pumpkinstrokemarrow

The first exhibit is a story told by Robert A. Kaster. It seems that back in the principate of Tiberius, a couple of worthies happened to be visiting the island of Ceos where they came across a distinguished old lady who had decided that it was time to go. She asked the two worthies to grace her suicide by attending. It seems that suicides of this sort were not particularly unusual in this area at that time and the form was to do it dressed in one's finest, surrounded by friends and family. The two worthies, after making the proper attempt to dissuade her, fell in with her wishes and subsequently memorialised the deed in writing, which is how we get to know about it.

The second exhibit is a film called Soylent Green. In this world (New York, I think, in the not too distant future), when one had had enough, one could pop along to the local euthanasia centre, where one checked in, much as if one was boarding a plane. All very civilised, although no family and friends. I recall that in the example given, the chap chose to be wafted away to the sight (360 degrees of it) of nature in all its glory and light classical music. The catch was that one's corpse was rendered down to make the Soylent Green biscuits for which the film was named.

The third exhibit is that well known clinic in Switzerland (http://www.dignitas.ch/).

We must find some middle ground between these various options and I look forward to the day when one can indeed go to one's own funeral. One answer would be for crematoria to have two entrances, one for those that arrive live and one for those that arrive dead. The same sort of ceremony could be observed in either case, although in the former case the subject might have more say than he or she often gets in the latter case. Not sure that cremation is a very eco. way to go though. I suppose I am rather in favour of some variant of the Soylent Green option. At least one gets some value from all the energy that has been poured into one over the years, rather than pouring even more in.

Talking of which last, today we had haggis for lunch. With mash and swede. Plus the second of the two feeble choux pointus from Waitrose (see above). A very fine haggis it was too. Vegetarian readers might like to know that the same shop in Tavistock also sold a vegetarian version, from the same butcher. And now, I think, time for my siesta. Maybe that will give me energy needed to repeat my donation to http://www.dignityindying.org.uk/. About time.