In search of a good death
The Hindu
Pandemic has demonstrated that as much as a good life, people desire a good exit too
In these virus-induced deadly moments of gloom and doom, death has taken centre stage in most private and public conversations. For once, a “good death” is what people aspire for their loved ones with end-stage COVID-19 complications. In these hours of morbidity all around, thinking about good life may not be altogether a misplaced thought. After all, a good life has been everybody’s cherished dream. In this context, I am curiously reminded how my elderly relatives would often return my respectful bow with blessings to “live a hundred years”. Even some friends, surprised by my unexpected call, do exclaim to this day, “You’ll live a hundred years!” A wish for “100 years” has been employed for toasts among diverse cultures and societies. If nothing, the feel-good wish triggers an optimism towards living a long life. And, why would anybody play it down? In fact, nobody ever did. Instead those who first thought of it must have been hopeful of achieving the three-digit mark for humans. It is, however, another matter that for most of our long history as a species, our average life expectancy was capped at about 35. Perhaps the inspiration of jumping it three times over may have come from the life of some mythical characters like the invincible Bhishma, who lived long enough to witness four or five generations.More Related News