I have always been a proponent of our "right to die, death with dignity, whatever the overall term we may use". And, I am an Albert Ellis disciple and live my life by Rational Emotive Therapy. Al says very simply our life belongs to us and we can do what we want with it.
I recently had this live experience which I think is related. Our neighbor is in the hospital. Looks like a serious illness possibly, may be something like MS. She was OK on MRI but can't stand up, etc. My wife, in trying to follow the Augustinian Principle (you can't help everyone but when you are confronted with need, you are obligated to help). She possibly involved herself too early on. Now she has to continue. You cannot get involved with someone and abandon them in crisis. She has, at my suggestion, gotten the fiancée and friends involved.
The issue is her cat and this is "a right to die" question. Seeing her cat as she does is totally foreign to me. It is a cat for God's sake, I don't even like cats and he needs to be "put down" from my perspective.
But, she refuses. The point is, it is her choice, she could do it. (We treat our animals better than we do people). However for us humans, as my mentor, Al Ellis says. I repeat, "Our life belongs to us and we can do with it what we want."
She views Henry as her baby and in normal times treats him 10 times better than most kids. One of the old guys I hang out with, my GFs, as my wife calls them; when I was telling them about it, and lamenting the fact that the cat, should "hit the road," said to me, "What you don't understand, she views her cat like you would your grandchildren. What if it was one of them." Wow. Helped. And this concept works all kinds of ways--
This is my neighbor's choice. It is her choice for her cat's right to die or not. God bless her and I might add, Henry.
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