and for such a supposed liberal state, there is no way to end your life with dignity. You wind up in a nursing home or hospice, and suffer the agonies and soul stripping indignities of slow, torturous death. The state takes everything of value from you for that "honor". Maybe that's what they don't want to let go of by allowing legal assisted suicide.

As for myself, when my infirmities become too great for me to bear, I have what I call "Dr. Remington" set aside. It's a 12 ga. shotgun, and one shot to my brain stem will release me from my mortal coil, saving my family the problems of looking after an infirm old man. They're aware of my plans, so there will be less of a shock when it happens. I gave this a lot of thought over the years, and until the state allows a better alternative It's the best solution I could come up with.

My final wishes and expenses have been taken care of, so I won't leave a financial burden on my family. As far as I'm concerned that's my final act on the great stage of life.

A Remington is not a good solution for me. Throwing myself off a cliff or baiting a grizz is getting closer. But pills and booze are more my style.

You have an amazing plan in place which you've clearly given serious thought to. I respect it so much. Many (including many here, I'm afraid?) will think this/we are crass or taking this too lightly. It may be offensive. But I am - and clearly you are - serious. This is an excruciatingly personal issue. And who knows, perhaps as I get closer to that condition I may back off? But the notion of making a solid plan while still cogent makes a shit ton of sense to me.

Thanks so much for your input Serge!

I haven't been able to come up with a better plan, as of yet, anyway.

The first germ of an idea came when I watched my grandfather dying in a hospital some 30+ years ago. He was 101 years old and it was just his time to go. His body was completely worn out. He was slowly dying in his hospital bed, fighting - and I mean fighting - for each breath he took. This went on for days, and right there I decided I wasn't going to die like that. It was so hard on him, but it was more hard on the family, to go there each day and watch that horrible spectacle.

They were very, very religious. I'm not. I'm not worried about committing a "mortal sin" or offending some angry sky daddy. As long as a person is of sound mind, and can initiate the act of suicide themselves, an individual should have the choice of how they want to end their life.

It's a shame that most people in this country are tethered to religious dogma, and they refuse to even explore different, more humane methods of ending people's suffering.

I'm in no hurry to go, believe me, but when my time comes I plan - as Frank Sinatra said - to do it "my waaaaay".

A phone call to 911 about a suicidal man will have the police there in minutes. It will not be a member of my family who finds my carcass. But thanks for playing.

we can no longer handle a shotgun, find our brainstem, nor remember what we intended to do.

Thinking about this sociologically, anthropologically...as in - how have we strayed from evolution's "plan"... I think humans evolved to remain living in groups intergenerationally, where the younger take care of the older. This would include, I presume, not necessarily having all modern technology at our fingertips to extend physical life, despite intellectual / mental decline. And so be it (in my opinion).

It also means there are not the concerns of today - where do we put mom; is this a good and safe environment; can we afford it...not that ALL issues are resolved, but there would be a basic plan or template.

I don't know...I am probably idealizing how things were 100+ years back. I know there were elders who starved and suffered alone - thus Social Security and Medicare in US, for example.

I just wonder about the tradeoffs of modern society when it comes to how we care for our very young and very old. So often, we have to turn to institutions, rather than the extended family model. Not optimal, in my opinion. Though I guess it's good to have options.

one of the ten commandments "honor they mother and father" was written because the nomadic people in the middle east would abandon the aged to die when they could no longer keep up and contribute.

It would stand to reason that someone of advanced years wrote that commandment, at the very least.