“They Were Fallen By The Sword”

The king of Israel, Saul, after going into war with the Amalekites, has lost his son, but above all, his beloved crown, and ultimately his life. His dear friend, David, mourned for his death, I might say, his companion of a journey beyond all reigns. What was to be lost, was gone without a trail. The worse of all was that Saul believed his life was less than his crown, and he gave it up for the further penalty of a victorious failure. Living without a crown meant dishonor, destitution, a feeling that not any king could overtake, he had by himself to accept his own punishment. By loosing a war, Saul had lost his prestige, which was something he couldn’t stand. This then was threatening, therefore meant that his only way out was his own death. Apparently, we think alike in terms of the dignity we have left, because when being enemies, the Amalekite then was forced to a crime he thought was naïve, only to serve the petitions of a king which was misled by lack of power. Then, in Saul’s words, “Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me.” (Samuel 2, 1:9), his misfortune is seen.

A common misfortune, that is simply not planned, not expected, not destined, not controlled, known as suffering a terminal disease. The adverse person definitely has a troubling choice. To live or not to live? Their live is in their hands, no choice but the one they take, no further notice. Euthanasia is what I’m talking about. Yes, that unique path to overcome, the final lesson to some, the final challenge to solve. There is something so unjust about getting into this “step” of life, is it karma? Is it by random choice? Does God influence? For me it is just not right…WHY? Saul had his own Euthanasia, one that only he could understand. It is a matter of wanting, of believing, fateful choices that by themselves stand alone, this means they are the only ones left to living. It is always said that everything happens for a reason…how can this statement apply if a fulfilling life ends without exceptions? The only way personally to say what would you do if you were in such situation, is being there, living each moment of it. The mistakes and overtakes, maybe at last a happy ending. We are given a trial that without a doubt is obvious, but still not exposed. When the Amalekite man says, “…because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen…” (Samuel 2, 1:10), he takes a decision so obvious for him, but so blinded for Saul, that all we do is open his eyes, mislead that broken path. At the end misfortune regrets its own destiny.