Death and Living Well

"For let me tell you gentleman,that to be afraid of death is only another example of thinking one is wise when one is not."
Spoken by Socrates in Plato’s Apology

Sometimes the best thing that can be said of someone is that they shall soon be dead. Usually, though, it is just a nice additional thought to have about them. Yes, for some there is not much hope of redemption except in death, and yet they struggle against it all the more mightily, and spit and rail at its approach. We have for this long lived in fear of death. It is after all, a final end to the affair we carry on with ourselves, with the identities we develop over a lifetime of performances. Will there come a time when we will see the necessity of, even the wisdom in, our own timely demise?

What is it truly that we so dread? Is it the unproven worth of our timid souls? The unwitnessed glory of our defining moments? If only someone had been there to see our greatness, maybe our end would be welcomed more graciously then. I fear that those fears are reserved for far too few. Is it the abyss? The stinging loneliness of the yawning chasm. Nothingness? Have we not earned something more comforting than nothingness? Maybe it is our assumption that we deserve something better in the end than death. A thousand minds have taught us suspect theories that warm our hearts and defend us from the bitter cold clutches of nothingness.

In the modern era, we learned that most, though surely not all, of the possible causes for our premature decline can be nearly eliminated with healthy living. Yes, imagine this, healthy living postpones the onset of premature death. I will not conceal my complete lack of amazement at this incredible twenty first century discovery. Eating the food we have evolved to eat, in reasonable quantities, when accompanied by the vigorous exercise most often associated with an enthusiasm for living, will ensure in large part that you do not succumb too young to forgo the award of a full life.

Of course, tragedy is a very real, painful, and unavoidable fact of human life. Certainly the tragic end can not be avoided with diet and exercise. But then again, the quality of the life led up till then must be some compensation for the untimely demise that punctuated that life. At least I will have to end that particular inquiry there for now.

When I hear talk of health reform I must admit I cringe. I think the most important part of any health reform must be that we grow accustomed to the the thought of dying, of ceasing to exist, of embracing nothingness like the dear friend it has been to us all along. Think of the benefits, if instead of clutching at the tattered remains of our brief existence, we wrapped our withering arms around the abyss and exited with a noble gleam in our eye. It is possible. It seems to me that many times the heroic effort to prolong life only serves to fill the pockets of the providers, and reduce the quality of life for the dying.

Health care is really about inspiring people to live vigorously, and about an agriculture policy that enables farmers to provide a wide variety of nutritious whole food to as many people as possible reliably and sustainably. Health care is not about miraculous advances in chemical medicine disproportionately made available to the rich and fortunately born. Every dollar spent to save one wealthy and poorly maintained individual could save thousands if committed instead to the education and proper feeding of the many. This may not be a welcome statement, but I believe it is incontrovertibly true.

When healthcare became an industry, it ceased to be concerned with the well being of humans, and became instead a means to enrich very few at the expense of human health. When I think of the oft touted Bush AIDS initiative in Africa I almost weep. The population of a continent become the captive clientele of the drug companies. Well enough to return to normal life, and maybe continue to expand the client base of the drug companies, but never well enough again to declare their independence from the companies that hold the patents on their future. This is the greatest humanitarian contribution of G.W.B.

So then, I suggest that if we want to save the world, and make the future a better place not only for our own grandchildren, but for the grandchildren of people in forgotten lands abroad, then I suggest we take better care of ourselves on a daily basis, and not seek extraordinary care when the time comes for us to end our love affair with ourselves. This is of course an unsettling and difficult maxim to accept. What though would we think of Socrates had he pleaded for his life? One might even observe that it would have taken so little from him to achieve his reprieve. He had instead completed the sculpture that was his existence, he had lived well, and it was the right time to die.