Al Pacino won a Golden Globe award for his performance in "You Don't Know Jack", the story of Dr. Jack Kevorkian who served 8 years in prison as a result of his assisted suicides of terminally ill and long suffering patients. A clever religiously minded prosecutor had him convicted on a technicality after a long series of attempts to do get him on something or other.
There seems to be an extreme aversion by Christians to suicide, it is a sin. Why?
Question: Where in the Bible is this written. Any of you guys know?
I personally had this same aversion but now am starting to think differently.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think its cool for some teenager to hang himself over an unrequited love
or flunking Geometry.
I have read that in the higher dimensions an individual decides when he wishes to terminate an existence and simply leaves. According to the story, this is what Buddha did 2,500 years ago.
"The day Gautam Buddha died, early in the morning he said to his disciples, ”It is more than enough. It is time for me to leave.” (He was 79 years old at the time)
For a man who has lived fully, death becomes a decision: it is up to him. Death does not come to him; he himself makes his body available for death.
Buddha closed his eyes and said, ”I have taken the first step – I am no more the body.” And then, ”I have taken the second step – I am no more the mind. I have taken the third step – I am no more the heart. I have taken the fourth step – I have entered into my consciousness.”
That very moment his breathing stopped, his heartbeat stopped. This is a totally different kind of death – so easy and so relaxed, so fulfilled, so grateful to existence. These are the same steps as those of meditation."
What do you guys think about this?
Even if this turns you off a bit, see the movie for a great performance by Pacino and great writing by Adam Mazer.
Love, B
There seems to be an extreme aversion by Christians to suicide, it is a sin. Why?
Question: Where in the Bible is this written. Any of you guys know?
I personally had this same aversion but now am starting to think differently.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think its cool for some teenager to hang himself over an unrequited love
or flunking Geometry.
I have read that in the higher dimensions an individual decides when he wishes to terminate an existence and simply leaves. According to the story, this is what Buddha did 2,500 years ago.
"The day Gautam Buddha died, early in the morning he said to his disciples, ”It is more than enough. It is time for me to leave.” (He was 79 years old at the time)
For a man who has lived fully, death becomes a decision: it is up to him. Death does not come to him; he himself makes his body available for death.
Buddha closed his eyes and said, ”I have taken the first step – I am no more the body.” And then, ”I have taken the second step – I am no more the mind. I have taken the third step – I am no more the heart. I have taken the fourth step – I have entered into my consciousness.”
That very moment his breathing stopped, his heartbeat stopped. This is a totally different kind of death – so easy and so relaxed, so fulfilled, so grateful to existence. These are the same steps as those of meditation."
What do you guys think about this?
Even if this turns you off a bit, see the movie for a great performance by Pacino and great writing by Adam Mazer.
Love, B
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Replies
Hi Sarah
Good point about responsibilty. Also consider the effect that a suicide would have on those who are close to you.
I once mentioned to my wife that I am ready to split after a great 84 year life time.
She said "Baaska if you die on me, I'll kill you". She would too. She's an Italian Mafia princess.
So I'm still here drinking my morning coffee and checking my email and life is still good.
See the movie. No special effects or phony" love" story. Just a great script by Adam Mazer and a Golden Globe award performance by Pacino. Very provocative treatment of a controversial subject. Is suicide under any circumstances justified? What is the basis of the religious right's aversion to it? Does an individual have the right to deliberately end his life? Should he helped to do so?
Kevorkian was a very stubborn man, ready & willing to go to jail for doing what he believed was right. He actually was not convicted for assisted suicide as he had his patients "pull the plug" by their own hand but a clever ploy by a zealous prosecutor landed him in jail. Was he right?
Anyhow it's very provocative movie. See it if you get a chance. When Valli brought it home from red box my first reaction was "who wants to see this low toned shit" but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Love, B