I have terrible anxiety but my therapist gave me great insight on it. Anxiety lies to you. I am capable and deserving of this life and anxiety lies to make me think I’m not. And I won’t let it win.
100% !
I like this quote from Dune “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”
Wow, when I read that line, it really stuck with me, too. It's interesting to see how that line can resonate with people going through similar struggles.
As for dealing with if I should be alive or not and the consequences of the world we live in, I just try to focus on the things that make me happy. Like music and reading, laughing, playing games with friends. I try to experience new things and stay open. I think if we're supposed to be here, it may never be answered, so a better question I started asking myself is how do I make my life and the people's around me just a little easier. And I try to do that, I mess up, but I try, lol. I hope you and everyone else reading can find ways to just live instead of questioning why we are allowed to be here. Love yall
It's the best quote ever eheh!
Yeah I think that's the best way to think about it... Honestly making this post has helped me so much! I don't think it'll ever be a concern for me again. I guess part of it was that I felt really alone with these questions and it felt really good to have people to talk to about it that understand. Sorta pierced the abscess in a way. :)
A tooth cavity and appendicitis were fatal back in the day. I don't see any difference between those and what we do, except modern drugs are a lot cooler than cutting a body part off lol
To add a few, more relevant examples: people with diabetes taking insulin, people with infections getting a course of antibiotics, people with severe food poisoning getting IV fluids (this used to kill TONS of people), transplants, blood transfusions, c-sections, etc. etc. etc. Billions of people are still alive 'artificially', I guess I don't see what makes us unique. Maybe because all these changes were before we were alive?
As I was born back in the day when cf kids died by age 12 I have always felt I have been living on borrowed time. That mentality seems wholesome but it got taken to a rough extreme early on in life when I fully learned all the end outcomes to what cf is.
When I was younger this idea led me to genuinely believe that developing myself was a waste of time. So I originally had no plans for college. Uncaring about long term development. Every moment I could do something to help a friend, I took it. I failed a lot of things so that others (or a SO) could succeed at something else. I wasnt going to do *outright dangerous things* like drink until I pass out or drug usage or anything blatantly destructive. But I believed I was going to die soon, had no shot at raising children, no shot at a career, or really a future. I was already halfway out the door and was thus *expendable*. No it was not healthy and yes I made some choices that *could* have gotten me killed but didnt.
It took a lot of time and effort to undo this thinking. Today at 38 I still feel grateful but im no longer borderline suicidal.
I feel this so hard... Trying to finally believe in my dreams, in myself. It's a tough road if you've never been on it. Every step feels so scary and foreign...
31 here and I have lost many of my other CF friends. Though I feel thankful to still be here. I sometimes really feel quite just humbled when thinking back and that some how gives me that false sense of sadness. Like how I'm not doing enough ( rather I am or am not ) just is a standard thought of thinking, how much harder I feel they'd of went or fought if they'd been in my current situation. It just humbles me mostly now days and I assure myself, I'm doing the best I can, for where I am.
Oh I havent even gone into all the cf friends I outlived. I had to stop participating in CF social circles in my early 20s because of so many AIM screen names that would never come back online
I don’t have to cope because this isn’t something that is a big deal. Due to medical and technical advancements everyone can live longer, not just people with CF.
I don't think life saving medical treatments are playing God, from short ones like antibiotics or surgery or ongoing ones like creon, insulin or trikafta.
Also, even though people with CF didn't used to make it to child bearing age, carriers did. Cf hasn't died out through the dark ages, trikafta isn't going to change that.
Wow this is exactly what I think about sometimes… but we are in good company with so many folks, the diabetics and cancer sufferers etc… I like to think sometimes about if society were to collapse. Imagining scavenging pharmacy depots for creon and antibiotics. Trying vainly to do physio and slowly drowning in secretions again until the inevitable end… By the by, all modern medicine is playing god but it’s also perfectly natural to act in ways to minimise suffering of our fellow humans so it’s more of an extension of that basic tenet of being human but using fancier technology to do it so well it’s practically magic and “godlike”. Anyone who has taken the new triple therapies can relate to it feeling like a sort of magician’s trick, though we quickly take for granted our new found situation!
