Acceptance

September 28, 2005

by: Silver Nightingale

As a famous line goes, "Life is overrated." I know what you are thinking. You are thinking that this person in front of us is simply being sarcastic, that or that she is merely one of those misgiving and foolish teenagers who preach nothing but nonsense about all things dark and pessimistic. Well, believe what you want to believe, my friends. I shall hold no grudges against any one of you. I just hope that by the end of my speech, you all would stick with your primary judgment about me. You all would not want to be hypocrites, now would you?

It must be highly probable that the first thing that comes to a person's mind upon the word death is a painful loss accompanied by the sinking sensation of sadness tugging at his heartstrings. I guess it is only natural for us to feel that way. That is why when we are faced with the challenge of preserving life we would do our best to win the fight to keep it. We would cling to that frail thread desperately until our final breath. It is a nice thing that nowadays technology has made it possible for that struggle to be much easier. The fatal ailments of yesterday are curable today. Technology had spawned healing magic in the hands of our doctors in the form of life-support machines. Because of these modern miracles, a handful of properly equipped people would be able to prolong their love one's life indefinitely. A smile would grace each relative's face and relief would flood the jeopardized one's friends. But wait. What of the person who received treatment? Sure, everyone had managed to succeed in keeping that person alive by hooking him up to machines but think about it. Could that person still be considered to be among the living? It is true that that person is still breathing but is the definition of life really that narrow? I believe not. We are born to this world with a body of flesh, bone, and blood to house our soul. Once the body tires, our souls are supposed to flee to the sanctuary of oblivion. There, the soul would be able to rest, free from troubling mortal emotions such as depression and anger. We must never forget the fact that we were brought to this world to die. It is inevitable and relying on technology to sway that fact is, putting it bluntly, not right. The machines were created for a noble purpose, yes, but there is a delicate line between nobility and atrocity. We can, no; we must not defy nature by keeping something as sacred as the soul bound to a body that is already deteriorated. Sure, everyone, even the jeopardized one, may be happy but balance had already been tipped. A soul that no longer must be of this realm is still lingering in the shadows of false hopes. It longs for sweet release, whether we like it or not. Who are we to trap this essence here in this plane?

I may be, in your eyes, someone who does not accept technological advancements very well or maybe even just another one of those crazed persons who are not making any sense. But the things that I have said just now, these are the things I believe in. Death is rest for the soul. If the body did not die and the fears borne in the mind continue to pile up, the world would be nothing more than an eternal prison. I have said all I have to say, for now. Everyone, I thank you for your time.

AN: I made this (horrible) speech for our Oral Communication Skills class. It is a sort of do or die thing so, yeah. Feel free to flame it. I'll even join you in doing so.