Recently I saw an episode of the show The Firm. And in the show a question of morality arose. People with terminal illnesses receive billions of dollars from insurance companies in order to pay for another procedure, another test, another dose of medication, only to survive a few more hours, a few more days, a few more months. But is it worth it? What are they doing during that time? Laying on a bed thinking about their coming death and trying to endure the pain of the now. Wouldn't it be better to end it now? let the suffering end. Instead of prolonging their pain, couldn't we use that money to pay for medication people need, to pay for food so someone doesn't starve, better education for our kids so they can figure out how to end these terminal illnesses so fewer have to die in the first place? Or are we paying for a principle. The "No man left behind", the miracle operation, the hope. So when are people put over the principle? When will we be able to accept one death for hundreds of better lives?
Now, no, I didn't provide any real stats, nor am I asking whether we should kill off our grandparents or parents so that our kids can live better. I'm asking the simple question, who do we put first? The one or the many?
(The example from The Firm does not reflect my views, I just simply thought it was an intriguing topic worth discussing.)
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