If anyone here hasn't listened to his "protocol for dying" episode of The Changelog from several months ago, you really should: https://changelog.com/205/
I'm choosing euthanasia etd 1pm. I have no last words.
211–220 of 306 posts
Re: I'm choosing euthanasia etd 1pm. I have no last words.
#212I have known Pieter since around 2002. We didn't meet or talk that often, but usually we would have a fun few hours every FOSDEM. On one of those occasions we defined "our" religion, stallmanism.com Pieter transferred the site and domain to me a few days ago. In the past few months I have been almost obsessed with consuming everything he wrote and published. It is exactly my way of thinking. Of questioning reality an…
I first became aware of Pieter from the 0MQ documentation. I stumbled across community and process section of the 0MQ guide and I was hooked. I've been tremendously moved by the dignity and humanity with which he's faced terminal disease.
0MQ is fantastic. It's how I first found out about him, too. That library is an absolute pleasure to use.
Re: I'm choosing euthanasia etd 1pm. I have no last words.
#213I have known Pieter since around 2002. We didn't meet or talk that often, but usually we would have a fun few hours every FOSDEM. On one of those occasions we defined "our" religion, stallmanism.com Pieter transferred the site and domain to me a few days ago. In the past few months I have been almost obsessed with consuming everything he wrote and published. It is exactly my way of thinking. Of questioning reality an…
"God is Us, God is the Community."
Re: I'm choosing euthanasia etd 1pm. I have no last words.
#214I have known Pieter since around 2002. We didn't meet or talk that often, but usually we would have a fun few hours every FOSDEM. On one of those occasions we defined "our" religion, stallmanism.com Pieter transferred the site and domain to me a few days ago. In the past few months I have been almost obsessed with consuming everything he wrote and published. It is exactly my way of thinking. Of questioning reality an…
I'm just discovering him, and reading through his blog. His writing is just what I needed right now, at this time in my life. Particularly about how to be happy. I think when you've lived such a prolific life, you don't need any last words. His life's work speaks for itself.
> His writing is just what I needed right now, at this time in my life. Particularly about how to be happy.
This is the particular blog post in which he talks about 'how to be happy'
Re: I'm choosing euthanasia etd 1pm. I have no last words.
#215Earlier quoted context omitted.
We all die at some point. While I too abhor cancer I find hard to fear it more than any other thing that can kill me - a stroke, a car accident, etc. The universe is out to get us - we've evolved into tough bastard but we've not defeated mortality.
*yet I am 100% confident that within the next two hundred years (baring some massive war, dark age, etc.) We will be able to use gene therapy to reduce cancer risk to negligible levels. We will probably even master the ability to program cells to do what we want... At which point all diseases where the body breaks down will likely be gone. That's not to say, we won't have issues regarding illness - just our bodies wo…
And then overpopulation will become a problem even more than it is now.
Re: I'm choosing euthanasia etd 1pm. I have no last words.
#216Nice people dying and terrible people living like forever, this world sucks :(
Re: I'm choosing euthanasia etd 1pm. I have no last words.
#217Earlier quoted context omitted.
Radiation and chemo therapies are one of the most horrific things one can endure. Depending on the type of cancer, you can go in a few weeks, months, or fight the battle for years. Even if you endure and persist, which gets progressively easier for a lot of cancers thanks to more advanced therapies, you have to fear recurrence. I'm not at all opposed to ending one s own life if done without severe psychological issue…
>If done without severe psychological issues and done thoughtfully after plenty consideration. I'm even mixed with psychological issues on this. We can help a lot of depression; some folks with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and a slew of others. But some, help is just barely help. If they've been trying treatment for 15-20 years as an adult, and have found life to be agonizing for the most part, and they've talked…
If you're fine with a significant margin of error with people's lives, it's a step above. If you believe psychiatry is a mature field (it's not) it might even make sense.
Re: I'm choosing euthanasia etd 1pm. I have no last words.
#218Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Would a black bar be considered? As on top of HN? I guess somone would have to e-mail admins for that.
You sound like you don't know so... black bar usually happens when someone prominent in the community dies. Pretty sure the HN admins are reading this thread and are fully aware.
Thanks, I actually didn't know that.
Re: I'm choosing euthanasia etd 1pm. I have no last words.
#219Earlier quoted context omitted.
>I'm crying because I feel very helpless. As a fellow human I am unable to do anything to help you. I am sorry. Although this is a poor comparison for a million reasons, I just put my beloved dog down a week ago. Helpless is the word here. Its incredible how many game-enders we casually flirt with everyday, how powerful illness can be, how illness makes us make tough decisions, how poorly we handle end of life issues…
Pets are no less an important member of your family than a spouse, children, parents, etc. We may obtain these companions knowing full well we expect to outlive them many times over, but that doesn't mean the eventual loss impacts us less than losing any other member of our family. Never think your comparison isn't apt because it's "just a pet" :)
Actually yes, a pet is a much less important member of your family than a spouse, children or parent.
Re: I'm choosing euthanasia etd 1pm. I have no last words.
#220Earlier quoted context omitted.
Over 500,000 people die of cancer in the US, and over 8 million worldwide. Maybe you can't do something about one particular person today but millions of more future deaths can be prevented. Some of the people here will be dying "early" deaths in 10 or 20 years. You won't be saying: "well, you've gotta go someday when you have a couple of kids", for example.
I like your post, but before you will inspire few folks to visit some cancer fighting "non-profit" venture, it is important to look at cancer further then just those companies that are fighting it (but of course would never want to end it for good - I mean after all they have a lifetime mission (and salaries to pay), right?) You see, cancer was a tiny spot on radar just 50 years ago. Or 100 even more. So the question…
I appreciate your comment, apparently others aren't yet able to put the whole picture together.
Don't worry, it takes years, eventually someone will simplify these explanations enough for most other understand them.
We as a species have decided that killing is how you cure.
This is wrong, on every. single. level.
This isn't an anti science rant, this is the truth, and for those who down voted this post, you're not yet aware, but someday it will be common knowledge.
You can't poison everything and expect that we, humans, who are also a part of everything won't be affected.
Check out the human biome project, it is where science is heading and it's about time.