Humane death? An oxymoron is when two seemingly opposite words go together, like dry water.
Yet in our modern world we keep searching for humane ways to end life – be it when old age sets in, or as punishment. Could there be a bigger oxymoron than ‘humane death’!?
The problem is, when we find humane ways to end life, the temptation is to go for it – after all it’s now humane, civilised!
We should learn from history. When the guillotine was invented during the French Revolution, it was hailed as a humane way to end life, and so it did, with over 30,000 beheaded in very short time, before the populace again realised, there’s nothing humane about ending life.
When taking life is as confronting as it should be, it’s no longer the easy option.
Paul Clark’s musings can be heard on radio across Australia and at atthetop.org.au.
The Place de la Concorde, the site of the guillotine during the French Revolution. PICTURE: David Adams
