Should people have the "right to die"?
Last week, a woman in France who was suffering from debilitating facial tumors was denied the right to end her life painlessly and with dignity by the courts. Two days later, she killed herself - so I'm not exactly sure of what the courts thought they were trying to accomplish. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080321/ap_o... Because of this case, several European countries are now reevaluating their euthanasia laws. Do you think that severely injured and/or terminally ill people have the legal right to die with dignity and on their own terms?
Why do people from other countries think they have a right to live the American dream when they have nothing to offer and would only milk us from housing, medical, schooling, etc?
Because it's true... living the American dream. Many peoples have immigrated to America and made a good life for themselves. However, I wouldn't say that they “milked" us in the process. Many came here with nothing, found a niche that Americans loved, and began to make money. As the money multiplied, so did their ambition. They went for larger and larger customer bases. Once they achieved that, they found property or existing businesses that had been abandoned, built on the property, or restored the business and used it to make a sizable profit.For some, it took a few years and it took others a decade or more, but they persevered and made it work. Many Americans don't live the American Dream because they are not willing to do what it takes to make it happen. We are the “land of opportunity". But, if you don't pursue that opportunity and achieve it, you will never move forward.I've heard many complaints about how these Foreigners are coming here and taking our jobs away from us. Why? Because we don't want to do them ourselves. “Menial tasks are for the menial, not for me,” I've heard people say. Many millionaires started out mucking stalls. Then they ended up learning the ropes about horse ranching or horse racing and ended up owning one of their own.In conclusion, these people from other countries are primarily living their own dreams… in America. Once they do, they also contribute to the economy of this nation through paying taxes and buying American products. It's a win-win scenario for them and us.I've also seen some of these foreign people hire Americans to work for them or even lead them to a more successful business strategy. So, come into the 21st century and, if they are here legally, allow them to live their dreams in America as American citizens.
Do you believe people have the right to choose how they want to live?
“Do you believe people have the right to choose how they want to live?”Within limits. There is no absolute, unfettered right to choose however you want to live because humans are social animals and almost all of us are constantly interacting with others.In the United States, during the 2012 Presidential campaign Obama stated that You didn't build that. The Republicans tried to turn this against him, but they were flat out wrong and Obama was essentially correct. From birth on, each of us is indebted to our parents and the society they live in. As the saying goes “It takes a village to raise a child”.Even the hermit has a relationship with society, if they are striking out into the wilderness with the clothes on their backs and the tools they need to stay alive.A wise man, Ambrose Beirce, was the author of The Devil’s Dictionary, found here: THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY - by AMBROSE BIERCEHis definition of “Land” is instructive:LAND, n. A part of the earth's surface, considered as property. The theory that land is property subject to private ownership and control is the foundation of modern society, and is eminently worthy of the superstructure. Carried to its logical conclusion, it means that some have the right to prevent others from living; for the right to own implies the right exclusively to occupy; and in fact laws of trespass are enacted wherever property in land is recognized. It follows that if the whole area of terra firma is owned by A, B and C, there will be no place for D, E, F and G to be born, or, born as trespassers, to exist.As you can see, any absolute claim to private property is absurd. So even the hermit has an implicit negotiation with the rest of society to be left alone, especially since the human population is so large. Currently we have about 5 acres of land per person ( Population and Arable Land ). Anyone living on more than that has taken more than their share.Now, with all that being said, we have a right to choose how to live, but it must be negotiated with those around us. This negotiation is usually summed up in terms of the rules of society and governance. A person cannot choose this on their own. Even anarchy is an implicit social contract between people in a society.
Why do people feel that they have a right to live?
Ah! It’s a nice question, but i think it’s not correctly put. People don’t stay alive because they think they have a right to live. Most people don’t care about moral or legal obligations during difficult situations. [Legal obligation owing to the fact that Right to Live is a fundamental right and it is illegal to kill oneself] Do you really think a beggar who is living a miserable life doesn’t take his own life because it is illegal. No beggar gives a damn about the law. Also, it isn’t that people don’t kill themselves because of societal pressures. In fact almost all of the suicide cases have society as one of its core reasons.So the real question here is that why don’t people kill themselves when situation becomes pathetic? I’ll try to point out:Killing oneself is not a natural alternative since our body (hence our mind to a great extent) is hard wired to protect itself. Don’t believe. Try killing yourself by holding your breath. It is a proven fact that you can’t. There would be a reflex of deep exhalation to flush out the un-purified air (e.g., carbon dioxide) from the lungs. This i think is a result of evolution whose one basic tenet is the survival of the fittest. One would never tend to kill oneself naturally. Hence the techniques used by the suicide victims are the ones in which they subject the body to a situation which is beyond recovery like jumping off a ledge. Though their mind knows they would die, the body is not subjected to any tension and hence wouldn’t react. Same is the reason why people hang themselves instead of just holding their breath or strangling themselves. Owing to the stress and “courage” they overcome the enigma of mind and take the extreme step. Another point in case is that a difficult situation (which you worded as hard times) in life need not always lead to mental stress. A homeless vagabond collecting alms may be smugly living his life without any pressure whatsoever. It’s only when the hard times lead to mental pressure that people consider alternatives to escape.The other reason why people don’t just blow themselves up is “hope”. However destituted a person may be there is always a tinge of hope that things will improve in future. Even if there is nothing left in his own life, he hopes for a better future for his children or family. And by far, this hope is definitely an essential element in human survival. I will end here with one of my favorite quotes from The Shawshank Redemption:
Do alcoholics have a right to have a liver transplant?
Do people who eat poisonous mushrooms have a right to a new liver? Do people who OD on Tylenol have a right to a new liver? Does someone who has already been transplanted twice have a right to a third liver? Does a liver transplant patient have a right to a new kidney because the tx drugs have destroyed the orignal one? Of course, all these qustions would be moot if every usable organ was made available for transplant. Sign an organ donor card today.
Why do some people feel they have the right to question how I live my life?
Some people are motivated by a deep-seated insecurity that forces them to criticize others to make up for that. Folks who are continually ranting about others supposed moral inferiority or even choices in clothing or movies or political candidates are often projecting. But realize that these people are not trying to be mean — they are really unaware of the real reason they need to do this. It’s often an hysterical compulsion, like the person who just lost some weight and spends all day lecturing strangers about their health habits. But also realize that some people are genuinely concerned about you. So don’t let it get to you too much. Also, spend a few minutes asking them why they believe what they say, and simply say, “I’ll think about. Now let it go.”
Is freedom just the right to live as you wish?
If you are truly free, you can live however you wish.That part is true, but people fail to realise the other half; consequence.When it comes to freedom, we all think of action, that nobody can stop or regulate our action. We can do whatever we want to, when we are free.Fine, let’s accept that you can do whatever you want to.Now, recall the principle of causation. In a nutshell, cause leads to effect.So if your actions are the cause, the consequence is the effect which arises from your action.Say you killed someone, thinking that you are free to act however you wished. Okay, we can accept that you acted on your freedom and used that right to take someone’s life.Now the natural consequence of that is punishment.To understand the consequence and to answer the question of “why punishment?” is to realise that our right to freedom is not an exclusive right. Other people also have those same rights, and so if our actions were to infringe upon their rights, then by some form of justice, punitive action will take place.True freedom requires responsibility of action, knowing that everything may be permissible, but the consequences may not be beneficial.If we start thinking that our freedom is an excuse to act in a way that takes away from the rights of others then that is not real freedom, but just a disguise for criminal intent.