Hong Kong Liberal Religious Forum

The peaceful and voluntary departure of Sir Edward Downes and Mrs. Joan Downes
by "Yellow Cat Garfield," an atheist in Hong Kong
http://hkatheist.blogspot.com

Sir Edward was knighted by the Queen of England in 1991, he had a remarkable career conducting the BBC Philharmonic and being music director of the British Opera House. His wife Joan was a gifted ballerina.

As Sir Edward lost his eyesight, he could no longer read the scores of the music but he managed to conduct from his breathtaking memory. As he grew older he could no longer hear the music he loved. Joan Downes, his wife of 54 years, had been his caretaker, but she had fallen ill with untreatable liver and pancreatic cancer and was given just weeks to live.

Sir Edward decided that there's no point of living in his current deteriorating state alone after the inevitable death of his wife, and the couple went to Switzerland on July 14 2009 to an organization called Dignitas, both holding each other's hands whilst they drank a dose of heavy sedative which put them to a sleep that will last.

The Downes are remarkable in their love and courage, for they seek out a dignified closure to their lives, with no fear of death. Apparently, a non-religious philosophy can indeed offer consolation in the face of mortality.

Joan said in her letter to her children, "Now, I must tell you that even though I had hoped to be around a bit longer, death doesn't worry me at all...I have no religion and as far as I am concerned it will be an 'offswitch' so after you have thought about it a bit don't worry...It has been a happy and interesting life and I have no regrets. I have no idea how long I will last but I send love to you all and your extensive families...Enjoy it while it lasts."

Death is just nothing, just an "off" switch, winding down of life and one has led a fulfilling and happy life, one has no regret and has no need to fear it.

Voluntarily laying down your own life is the ultimate choice of a free individual, the ultimate affirmation that our lives are our own and we may direct them as we wish. However in many places, there are people who wanted to dictate to other people how to lead their lives -- in the name of religion. Religion is no more than a well-packaged excuse to intrude into people's life, telling others how they should talk, dress, eat, have sex, read, write and die!

People would shout at Sir Edward, demanding him to live on because his act has a social impact, but at the end of the day they would leave Sir Edward to "come up meaning from his suffering" now that it is "him to handle it".

Religious people hated people like Sir Edward, because he slapped them at their faces and said: leave my life to me alone, and leave your faith to yourself.

Religous people invented God/Lord/Allah so that they could exert control over others, yet that God/Lord/Allah thing is never proven to exist -- those dogmas were written by people who could not cure smallpox or flu, whose children died at a young age, who knew nothing about Calculus, General Relativity, or Algebra!

The alternative -- people forced to live out their last days in pain, misery, robbed of dignity, robbed of autonomy and freedom -- is by far worse by any rational accounting and a level of compassion.

Giving people the option to end their lives painlessly, if and when they choose to, is the most powerful proof that a society values human life as meaningful and treats it with respect.

Christians who yelled no Euthanasia and then under their breath mutter "let's preach him/her the Gospel" is simply acting under a kind of self-serving motive -- the whole idea of Gospel is just for them to reinforce their faith rather than to enhance other's life -- they will use scare tactics to people saying if you kill yourself you will go straight to hell and be separated from your loved ones etc etc.

Sir Edward and Mrs. Joan Downes' non-religious view would be seen as a threat by some but a courageous example to many other who are under the bondage of religiosity and induced guilt by dogmas.