> -----Original Message----- > From: SciFiNoir_Lit@yahoogroups.com > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Carole McDonnell > Sent: Wednesday, June 28, 2006 8:16 PM > To: SciFiNoir_Lit@yahoogroups.com > Subject: [SciFiNoir Lit] Re: Isaac Asimov died from AIDS > I wasn't talking about acceptance of death actually. > My point was specifically about whether Person A could say that > Persom B would or should be pragmatic about the end of Person B's > life. > It's the "someone else" factor.
I didn't get the impression he was saying that. It seemed he was suggesting that Asimov *could* have been content with his death, that's all. > As for wanting to die, I'm sure many people have accepted death. And > some have raged against the dying of the light. But I suspect that > when someone has written many stories and probably wants to write > many more, they would be a bit stressed to suddenly be told that they > really have lived a long life. Again it's the "someone else" judging > the worth of another person's life. And judging it by the year factor. But aren't you doing that, by suggesting that a writer, or someone who's lived a full life (whether real or perceived), should be unhappy about the approach of death? As you say, it has nothing to do with age. I think it has nothing to do with artistry/profession, either. Even the best writers can reach a point at which they feel they've told enough stories, or told the right stories, and can therefore die in good conscience. If I recall, Yukio Mishima (in his thirties or early forties, I think) killed himself in part because he'd completed his magnum opus, and felt that he'd done enough to make himself worthy of an honorable death. > This is not about whether accepting the afterlife in a positive > manner. I personally would like nothing better than to die and go to > heaven and be with Christ, but isn't that the point? That we cannot > use ageism to say "well this person has lived a long life." So I've > accepted the joys of after-death. It wasn't death I had the problem > with but with people thinking that once a person -- productive or not- > - has reached a certain age, then life doesn't matter to them > anymore. The young hate life sometimes -- as I often do. And the old > love it. That's a big assumption, Carole, and I think you know it can't be true for *all* old people. Or they fear death and resent it when it comes. Age and > should not be the decisive factor about whether one should sue in a > wrongful death case. Nor for that matter should that other vague > bugaboo "quality of life" be judged by someone else. I think it can't be denied that Asimov lived *well* during his years, accomplishing much and gaining international fame. Granted, Asimov himself may not have considered his accomplishments to be worth much -- though there's no evidence of this -- so you're right in that no one can say how he really felt about his life. Even his wife may not be sure. But I don't think it's far off base to say that in comparison with most people, he'd lived an extraordinary life. > We don't want a fascist world ruled by young people who think that > old people should be rational and positively go gently into that good > night just because the old person is ...old. -C I can't speak for MD Moore, but I really don't think he was suggesting mass euthanasia on anyone over 65. =) And do you consider those cultures of the world which *do* espouse elderly suicide to all be fascist? The Inuit, for example? Nora ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Yahoo! Groups gets a make over. See the new email design. http://us.click.yahoo.com/XISQkA/lOaOAA/yQLSAA/DtIolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Community email addresses: Post message: SciFiNoir_Lit@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe Digest Mode: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SciFiNoir_Lit/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SciFiNoir_Lit/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
