At any stage of life, individuals possess an “elegant point” that we use to confront the active and passive exits of life

There was once a company called Exit Company that specialized in designing and executing personalized painless suicide plans for clients, even making the death process romantic and warm according to the client’s needs. This raises the question of whether one should seek help and choose an elegant and painless way to leave this world when facing sudden blows such as terminal illness or total paralysis. While the desire may be beautiful, upon closer examination of death, we find that it cannot be accompanied by painlessness.

According to Buddhist theory, the body elements of “earth, water, fire, and wind” disintegrate upon death, accompanied by a tearing pain akin to a live turtle shedding its shell. Despite appearing insignificant to outsiders, there have been cases of individuals who attempted suicide by ingesting large amounts of sleeping pills or drowning, only to be rescued and recount the excruciating experience of their organs burning during the process.

Therefore, even with methods like death injection that seem peaceful and serene to outsiders, one may endure prolonged agony before truly entering the realm of death. Moreover, the mystery of whether there is a next life remains unsolved within our current space(You can refer to my previous journalistic article here:( https://readmedium.com/my-ethnological-exploration-of-reincarnation-in-ping-yang-village-hunan-province-china-b601a6755c4d).

At the very least, in this life, the body disintegrates and decomposes. However, under the influence of another mysterious natural mechanism, one may potentially regain the identity of a fertilized egg, detached from the mother’s womb, without necessarily returning to the original state but inheriting factors from past lives, continuing to suffer in the world. In the face of such awe, actively seeking death seems less wise.

Not to mention the impermanence of life, the examples above illustrate that even “death” itself is filled with uncertainty. So, if we are unfortunate enough to be abandoned by the goddess of fate, facing terminal illness or paralysis without the option of a swift death, what is the best course of action?

It leads us to believe that individuals in different states should be able to coordinate a current, most elegant and appropriate state, striving to reach this “point,” which seems to be the only choice. Although this elegance differs vastly from the usual elegance: those of us with a healthy physique exude elegance through glamorous work, five-star accommodations, intelligent friends, and a fast-paced lifestyle; while those facing terminal illness may find elegance in leaving behind all these luxuries and living at a slow pace within a limited scope. Therefore, even if we are completely immobile, requiring assistance for basic needs, can this simplified way of life still embody such a “point”? I am inclined to believe it can. By calmly living in the present moment within our current capabilities, without undue expectations or medical interventions, such as enriching life through reading or listening to loved ones read, it represents a last resort of life that has been simplified to the extreme.

Hence, when sliding day by day on the path towards death due to illness, reaching a corresponding minimalist “Elegant Point” for survival seems to be the only way to manage such uncertainties. If nature truly intends for us to depart, it should not resort to excessively using mechanical means like ventilators to forcibly sustain a consciousnessless and irrecoverable vegetative state; accepting quietly is also a form of elegance. However, if nature does not directly take our lives but we encounter functional loss, then we must use the remaining functions to fulfill the natural duty of breathing.

Discussing death in the midst of a joyful life may indeed seem cruel, but only by planning for the future can we face the road ahead with composure. Moreover, individuals with such crisis awareness are less likely to encounter unfortunate events and have a greater chance of experiencing painless and disaster-free outcomes. While one may not live to the age of the heavens, they can at least live out their lifespan, embodying value.