The Value of Human Life is not - Infinite

By Allen J Duffis
Published: January 7,2010

James Bond - in reference to his protagonist Auric Goldfinger's plan to nerve gas the town surrounding Fort Knox, TN:

"..why that would kill 20,000 people."

Auric Goldfinger:

"American Motors kill that many every two years."

Dialog from the 1964 James Bond film, "Goldfinger."

I fully realize that I may lose many readers with that title statement, but I stand by my assessment- The Value of Human Life is not of an Infinite value.

There are certain facts of life that society has to come to grips with, particularly as it grows in size, ages and faces the rapid dwindling of natural resources and ready availability of daily sustenance. And one of these realities, in fact the most important of them, is that Life itself becomes relative, and has to be valued at a level commensurate with the cost of its upkeep, repair and disposal - like it or not.

For a number of reasons involving Christianity and variations of our code of morality, we like to pretend that the Right to Life is infinite. Nothing however can be farther from the truth as reflected in today's reality. But the same people, who balk at any sort of social entitlement program as being socialistically inclined, are the very same individuals who insist on declaring the Right to Life as such an entitlement - regardless of the cost.

Why We Prefer Fiction over Reality

The 9-11 tragedy stood every chance of being 'easily' averted had we enough intellectually responsible people in positions of authority, readily versed and comfortable in the basics of the literary genre of - Science Fiction.

Unfortunately, our society has a duel personality: one facet relishes philosophically conflicting reality, which the other side considers heretical. In the Christian world view, Science Fiction, or any philosophically challenging viewpoint is regarded a threat: a perfect example being the Darwinian Theory of Evolution.

Therefore one can easily understand why Science Fiction, even honed down to the more widely acceptable - Futuristic Projection, has little chance of inclusion in government organized planning of any sort. Had it been, there is every chance that 3000 people would not have lost their lives on 9-11.

That assessment is best summed up by former N. J. Governor, Tom Keane, Chairman of the 9-11 committee in his closing statement, as to why those in charge of protecting the notion fell short of their goals:

"What we had here was a failure of imagination."

What we do well is entertain Fictionalized Reality and Chaos Resolution, within the strict boundaries of literature, cinema and televised play acting, because such venues of expression are deemed non threatening. Within them we can face such burgeoning and ultimately chaotic problems such as overpopulation, and deal with them without actually having to do something - in real-time - we find philosophically or ethically distasteful.

A perfect example of such fictionalized thinking, was presented in a 1969 episode of the highly lauded science fiction television series, Star Trek, entitled "Gideon's Way" - the social alternative gist of which is as described in the following synopsis:

The crew of the starship Enterprise arrives in orbit of the planet, Gideon, which appears to be a haven. Gideon's inhabitants are healthy and none of them ever die in the totally germ-free environment.

The United Federation of Planets has sent the U.S.S. Starship Enterprise to Gideon, in the hope that the Gideon's will accede and become a member. Reluctantly, the Gideon council allows Captain Kirk alone to beam to their council chamber. When Kirk fails to arrive on the planet, the Gideon council refuses to allow more of the Starship's crew on the surface, even for a search party.

Kirk however finds himself having arrived back on his own ship, where all of his crew has seemingly vanished. After searching the ship, he finds one lone, beautiful woman, the daughter of the Chief Council. Kirk determines that they are on a false ship, built on the planet's surface. When the alien woman becomes ill, the Gideon's plan is revealed: using Kirk's blood, she was infected with a disease which Kirk had recovered from. But for her the infection will be fatal, and the Gideon's hoped to have her spread it across their planet to reduce the population.

Now, before you are tempted to laugh, think carefully of the ramifications of such a plan, particularly as it might affect the political infrastructure of our own country.

Gideon is an ideal' planet for the Neo Conservative Right to Life crowd: obviously - no abortions allowed. For the straight Conservative Right Wing ticket, the bumping off millions of people by deliberate infection via a deadly disease, negates the need for a 'public option' universal health plan. As for the Neo Liberal Left Wing faction, they would have an opening to advocate the promotion of homosexuality as a viable alternative, to avoid having to do the dirty deed again at some future date.

There have been many Science Fiction literary publications and filmed presentations that offer other far reaching and provocative resolutions to major social problems.

There was the 1973 film, "Soylent Green" which offered up a world short on food that processed 'old people' into cookies to feed young people. And then there was 1976's "Logan's Run" which proposed a society that did not allow anyone to exceed the age of thirty, at which point they declared as 'old' - if you get my drift.

