The right to live….and to die

The world was shocked Sunday morning….Whitney Houston was found dead in the bathtub of her hotel, the Beverly Hills Hilton –Dead? Yes, dead!
Those close to her said that she was looking forward to attending the Grammy Awards on Sunday evening. She was found dead Saturday evening.
There was no suspected foul play; Bottles of pills were found in her room. Efforts were made to resuscitate her but she was beyond help. An autopsy that was held revealed that she died from complication of mixed prescription drugs and alcohol.
She was remembered in the Grammy Awards that Sunday night. Musical celebrities expressed the great loss created by her passing away. That voice! That creativity! That talent!
Was Whitney Houston another Amy Winehouse, Michael Jackson or Keith Ledger? Or other musical and acting talents like many more who went beyond at the height of their careers? Did they want to go or were they victims of accidents?
One thing sure: they were not short of the prime necessities of life; they were surrounded by things that money can buy. The probable cause of their death is very expensive; many could not afford them.
Every day we hear of deaths. Death is one of the two certainties in life. The other one is taxes. Several pages of the newspapers are full of obituaries. Most of the deaths are what we call natural, due to sickness or old age. Some are also tragic, caused by accidents.
Television and other media ads are full of ways to lengthen life. One even says: “let death wait.” And yet we hear of people taking their lives. They cannot cope with the hardships and tribulations. There are even movements for the right to die but this is mostly with those with unbearable pains.
But most people struggle to live. That is why there are many organizations raising funds for that purpose. Researchers are made to control the common causes of death – cancer, heart disease, strokes, etc. People open their pockets to assist the hungry children in developing countries, victims of earthquakes, tsunami and tornadoes. In poor areas of the world, people struggle working from sunrise to sundown for their three square meals. They do not have time for the kinds of entertainment that well to do people enjoy. They take typhoons and floods in their strides if their houses get blown off, they build another on the same spot with the pieces of galvanized iron sheets that they salvaged from the disaster and some apple boxes for walls,. The children make paper boats and float them in the canals, filled with water from the rain. Those children happily frolic in the rain. They are alive!
Many people young and old, do not even have enough to eat. In the Philippines, children sell “supot” in the market to help earn a few pesos. Many families cannot even afford the measly rent in small rooms and shacks. They sleep on the sidewalks or the spaces at the doors of commercial establishments with newspapers as bed sheets. They became thieves snatching your watches and necklaces for the food they need to survive. They are alive!
In war-torn countries, people fight for a better life. They band together and demonstrate against dictatorial ruler. In many cases, their puny efforts are overcome by guns and other weapons of the powerful. They lose their lives that they were hoping to improve. Thousands have died trying for a better life.
We often hear of the term “human trafficking.” It is a huge business taking advantage of men and women (and even children) struggling for a better life. Women and children are sold for prostitutions. Men are forced to work with very little pay because they are illegally brought to the country. They became victims of human trafficking because they want to live, to survive.
Did Whitney Houston want to go? Probably not just as other celebrities who went in similar circumstances did. This is just another warning of the potency to kill of these drugs that are taken to temporarily forget one’s heartaches. Michael Jackson could not sleep that he took those drugs that ended his life. He did not plan to go. He had that huge concert, he was preparing for and there were his adorable children he loved very much.
Whitney Houston’s career went on the decline because of personal relationships, but she seemed to have gotten over that tumult and was rebuilding her popularity again. She also had a daughter to care for.
They are government regulations against these drugs but evidently control is beyond those who can afford them.
Life is a right everyone fights for. Let us leave the right to die in God’s hands. ****