I think that by rational, Ed is referring more to a process of deliberation that help avoid mistakes in decision-making, rather than hard-core logic or defendability against others.
Also, and I would agree with him, he might point out that suicide is 'final', where the examples you give are, while serious, not unrecuperable. Cheers, Lawry -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:Cordell.Arthur@;ic.gc.ca] Sent: Friday, November 15, 2002 2:07 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: Over Bloody Eighty (was Who's afraid of declining population? Well there seems to be consensus on the need for rationality re: suicide, assisted or not. Interesting. There is almost no other area of life where rationality rules. We assume it does. But it doesn't. Try marriage. Decision to have children. Choice of job. Location. Choice of automobile. Where to go for vacation. Etc. arthur -----Original Message----- From: Ed Weick [mailto:ec086636@;eisa.com] Sent: Friday, November 15, 2002 11:34 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Over Bloody Eighty (was Who's afraid of declining population? Lawry: > I like your notion of a social process for suicide, and the idea of a small > group of advisers, not controlling the outcome. I am not sure about having a > government role in ensuring anything. Perhaps this reflects my growing > concern over the loss of civil rights in the US that is occurring under the > umbrella concept of 'security.' Perhaps your government in Canada is still > operating more benignly. Is there any way you can see your process being > effective without any governmental role? I do agree that it should be a > rational process... I think that any process as serious as assisted suicide needs to be refereed to ensure that the rules around it are followed. As I noted, people are not always rational. They are also not always honest. I selecting the group that would help the individual make the final decision, you would have to be absolutely certain that no one in that group had a stake in the suicide if, say, the suicide was a rich uncle. Perhaps an ombudsman, free of political or bureaucratic intervention could fulfill this role. > SAD: I wonder if I have a mild case of it, as well. Very mild, compared to > what you describe. I'll have to monitor myself and see if Novembers and > Aprils see a difference. Sorry to hear that your son has it worse...it must > make things difficult for him. Is he old enough to understand what is > happening, and that it is not 'rational'? It's really quite common, Lawry. There are lots of websites on it, mostly quite informative. I rather marvel at people like my wife who coasts from season to season with no mood changes whatsoever. As for my son, he's forty-five and a professional geologist and currently undergoing a bit of a career change. He's coped with it marvelously well. > I wonder if it is a matter of light? I heard about some therapy that > involves an afflicted individual looking at bright full-spectrum light. Yes, indeed, light has a lot to do with it, and light therapy is used. However, just being outdoors for an hour or so in broad daylight, whether its cloudy or not, is probably just as good. That's what I try to do. Best regards, Ed Ed Weick 577 Melbourne Ave. Ottawa, ON, K2A 1W7 Canada Phone (613) 728 4630 Fax (613) 728 9382
