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7.1 What belief or image do you have of leaving life and of what might happen afterwards:
I don’t know and I won’t guess. There is no information available so the possibilities are infinite.
It is like being asleep forever.
It is like going on a journey.
People go to a place where they can learn to be better human beings.
People are helped to atone for their mistakes in life.
People reunite with those they care about.
People come back to earth in a different form.
There are no worldly cares about money or food; everyone lives comfortably.
If the person has been true to their religion, the afterlife is paradise.
I might end up in an unpleasant or horrible situation for eternity.
I might be able to see people go on with their lives without me, as if I had never existed.
I might be able to see what I am missing, or see people I love but cannot contact.
It might be a positive experience, perhaps after an initial period of atonement or relearning.
I believe the following, even though I know there is no evidence for or against it:
7.2 If there were to be an afterlife, what would you like it to be (if you are going to pretend, choose a vision that satisfies both your needs and your values):
Exercising,
Fighting,
Listening to music,
Meditating, or in a naturally induced altered state of consciousness,
High on drugs,
Thrilled by speed,
Excited by danger,
Part of a mob
Very sick or exhausted,
Grief-stricken,
Acutely depressed or anxious,
Extremely confused, disoriented or out-of-touch with reality.
7.4 What do you think of the idea of using virtual reality technology to create a pleasant or exciting situation in which a person is not afraid of anything? Could immersion in the simulation help the person to leave without fear:
7.5 What if there were a computer chip that could implanted in your body that would contain nanobots who would either treat a suddenly-occurring medical condition on the spot, or, if they determined that you were about to die painfully from something like a heart attack, stroke, or from wounds from a car accident or shooting, they would put you asleep permanently. (If there were any question about whether your condition were terminal, the ‘bots would simply anesthetize you.) Would you have such a chip implanted:
7.6 Let’s say that you worked for an advertising agency and you were given the task of making leaving life seem more positive. How would you go about changing the images associated with this experience?
What techniques would you use:
What media:
What symbols or images would you present:
What types of people would you use for testimonials:
Whom might you chose to be the poster boy or family:
Other brainstormed ideas:
7.7 Which of the following do you think would make leaving life easier:
Help in making the decision to leave, carrying it out, and in giving your survivors emotional, financial or other support,
Help with resolving conflicts with loved ones, and in helping them to understand your decision,
The opportunity for life review,
The availability of a painless method of stopping one’s physical functioning.
The availability of a method that provides an acceptable image of leaving to the person and his survivors (for example, “going to sleep” ),
Making leaving and its contemplation less stressful through the use of virtual realities, or by the use of recreational or other medication,
The opportunity to make leaving useful: by donating your body to science or for recycling in organ banks, or by participation either in experiments that could be lethal or in research that could be done only as people are leaving life.
Money for the person to use now or for his survivors, perhaps as compensation for money saved on medical costs or by sparing other resources, or by freeing a spot on the planet for someone else.
The assurance that the person leaving will be remembered with respect.
A cultural climate that encourages acceptance, respect, or admiration for those whose decide to leave.
7.8 Which of these safeguards should be put into place to prevent people from making – or being pressured to make -- an irreversible decision to leave that would do more harm than good:
The decision should be left completely up to the individual.
There should be a waiting period of around ____ days/ weeks/months.
The person should be required to discuss his decision with an ethics specialist or with a mental health professional in order to determine: 1) the degree to which his action fits with his and society’s values; and 2) whether there is some way to deal with the medical, emotional or environmental problems motivating his departure; and 3) the extent to which his decision is driven either by pressure from relatives, friends or others who would benefit from his absence.
The person leaving should have an official advocate whose job it is to protect his personal and financial interests.
The person should be encouraged or forced to consider the effects of his actions on those around him.
The person should be encouraged or forced to accept help for his or her problems, such as treatment for depression.
As an intermediate holding action before safeguards are put into effect, laws and customs against voluntary leaving life should be left in place, but should be selectively or rarely enforced, at the cost of unfairness to those who are prosecuted.
7.9 Which of the above should be applied to everyone, including yourself, and which should be applied only to those people who are not so capable of making the right decision as you are:
7.10 What do you think of the idea of making empathy or “Golden Rule” training part of everyone’s education, as an antidote to the abuses mentioned above: