January 15, 2013
-
Killing Yourself
Identical Belgian twin brothers who were born deaf and became blind, decided they wanted to die with the help of their doctor.
The doctor gave them lethal injections. In Belgium, euthanasia is legal.The two men died together after drinking coffee. They were 45 years old. Here is the link: LinkWould you want to die if you were deaf and blind?
Comments (60)
No.
Yes. How would I play video games?!
Yooo Helen Keller didn’t and she was still amazing!
Helen Keller made something of her life when she was deaf and blind. “Perfect” people are not the ones who impact this world. Courageous ones do.
Their story is one of lost hope. It is very sad.
I’d probably want to at first, but then I’d offer myself to researchers as an opportunity to perfect optical and audio technologies that integrate with wetware.
It’s hard for me to say yes, or no. None of the pleasures I enjoy now would be available to me, I don’t think. Maybe.
Not unless I was old and felt like I’d had my turn at life. If I was around 50, maybe.
I love life. I didn’t realize that until I almost died. It has incited me.
They have implants for the blind now to help them a little. I would sign up to be an experiment.
I guess I shouldn’t judge them though. There was a point in my life when I really wanted to die. That version of Kaela is dead now. She got what she wanted. I read her, and we’re completely different people. We don’t even have the same writing style. And my family likes “me” better than her.
Brain damage…
Sometimes, my grandma refers to me in third person when we’re talking. “Kaela was…” Honestly, Kaela is dead. I’m a body snatcher.
@Matt Henderson@facebook - go spam “Breaking Benjamin.”
Though I think all life is worthy of life.
Hope you feel better soon.
Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.
Both… yes. One or the other no.
i can only imagine what it would be like…but i honestly think i would still want to live. although…not being able to see or hear must be already a lot like death.
@Losertastic - i was just going to put “If hellen Keller can do it! I can too!”
It would be a very miserable life, but I guess I could tough it out. It would make many of my hobbies very difficult or impossible to do, though.
No way, I’d get disability and do drugs all day.
Well, I’m white and female, and that’s probably the same thing, right?
I don’t know. I hope I never face that reality. That’s so sad. May they rest in peace.
Even if I was blind and deaf I could still get one of those ‘dragon’ technologies to listen to me speak and I could write that way. In other words, no.
Maybe… yeah.
I can’t imagine living life being hearing impaired and blind, but i don’t think, i’ll give up on life, i’ll prob gather and try all possiblities for a cure at least for sight.
I think to die, should be a free right.
That doctor should be ashamed of assisting in their death
I love hellen keller’s story and i read sth she said that was truly inspiring when asked in an interview i think bout what would be worse than being born blind and she replied, to have sight and no vision.
Probably. I’ve often thought that if I were to become paralyzed I’d probably rather die then too.
No. I believe in a God who is smarter than I. I’d have to stick around just to see God’s solution for my predicament.
no but i’d need a lot of help to get me used to my disabilities.
Fox news… hmm… okay, I verified it.
Well, that is just something isn’t it.
Wow!
probably, but that doesn’t mean I’d go through with it.
probably. for me, it’s all about quality of life. i feel like i could deal with either one— blindness or deafness— alone, but not together.
Wow, I’m not sure what I’d do. I suppose I could still taste and hear, it might be a blessing not to be able to see then I could eat whatever I want and not worry how I look lol but seriously…that’s tough. It was their decision and at least they didn’t die alone.
What would you use for porn?
@sarahsmurfette - exactly.
And I find it terrible that in Beligium, as well as in many other countries, people are encouraged to die, rather than to live.
Life is a miracle…it’s fucking awesome that we are concious, no matter what, we CAN make something of it. especially nowadays.
“the right to die” is just a euphemistic synonym for “we don’t care enough to help you; if you don’t function with ease you get sorted out”
and everyone who has to deal with a great loss, and feels like there’s no hope at all (which is many many people as we all know), will pick up on the message decisions like this send:
“yes, you are indeed worthless.”
That’s a question that concerns us all because it can (it probably even WILL at some point) happen to anyone.
That said, I am in favor of something that here in Germany is referred to as “active dying aid”. That means, when someone is already literally dying, and has only a few hours or days of pain ahead, it is better to let them die of e.g. a high dose of morphine in lieu of a more painful natural death. (I don’t imagine drowning by water in my lungs or bleeding out or choking very nice for example)
I do not encourage killing someone who is depressed because they are in a severe state of crisis (and has many more years to live)
More than likely, yes. Especially after having seen and heard things. Maybe being born one or the other, you don’t miss it. But to be born deaf and then go blind, too? I’d have to imagine that’d be a pretty isolated and unhappy life.
