The Emanuel Brothers - Rahm, Ezekiel and Ari
The Emanuel Brothers are well known for their caustic pragmatism - Rahm in politics, Ari in entertainment and Ezekiel in health care.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's brother "Zeke" was a key contributor to setting up ObamaCare. He writes today in The Atlantic that he hopes to die at age 75.
He thinks all of us should die at 75, too.
I am sure of my position. Doubtless, death is a loss. It deprives us of experiences and milestones, of time spent with our spouse and children. In short, it deprives us of all the things we value.
But here is a simple truth that many of us seem to resist: living too long is also a loss. It renders many of us, if not disabled, then faltering and declining, a state that may not be worse than death but is nonetheless deprived. It robs us of our creativity and ability to contribute to work, society, the world. It transforms how people experience us, relate to us, and, most important, remember us. We are no longer remembered as vibrant and engaged but as feeble, ineffectual, even pathetic.
A worldview consumed by death begins with denying life at conception, ridding oneself of inconvenient or irritating dependents and ends with cutting off life before it becomes a burden to those around us.
This Emanuel brother publicly embraces the culture of death and his introduction of the topic is not merely ranting - it's purpose is to introduce an otherwise offensive concept for consideration and potential implementation.
