Monday, February 09, 2004

From the Brilliant Ideas that will Never Work file: Suicide Place

This place is kind of like a hospital or mental institution, except people go there to commit suicide. It provides a controlled environment where they make sure the suicide goes as smoothly as possible for all involved, so we don't have people jumping off bridges and messing up perfectly good ravines, or landlords finding their tenants hanged and half-rotted when the rent is late.

When you want to commit suicide, you check into the Suicide Place. First there's an initial interview, where they ask you why you're committing suicide. They aren't judgemental, they don't try to talk you out of it, but if it's a resolvable problem they'll take that information and see if they can fix the situation for you. After the interview, they show you to your room. There's a waiting period of one week (or whatever would be a reasonable period) between when you check in and when you can commit suicide. In the meantime, clients stay in a hotel/resort like environment with nice rooms and amentities and activities.

Mostly you can do whatever you want (except kill yourself) during the waiting period, but there is one rule: you have to put your affairs in order. Suicide Place has some lawyers and trained experts on staff to help you do this. You have access to psychiatric care if you feel like it, and you can have visitors during your waiting period if you want, and they will also keep visitors away if you don't want to see anyone.

Basically they go out of their way to do whatever is needed to make your last few days pleasant, as well as to resolve whatever problems are driving you to suicide (all while not judging your right and choice to commit suicide). After a week if you still want to die, they provide you with some pills that will give you a quick painless death, put you in a special Dying Room, and off you go. If at any point you decide you don't want to die any more, you are free to leave.

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