Re: TNG - Half a Life
Posted: Sun Nov 15, 2020 12:49 am
I think the central issue of this episode is such a big deal because our society (probably most societies around the world) the value of life is measured in quantity, not quality. Most people seem that they would rather take a dozen pills every morning, get a bunch of injections every year, do endless rounds of chemotherapy, or whatever other unpleasantry it takes to prolong their life as long as possible.
As someone who has always valued the quality of life over the quantity, who has never dreamed of growing old, and who has supported Right To Die as long as I can remember, this episode isn't presenting a shocking idea. (I wish I could remember what my reaction was to it when it first aired, but all I remembered was the general plot and "oh hey it's the guy from MASH!")
Same sort of thing when my then-girlfriend got me to watch "Harold & Maude." Painless ritual suicide at an appropriate age sounds fantastic. I'll take it over fighting cancer, going blind, needing a walker, or deteriorating mental faculties any day. I never wanted to survive like that when I was 20, I sure don't when I'm 40.
I certainly see the merits in granting Timicin an extension given his work and health, but doing so runs a serious risk of a slippery slope as others start asking for exceptions unless you kept the "quantity over quality" idea from ever gaining traction.
In modern American society the age should be 80 instead of 60, with the option to do it sooner for those whose health issued started earlier. It would especially be idea if our lives were configured into quarters: 0-20 childhood and education; 21-60 working and being a productive member of society; 61-80 retirement and relaxation before death. Obviously that's not what we have now.
It's not just about avoiding suffering (and making room for the next generation in the work force as someone else commented in this thread). Look at modern politics. We just had a presidential election between two men in their 70s. Not only is the physical and mental condition of both of them questionable, but the world is leaving them behind.
If you were born in 1700 or even 1800, how much had the world really changed by the time you were 70? Not much overall. But if you were born in 1900, in your lifetime humans have created airplanes, spaceflight, TV, and atomic weapons. You went through two world wars, a global pandemic, and a global economic depression. People born in 1950 have had to deal with computers, social media, substantial shifts in views on race, gender, drugs, and music. Seeing the things good, well-meaning elderly people deal with today (and I'm not even talking about their health or finances) leaves me unsettled at the thought of what I will see in my 70s. It's already started. Music is leaving me behind. I'm not woke. I don't understand your Vines and your TikToks; I'm still playing videogames from 20 years ago. They're trying to turn all my books and music digital. I think progress in the last century or so has proceeded at a pace faster than we can adapt to it, but I have no idea how to slow it down.
I think one of the things about a fixed expiration age that appeals to me is that it's neat, orderly, and controlled. It reduces uncertainty. Alas, this is a world of chaos, and that's how most of you want it.
As someone who has always valued the quality of life over the quantity, who has never dreamed of growing old, and who has supported Right To Die as long as I can remember, this episode isn't presenting a shocking idea. (I wish I could remember what my reaction was to it when it first aired, but all I remembered was the general plot and "oh hey it's the guy from MASH!")
Same sort of thing when my then-girlfriend got me to watch "Harold & Maude." Painless ritual suicide at an appropriate age sounds fantastic. I'll take it over fighting cancer, going blind, needing a walker, or deteriorating mental faculties any day. I never wanted to survive like that when I was 20, I sure don't when I'm 40.
I certainly see the merits in granting Timicin an extension given his work and health, but doing so runs a serious risk of a slippery slope as others start asking for exceptions unless you kept the "quantity over quality" idea from ever gaining traction.
In modern American society the age should be 80 instead of 60, with the option to do it sooner for those whose health issued started earlier. It would especially be idea if our lives were configured into quarters: 0-20 childhood and education; 21-60 working and being a productive member of society; 61-80 retirement and relaxation before death. Obviously that's not what we have now.
It's not just about avoiding suffering (and making room for the next generation in the work force as someone else commented in this thread). Look at modern politics. We just had a presidential election between two men in their 70s. Not only is the physical and mental condition of both of them questionable, but the world is leaving them behind.
If you were born in 1700 or even 1800, how much had the world really changed by the time you were 70? Not much overall. But if you were born in 1900, in your lifetime humans have created airplanes, spaceflight, TV, and atomic weapons. You went through two world wars, a global pandemic, and a global economic depression. People born in 1950 have had to deal with computers, social media, substantial shifts in views on race, gender, drugs, and music. Seeing the things good, well-meaning elderly people deal with today (and I'm not even talking about their health or finances) leaves me unsettled at the thought of what I will see in my 70s. It's already started. Music is leaving me behind. I'm not woke. I don't understand your Vines and your TikToks; I'm still playing videogames from 20 years ago. They're trying to turn all my books and music digital. I think progress in the last century or so has proceeded at a pace faster than we can adapt to it, but I have no idea how to slow it down.
I think one of the things about a fixed expiration age that appeals to me is that it's neat, orderly, and controlled. It reduces uncertainty. Alas, this is a world of chaos, and that's how most of you want it.