Life is a mysterious divine gift, something which meanings are yet to be determined. As Aristotle puts it, “man’s soul is not propagated by their parents, but is infused by its Creator, and can neither die nor corrupt. At what time it is infused of its immortality and certainty of its resurrection (Anonymous, Ch. 4).
Each of us is bound for a journey where lessons can be learned every step of the way. Each of us is given the opportunity to witness every passing of time and see both the beautiful and ugly side of life to know where we stand, to suffer and relish—the facts and nature of life. It is free and is all yours to control. However, the complexities of it generate confusion among the living. Not every human fully understand life’s essence. There is no special entry in the Ten Commandments with regards to how human flesh is to be maintained other than “Thou shalt not commit murder” but it is clear in the Bible that God values life as much as we have to value it ourselves. And, given that God loaned us His breath for us to experience and enjoy life on earth as human beings, He also allowed us the right freedom to choose how we want to spend life.
Do we own our life? If so, then we have the freedom to choose when to live and cease to live. However, religious teachings introduced to us humans our Creator, which makes us invalid decision-makers of our own existence.
Humans, though have not enough time to comprehend this and immediately react in the face of dilemma.
The modern world presents us a lot of factors that affect our thinking with regards to life. Suicide (the act of taking one’s own life) and abortion (the parents’ voluntary removal or killing of an offspring while still in the womb through medical procedures) are the two major issues that need to be tackled in relation to control to life.
This right to life begins as soon as a baby is born. Others might appeal to this premise and say that this special right is actually gained even if a child is still in the womb but it would be an unfair position for the mother who has the ultimate power and right to decide on her own body.
The right to life is almost absolute. We are the carriers of our own flesh. In times when a desperate soul finds it difficult to continue living, he is free to take it. The casualties of suicide opted for death to be done instead of wait for it to come. Troubled teenage mothers choose to abort the babies in their wombs to avoid the harsher consequences and to end the emotional suffering. But the end does not complete the cycle, and this is the hardest part.
Our right to life only ends in afterlife, if such a dimension truly exists; if we come face to face with our so-called Creator. Parents, friends or family members can only remind us of our life’s worth in hope of diverting our attention to another point of thinking but they can never dictate when and how it is spent and ends.
However, this reason does not wash the hands clean and make suicide and abortion less of an evil act. Whether it is taking one’s own life or the life of another does not disqualify it from being murderous. Further, “anything even approaching infanticide is nothing short of a crime, and that abortion, except for the purpose of saving the life of the mother, is practically murder” (H. W. Long, 1919).
Indeed, “worldly sorrow brings death” (Democritus Junior, 1652). Man is constantly troubled emotionally and mentally as life is a series of challenges. Those who could not contain the pressure turn to suicide as an easy escape.
The US Supreme Court has legalized abortion thirty five years ago, after which the rate of discontinued pregnancy elevated. Somehow, it is good news that “the abortion rate fell 9% in five years” (Time Magazine) according to the 2005 survey conducted by the Guttmacher Institute. Abortion and suicide cases are also common in many countries worldwide and their respective government are occasionally launching pro-life campaigns, while the media also do their part to help people who are susceptible to the acts realize the importance of life. Once ina while, an array of aggressive campaigns, direct and indirect, is launched as reminders—safe sex, monogamy, help hotlines, pro-life, teen age pregnancy, and many other related topics.
These communication strategies work if we would only rely on the varying statistics that show its effectiveness.
A serious approach is needed to matters as serious as abortion and suicide. The public should be made more aware of the possible consequences physically, mentally, and emotionally. It should be ridiculed or taken lightly for it may appear just an ordinary event in one’s life. This way, injurious acts like these can be avoided. Too, there is a need for further education in schools where the potential victims are often found. Cities with higher rate of suicide and abortion should be prioritized in distribution of information. Parents especially should be taught how to deal reasonably with their children.
Conclusion
So God is fair enough to give every human a chance to live. A child, although not realizing it, has access to the rights to live while God the Almighty take control for the meantime until the child develops a mind to decide on his own.
Control and rights are two different elements. All of these are given to us without a price. One can easily make or break his life; one can forget caring about his environment. Anybody can do anything with his own life and body for as long as it makes him happy. And sometimes, human can be fooled by pain, which always brings one to greater suffering.
The way to salvation from death is consideration of oneself, our loved ones, and God. We must consider what happens next after we slash our wrists or drown ourselves in drugs (drug addiction is suicide), or take in doses of pills; we must consider what a baby’s life could have been should we have allowed it to go on; we must consider our parents and friends who care a lot; we must consider how a better person we can be after the storm.
Everything, eventually falls in the right places if we use these particular challenges to perfect our approach to life. That’s how life should be.
Works Cited
- Anonymous. “The Works of Aristotle the Famous Philosophers”. EBook #12699, Project Gutenberg.
- Guttmacher Institute. “Why Have Abortion Rates Fallen?” cited in Time.com http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1705604,00.html
- Junior, Democritus. “The Anatomy of Melancholy”. The Sixth Edition. London: Hen. Crips & Lodo Lloyd, 1652