My girlfriend asked me if I would do the same thing for her (been dating for almost 5 years). Kind of a difficult question to answer seriously. Thinking about it now, at such an old age, waiting for death alone after killing your spouse seems almost unfathomable -- especially since I don't believe in the afterlife or reincarnation. I wish I could but I don't and I highly doubt I ever will. I just told her we'd commit a skydiving suicide (I'm actually serious about it).
Part of (one of) my profession/college major is taking care of patients with dementia and mental illness. One of the first things I learned to do when I'm on the unit is to block out the thought that these people were once just like everyone here. Young, vigorous, carefree. To see people ranging from 45-105 years-old dying slowly, immobile, contracted, incontinent, disoriented, and confused with a bunch of tubes coming out of different holes seems pretty depressing sometimes. Well, like I said: down the road.
@BlackFox:
I don't think he believes that life is worthless. For any man to see the person he loves, the person he has been with for almost his entire life, suffering and slowly becoming dehumanized would be enough to consider doing what that man did. Slowly waiting to die is a lot harder than it sounds. That's why health care facilities have DNR, DNI, and DNH options. Personally, slowly suffering, rotting away, defecating and urinating myself in bed, losing my memory, not knowing who I am or where I'm at is definitely not the way I'd want to die.
@Ror's ban: Finally.
Alastor Crow