Of course, none of these Science Fiction scenarios are ever likely to take place in our lifetime. No democratic government bureaucracy would ever elect to set in motion a problem solving plan - that actually had the potential to work. As history teaches us, they'd prefer instead to remain well within the politically safe operating sphere of chaos; which translates to - when it arrives scramble to do something inadequate to the situation - at the last possible moment.

Let's Do the Math

To fully understand the point I am about to lay-out as a simple mathematical projection, it helps to be familiar with the fabled tale of the Wiseman who achieved a great feat for a King. As a reward for his success the king offered him whatever amount he desired as payment. The Wiseman elected to be paid at a miserly rate of 'one penny a day' - for the remainder of his life. Needless to say the King initially delighted at so paltry a payment request. But at the end of the first month he had the Wiseman executed. The reason being the King soon worked out that had he not done so, before the end of the second month he would have become - bankrupt.

We must start off with an understanding that villain Goldfinger's initial numbers on road deaths during the time period of the 1964 film is not correct. , According to the Federal Highway Department, at that point in American highway traffic history, we were killing off a mean average of about 40,000 people a year in fatal road accidents. Goldfinger was off by fifty percent.

Based upon the 1950's-60's census estimates of 2.5 children per American family, for the sake of this theoretical exercise let's multiply that 40 thousand highway deaths per year over ten years (1959-1969), and assume they constitute a mini experimental population of 400,000 - should have been dead Americans.

Then once again, for the sole purpose of clarity, assume in this exercise that half of the non dead were fertile females of childbearing age. And we will further postulate that each of those women were capable of producing a mean average of 2 children; one male and one female. We are now dealing with a population at the end of ten years of 600,000 people - half of which are capable of producing another 200,000 in ten years - if they live to do so.

So without those initial 400,000 dying - like they were supposed to, what results upon their 'non death' is a potential population increase in 20 years to 800,000. And here is where the equation becomes not only complicated, but ethically uncomfortable as well.

Point 1: What if we didn't have the resources to properly house, feed, medically treat and educate the initial 400,000 citizens? How do we in a humanitarian fashion manage to provide for a doubling of that population?

Point 2: Up to the end of the 1960's we had a very low emigration and a minimum entitlements society. That status has drastically changed. We are now a heavy entitlement nation with a burgeoning emigrant population who's ethnic and cultural origins lead them to regard a 2.5 child per family ratio as - just for starters.

Point 3: Even when having difficulty mastering, or simply refusing to learn the language of this nation, emigrants that are now entering the country in rapidly increasing numbers, appear to have no difficulty navigating our welfare and entitlements system - to their benefit.

Like that fabled King, we are teetering on - bankruptcy.

The Health Care Debacle

The major problem confronting our modern, rapidly reproducing and longer living society is a simple one: we need people to either die off at a more fiscally acceptable rate - or be killed off in a far more accelerated rate of accidents or natural disasters.

In other words, if not for the wars - large and small, murders, highway accidents, diseases, massive terror attacks and the like, our health care system would be - immediately bankrupt. Why? Because we as both a society and nation are unwilling and afraid to properly administer - inevitable death as a resource.

Can anyone not realize the catastrophic affect to our society of the long held Science Fiction scenario, that foresees the development of a pill or medical treatment which would allow humans to - live forever? And are we not already visualizing the tip of that nightmare iceberg with a longer life span, where because of unrealistic ethical restriction born of religious conviction, we spend an estimated 30 to 40 percent of our health care funding on the last 3 months of life? Ridiculous!

Does not anyone find it strange that the core of our Health Care Debate appears to be stalled on a doctor's decision to end, peacefully and with dignity, the life of an 'imagined' little old lady (or man) who is dying painfully and expensively with - no realistic chance of recovery? Is that not why the health care debate is stalled from resolution, because of so-called fears voiced as - killing granny and death committees?

Therefore, we must eventually come to the realization that our society is dependent on a steady rate of inevitable death as a valued resource - like any other valued resource.

Our Final Solution - We Do Nothing

So in retrospect we are forced back to that classic film confrontation between fictional British agent, James Bond, and his nemesis, Auric Goldfinger, in the 1964 film, "Goldfinger." And as one remembers, while strapped to a table, legs spread and a powerful laser slowly approaching his nether region Bond say's, "Do you expect me to talk, Goldfinger?"

Whereupon Goldfinger responds nonchalantly: "No Mister Bond. I expect you to die!"

That's the crux of the problem we face in the Christianity indoctrinated western world - people are not dying off fast enough. Which is a problem the Muslim world doesn't face because, added to the fact that they already have ''universal health care' in those countries, they are more than willing to kill themselves off to reach their version of Heaven. They're doing their part!

While on the other hand Christian dominated western society faces the age old dilemma, which stated simply translates to -

'Everyone wants to go to Heaven - but no one wants to die.'