decimate with their proliferation and obstinate longevity. Not so long ago it was undoubtedly common practice for a son to smother his infirm parent with a pillow--a tear in his eye perhaps--rather than watch her suffer pointlessly, or drain the vital resources of the household with the useless burden of a spent life. I can only surmise that the author of this article is not disclosing a religious sensibility as enamoured with the sanctity of human life as it is indifferent to life in general. Why else would suicide be dismissed so coldly as a prerogative at anyone's disposal, with not a hint of compassion for its precipitous anxieties, or the crude methods the suicide is abandoned to. We are far from being "a culture of death", at least not when it comes to ourselves. Why do we so obsessionally, neurotically treat death as the enemy and cling to life beyond reason and at any cost? Death should be seen as a blessed release from too long life. Longevity is definitely overrated! I for one, should I live so long, plan to party with my family and say my goodbyes properly and cheerfully before I take my prescription poison, procured from the chemist earlier, and slip peacefully into oblivion--perchance to dream.