrong on all fronts, from ethics to stress and finance.

 

As a result of our experiences every member of my family has both appointed another member of the family as an enduring power of attorney to make decisions for us as soon as we are unable to do so ourselves and without the need for going through any court, and also made a living will including our wishes about being resuscitated or kept alive artificially.

 

Why would the doctors insist on prolonging the agony? The hypocratic oath of not doing harm is being stretched to the limit in certain cases and it's really not right.

[artisan]

wrong on both counts:P

 

A sign of youth here.

 

It is like everything, the novelty becomes commonplace.

 

But I still notice one thing.

Pretty women are solar powered it seems.

 

You never see them in the winter, but come the summer they are stopping the traffic.

[flamingjimmy]

A sign of youth here.

Doesn't matter, it still means that if we start to live forever the world will get overpopulated, even if it's only the young that reproduce.

 

But I still notice one thing.

Pretty women are solar powered it seems.

 

You never see them in the winter, but come the summer they are stopping the traffic.

You've got it the wrong way round bro, summer just adds an extra couple of points to women. A 5 becomes a 7, a seven becomes a 9, and anything above that is a perfect 10.