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Love
for Life
-
so far frequently just Double Standard of Morals in our
Society
by
Wolfgang Fischer
(pdf.file)
The
Dutch model of active euthanasia is spurring the guardians
of morality into action. Yet instead of using the
opportunity for an open debate about a humane way of dying
outside the sphere of interest of the medical industry, the
modern Pharisees are engaging in noisy and vehement
polemics. Such a debate in the face of legalised euthanasia
in Holland certainly needs to be controversial; nonetheless
we should not overlook the fact that an act of compassion
concerning senseless human suffering in the face of death is
long overdue. Whether lethal injection towards this end
should be permitted, seems questionable precisely because
natural ways of dying are in many cases still being
withheld. People refusing food and fluids from an expressed
and documented inner wish to die, should no longer be
force-fed after the longed-for moment of their losing
consciousness; this is inhumane. Just as pain is being
relieved through drugs as a matter of course, so should in
clearly defined cases the death wish of individuals doomed
to die be accepted. If truly loving life, everyone ought to
be concerned also about the mental pains and insecurities
along the path of mortals. This poses a specific cultural
challenge which has so far been largely neglected.
An
act of grace which has long become a matter of course with
animals and pets should no longer be allowed to be
presented, with very dubious argumentation, as unacceptable
for humans or even endangering our civilisation.
Precondition for a way of euthanasia that accepts death as
the natural ending of all life and ensures a sensitive
companionship in the final hours, is a truly life-loving and
life-supportive culture of humaneness, such as has yet to be
developed.
In
stark contrast to this, current comments range from
"outrageous presumption" and "destruction of civilisation"
to "break with our Christian and humanist tradition..."
Active euthanasia is said to be incompatible with the
Hippocratic oath, "God is holding his hand over life and
death"... Thus for instance the Lutheran Church of Germany.
The
mendacity and insincerity of the double standard of morals
evident in these hypocritical reactions is mind-boggling.
Blessings
of weapons by the churches, institutionalised pastoral care
of the military, the arms industry as a generally accepted
branch of economics, the German government's reintroduction
of a policy of armed conflict in violation of the intent of
the German constitution, the failure to outlaw war on the
international level, regulations concerning the handling of
physical and chemical pollutants that are pro-industry and
anti-life, the ways of dealing with nascent human life in
connection with the debate about gene technology, the gene
technology with its false promises as such - all these
manifestations of our civilisation, besides sundry other
everyday cruelties and systemic injustices, bear witness to
a rampant general "culture of destruction and
killing"- a fact which the representatives of our
established institutions are still turning a blind eye to.
As long as civilised societies are siding with those who
scorn Life and favour Capital, accepting and encouraging
behaviour that devalues nature solely for the sake of
material gain, they are quite blatantly turning humans into
slaves whilst exploiting nature. Their love for life,
expressed in ever so smooth formulations, proves to be a
fake.
The
values providing orientation in our society have long been
shifted from nature needing protection, from life needing
protection and from solidarity needing to be actively
encouraged, towards a general acceptance of violence against
nature and life and towards legally protected greed without
any regard for the social or ecological consequences. And
the supportive attitude of Neoliberalism
towards the blasphemy of modern life is truly the
limit.
Love
for life requires a simple ethics. A truthful "destruction
of civilisation", which is still to be hoped for, would be
the clear break with the life-throttling status quo of the
currently ruling politics. It is high time for us to hold
our hand over life and death ourselves so that, defending
the dignity of life, we may put a stop to the activities of
the profiteers. The increasing urgency of this is shown by
the current
neoliberal
policies of neglect and destruction of our ecological and
social foundations.
Any
debate concerning this issue ought to query the actually
given foundations of modern life. It is high time to
initiate a 'post-civilisation' age - an era of actual
respect for our natural conditions and dependencies. An era
of outlawing historically developed life-threatening habits
and behaviour patterns. An era, finally, of partnership with
nature, of friendship among fellow humans. An era of a
therapeutic culture where social justice and equality of
opportunity for each individual have become a matter of
course. An era of love for the life on our
planet.
here
is more on the subject: http://emanzipationhumanum.de/english/titels.html#1
(
german
) ( spanish
)
Emanzipation
Humanum,
version 5.2001, translation form german to english by
Rainer
Taëni.
Criticism, suggestions as to form and content, dialogue,
translation into other languages are all
desired
http://emanzipationhumanum.de/english/love.html
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