Good one Mr Kelly, but you should be good at living this way! So much practice!!!
How many others here apart from myself have worked in nursing, especially palliative care and seen many folk die, some quickly some not so fast? I'm all for a valid and legal Living Will personally.
I'm with you Rik, my father had always said that when he got to a certain stage he didn't want to go on and after his first and massive heart attack I had to fight for the right to have him not for resuscitation. Every day he was in the consultant would have a go at me about it. But we had strong beliefs on dignity and being a burden.
Strangely the consultant is now my consultant and had a devil of a time convincing me to take the pacemaker. I relented but said that the other possible alternative of a heart transplant (not there yet) I would refuse as I felt that there would be other younger more deserving folk. I feel that I've reached the stage where I'm not going to contribute much more to the world and that such a precious resource should go to someone more deserving. The pacemaker has made a huge difference though and I'm chuffed he convinced me it was worth it.
Living wills and the right to go well are pretty important to me. I do feel that we unnecessarily prolong too many lives and folk loose their dignity. And also fall foul of diseases that would not normally affect them due to this prolonged exposure to life.
As long as I'm pretty self reliant and compass mentis I'll keep going (heck I even felt bad not being able to pitch my own tent- but eternally grateful to Belzeebob23 for doing it for me) But once a certain stage is reached I'm off. It's just another part of the journey after all.
