Euthanasia YES

Thank you for your reply, highway2hell! I would like to argue that there is, in fact, 7 objective goods that can come out of suffering. 1. Enlightenment -No, this is not the Buddhist version of the enlightenment when one is fully knowledgeable on matters of truth and life, and neither is it the Enlightenment period of the 18th century. This enlightenment is a realization that someone (including yourself) may be suffering. The quote, "You don't know what you have until it's gone", definitely applies to this form of enlightenment. Through suffering, people may recognize that they took for granted many things that they thought would always be there. Take for example, a marathon runner who gets into a nearly fatal car crash. As a result from the crash, his legs are amputated and he can no longer continue in the same way in his marathons. He is confined to a wheelchair. This sounds awful and full of despair, but as a result the man has a better appreciation for what he has now, and his family is enlightened to the fact that he could have died. This is truly a good that can come from suffering. 2. Detachment -Prioritizing is the key thing here. Many times when we suffer it is because of our own doing, and thus we can fix it. For example, if you are tired then you must prioritize what is more important: the Internet or sleep. Suffering gives us a new perspective on what is truly important in life. Sometimes it is only through suffering that this can occur. 3. Reparation -This is a good result of moral suffering (suffering that we bring upon ourselves through sin). When one is suffering, they can offer it up for someone else. For example, if we are having a bad day, then we can suffer in silence and offer it up to God for our own or others' sins. This, however, does not have to be a fully religious concept. It is meant mend our life back to what it was truly meant to be like. A life without unhealthy thoughts, actions, or behaviors is the goal of reparation, and it can be accomplished through our own actions. 4. Display of Virtue -Suffering can help one to grow in and display one's virtues. Prudence, justice, fortitude, temperance, patience, hope, and love are just a few examples of virtues that can come forth from a person in a time of suffering. For example, a grandchild is visiting their grandmother with dementia and must repeat what they have said over and over again. Now, this small but often times frustrating suffering can cause the grandchild to quickly get agitated and yell at the grandmother, or the grandchild can display the virtue of patience, repeat with kindness what they have said, and understand that the grandmother is suffering too and must be treated with love. 5. Humility -Sometimes when a person's pride and ego are too big, they must be humbled through suffering. A man may think that he is top dog and can do anything in the world, but one day he is reminded that the world does not revolve around him when he sees a homeless child on the street. There are bigger things than him in this world, and he must realize it. In the religious sense, one may think that they can do anything and don't need God. Something that one cannot control might happen and one thus suffers, but they come to the conclusion that they are not God and must humble themselves. 6. To Draw Out Love -A suffering man not only can learn to love others more, but others may learn to love him more. This one is closely linked to enlightenment in that we realize that someone is important and thus great love is poured forth. A great example is on the following link ( ). There is a movie, The Woman Who Willed a Miracle, that is based on this beautiful story. In short, this woman's love for her adopted, suffering son brought for great gifts for not only their family but for the world. Please check it out if you have time. 7. Build Character -The ye old sayings, "Rub some dirt on it" and "Suck it up", actually are pushing people to build character, such as perseverance. Heroism is built off of suffering. When we see a hero, there is almost some sort of trial or suffering that they had to endure in order to get to where they are now. These are the people we look up to, respect, and want to be like. Suffering got them there, and yet so many people view suffering as the ultimate evil of this world. An example of this is found in the following link. ( ). In short, it is about a girl who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She could no longer play her favorite sport, soccer, but she pushed through her suffering and went on to be one of the best track runners in the country. Now, these prove that there is more than just despair and pain in suffering. However, your argument also calls for me to counter the "since we euthanize animals, then why not people?". We, as people, are higher in dignity and overall intellectual capacity and abilities than animals. In the religious world (especially Catholicism), we can dispose of the animals in a humane way that God put on this earth for man because they are lesser than human beings, and do not hold the same level of dignity as human beings. We must be stewards of God's creation and euthanasia of an animal in order to end their suffering is acceptable. They are not made in the image and likeness of God, and thus are not due the same respect that human beings are. In the secular world, we can come to the conclusion that people have a rational soul while animals have a sensitive soul that does not have a will or an intellect. As a result we can put down a pet that is suffering because it would be more humane, then keeping them alive. People, on the other hand, are worth far more due to their intellectual capabilities, and can offer the world so much more. We are fundamentally different and greater than animals and deserve far more respect and reverence than animals do. Thank you for your time! With much love, Mannahfromheaven