Briefly explain the "death system" as described in Kastenbaum.
Kastenbaum views the death system as an intricate web of elements that lead to individual deaths while at the same time, inform the society's expectations regarding death and dying. While death may be seen as a single event, which does not stop the society from going on, at times, death may overwhelm a community or a nation depending on its magnitude. The author views death as a continuous and perpetual cycle where deaths replace each other, making it a constant system. The funny thing about the death system is the fact that while deaths subsume others, others, especially celebrities, become more important. Kastenbaum (2016) is of the idea that the society varies in how it views the dead as at times it abuses, uses or even dismisses its dead. One important thing about the death system is that the dead's motives and desires always remain part of the society which makes it all the more complex.
Discuss two aspects of the "death system" which conflict with each other .
Kastenbaum death system seems to be made of conflicting aspects with an example being that societies are death-denying when the same time they are labeled as death-accepting. The society has made significant scientific strides, which are aimed at finding better cures for illnesses that accelerate mortality rates. According to Kastenabum (2017), there have been numerous efforts to reduce child mortality rates considering that infancy is the riskiest stage in human life. The US, in particular in an attempt to deny death, has managed to improve fertility techniques to ensure that the children who are born are viable. The same has been applied to other age groups in an attempt to increase life expectancy and deny that death is ultimate.
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While these efforts seem to establish that, society is denying death; it fails to realize that at the same time, it is accepting death unknowingly. With time, there will be overcrowding due to extended life expectancy, which will, in turn, threaten mobility, privacy and other liberties. The increase in population due to medical advancements will also create the need for personal space, facilitating the need for emotional distance. Such an outcome will mean that the population will require death to get rid of the excess people. Kastenbaum (2017) establishes that unlike in the past where medical advances improved fertility, children with congenital disabilities will not be allowed to survive, as there will not be a room for new babies.
It should be noted that new babies would be a threat, as older people are not dying off, meaning that the younger generation would be passed out. In this case, the only reprieve for a burdened society would be death. Kastenbaum establishes that "Death has always been the enemy. Now it might be the biggest friend ever. We might hire people to kill us in some really decisive way, like blowing us to pieces" (2017 p. 76). Looking at the scenario, one could conclude that while society seems to deny death as their ultimate, they still accept it as a way of maintaining a balance in society.
What has been your contact or involvement in the "death system"?
The death system has been part of my life having witnessed death claim my friends and relatives and in its place, leaving behind lasting memories. I still feel that these people are still part of my life, and I still wish that they were still alive to get a chance to enjoy life as I do. I have not been spared from near-death experiences, and I have brushed with death in forms of accidents and illnesses, which have left me thankful that I am alive. I am aware that death is the ultimate end, and if there were, a way to avoid death, I would gladly take it to get away from its sturdy grip.
Describe ethical issues related to each one of the following violent deaths: Suicide, murder terrorism
Suicide, murder, and terrorism are violent deaths, which have ethical implications to both the victims and the perpetrators. Kastenbaum (2017) establishes that suicide, terrorism, and murder are related to lifestyle with suicide affecting more young people due to changing lifestyle demands. Suicide, the tenth cause of death in the US, involves the taking of one's own life through strangulation, poisoning, drowning, shooting or other crude means. Suicide is considered unethical as it is an interference of one's life, which is deemed to be sacred, and no one has the authority to do so. Suicide interferes with the death system, which is supposed to be orderly and natural as opposed to humanly designed or aided. Individuals who commit suicide seem to tilt the death system balance, their actions are frowned upon, and they tend to be judged harshly for demonstrating cowardice. Murder, which is taking of another person's life, is unethical since just like suicide, it interferes with the death system process, thus destabilizing it. Murderers tend to undertake a divine role as only God has the authority to end life while humans are responsible for nurturing life. Murder is unethical as it takes away others the freedom to life and liberty to move as dictated by society.
The same can be said about terrorism, which has increasingly become a global concern owing to the number of deaths emanating from terror activities. Terrorism is unethical as terror groups resort to killing innocent civilians a way of sending a message to a nation that is not fulfilling their demands. Terrorism rules out diplomacy as a way of solving conflicts and in this way increases the number of casualties as each side engages in a battle of supremacy. Terror groups have no regard for human rights, and they target even the frailest members of societies, including women, children, and the elderly. To this end, terrorism is unethical as it does not aim to protect human life but instead uses it as a bargaining chip to achieve unwarranted and selfish demands.
Reference
Kastenbaum, R. (2017). Death, society, and human experience (11 th Edition). Routledge .