If blind no. If deaf then definitely yes. Deaf people are the worst. I’d rather be dead than deaf.
If I suddenly became deaf and blind, probably. It sounds like I’d be stuck with my own brain for company, and that doesn’t sound fun.. If I were born that way, who knows.
No – I would learn sign language and get a dog that could go anywhere with me
I too would offer myself up to science so they have a living (somewhat) functioning body with which to test their latest and greatest.
I just want to die because my life sux and that there is no reason sometimes for me to live.
@MyPublicSite - I agree.
As for the original question, I want to die everyday anyway being blind and deaf would not change that fact. However, I would make the same choice I do now. I would choose to live and work on through it.
I think it should be an individuals right to choose how to live or die based on the quality of their lives. It is a hard issue…I think I would choose too considering my quality of life right now combined with being deaf and blind. But hey none of us can really answer this question until we face it for real.
@SasGal - Only when you’re behind a steering wheel.
I would paint fantastical paintings of sludge and never hear any praise.
Being deaf and blind would SUCK ASS. I love music, and I love women/porn. Unimaginable sorrow! Not sure I’d kill myself, though. I mean, I guess I’d make do with the sense of touch, if you know what I mean. Boom shaka laka!
I work with people who are deaf, blind, disabled, etc… I find many wonders just like they do in the simplest things in life. Both put together makes things a bit difficult but I think I would keep striving to live my life.
I respect anyones call on it. I’m not blind or deaf and I’ve wanted to die so many times. it’s a personal choice.
That would depend entirely on what else was going on in my life.
I do, however, believe that if we have the right to end the life of an unborn child, we have the right to end our own. Whether that decision is correct or not is up for debate just like every other personal decision we make.
I think at that point I’d be pretty much over the whole ‘living’ thing.
This very story proves THERE IS NO GOD!!! Get it through your fucking thick skulls!
To be honest, I don’t know. As a person who is neither blind nor deaf, I don’t think I can relate to the question or to the people who committed suicide. But I know of someone who was paralyzed from the neck down. If I were that person, I would most likely want to kill myself because there’s only so much you can. The limitation can become painful – so painful that I may want to kill myself. One thing I do believe is that as a person, it should be within our rights to decide our fate – to live or die.
I initially read this post early this morning and had to walk away to think about my answer. I feel that if I was in pain with no relief in sight, then yes, I would take the road these men took. However, they had a disability that could have been overcome with determination and success. Therefore, I feel sad that these men ended their life at such a young age.
@shezadey - Why? It was their choice.
I, nor anyone else, can say for sure what we’d do unless we’re ever in that situation… like many other situations. Interesting topic though.
What! 50 is old. Sh!t! Guess I’m done. But with a disease which would make life an insufferable burden, then yes. But those things are not insufferable or insurmountable. There starts the argument though–who decides what that threshold is in any given situation.
can’t say. i don’t really know how i’d feel. i am sure that at first, i’d wish i were dead. but with advancing technology, you never know what could be fixed. and besides, there is more to life than just hearing and seeing.
Good question and I do not know how to answer it.
aren’t we all already to some degree?
I think I would heavily consider it if it was a lonely life.
How can I say unless I was in that position? Nobody knows until that’s the reality they face. I don’t judge them either way.
@Nous_Apeiron - Good answer. Cures for diseases are at a crawl, but technology is progressing remarkably.
This is very sad. This motivates me to continue to prepare myself to continue the works that Jesus did when he walked the earth. It is recorded in the 14th chapter and the 12th & 13th verses of the book of John, that he encouraged his followers to continue to do the work that he was doing. I have in times past prayed for people that had deaf ears and they begin to be able hear. I found it easy to be used of God in this manner because it states in the 10th chapter and the 17th verse of the book of Romans that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. This makes it clear that it is God’s will for people to hear the word of God so they may obtain faith to overcome obstacles in their life. Knowing this scripture gave me faith to be an instrument for God to use to bring hearing to those that were deaf.
It pains me to see people suffer.
That’s a very good question. I didnt really think much of it, but I use my eyes and ears so much. I have music going almost nonstop other than that I’m either watching tv or playing video games. I dont really know how I could cope with the feeling of not being able to do the things I love anymore. Death would definitely come to mind, but I don’t know how far it would actually go though :-/
I’d just start working on my super powers.
It’s a personal choice but since they weren’t born blind their good candidates for bionic eyes. Ten years down the line we might have something very workable.
no. i’d focus on the other senses… smell and touch and taste.
find something good to eat.
Hug people and animals all day so I could feel connected. Go outside and feel the sunshine on my cheeks.
Pray to Jesus for healing.