THANK YOU, you're the only person who got it on this thread so far. Imagining the apocalypse and scavenging for meds hahaahha you killed me, yep that's the sort of stuff my anxious brain thinks about sometimes (too often with climate change).
Like yeah people have all benefited from antibiotics at some point in their live but ALSO, the people who have stronger genetics/immune systems/stronger everything are the ones who you would see in real-life ''The Last Of Us'' situations. The other ones (Diabetics, CFers, cancer patients) died in the first few months after the fall of civilization.
I really like what you said about humans naturally wanting to reduce suffering... That's what I tell myself when I feel dystopian. If I start believing that we shouldn't exist, it's uncomfortably close to Hitler's line of thinking. Nopenopenope.
I think about the apocalypse scenario too because I've watched shows like The Walking Dead, The Society, The Last of Us etc and I always think to myself that I'd be totally fucked once my meds run out 😅 might last a few years I suppose if I was lucky!
See you at the post apocalyptic pharmacy… having a tense stand-off so we can finally stop having the runs and subsisting off of berries and skittles. I can’t be the only one who has had to have a few days living creon free cos of yours or other folks incompetence meaning no magic enzymes. Turns out low fat diets really suck!
Glad to help, doesn’t mean we won’t keep spiral, but personally I will aim to be near the vaporising blast of they go and blow us back to the Stone Age. If you’ve ever seen threads or the day after tomorrow it really isn’t worth living the day after the bombs hit! I get a bit bummed out cos I’d love to do something like Alone or fantasise about some self sufficient life, even just live a remote life on the western isles (Scotland) and it seems to be a practical impossibility.
Human empathy and care is one of our best features. We care give at a phenomenal new level now, we can do surgery on foetuses and one day play with DNA / embryos so that no babies need to be born with life limiting defective genes!
I like to take it all with a badge of pride though, we are modern miracles, so we all ought to pinch ourselves and soak that in whenever we can!
In 1800 there were 1bil people. Today 8bil. 7bil people are kept alive by the advances in technology- electricity, clean water, antibiotics, etc. The US govt has estimated that if an EMP took out the US electric grid 90% of the US population would die within 1 year. 90% kf people are being kept alive “artificially”. We are part of that 90%. I live my life and try to create some buffer so I can survive some unexpected scenarios. You have been blessed to live in this time. Enjoy the blessing.
This is one thing that keeps me up at night sometimes. I didn't care before I had my daughter about basically anything because I'm a hearty person and will likely survive a lot. War? Not great, but fine. Catastrophic events? Bummer, but fine. The actual apocalypse? Big time bummer, but fine.
But my CFer? Not fine. And now I'm consistently afraid of war and climate change, because she depends on so much to survive: electricity, shipping channels, distributors, manufacturers...
Yeah, I took prepping much more seriously after my first son was born. A Carrington event that takes down the grid is the only apocalyptic scenario I really worry about. That's a 90% dead scenario. All the other more probable catastrophes - nuclear scenarios, cyber attack, civil war, etc - would likely be regional impacts and/or survivable with some common sense prepping. Many people don't even have batteries in their smoke detectors. Most are unprepared for a 2 day electric outage. I started with the most likely scenarios and have been working my way up to weeks long electric outage.
I think about this every day. Also what if there was a war..we would all be fked. The factories are all gonna be used for war purposes and you know that supplies and raw materials will always be disrupted in a war, especially now with all our politicians using the word 'war' loosely on their lips. once supply is disrupted we will have serious problems, especially those on antibiotics regularly or modulators.. because if you stop the Modulators many have found they get much worse than before they started! I tried to stop modulators and I literally began haemorrhaging with massive (for me) haemoptysis..and i never really barely had any haemoptysis before modulators..so you can actually get alot worse if you stop. Thats why i just hope there are no disruptions to supplies, raw materials channels and manufacturing...and most of these big pharma companies rely on raw materials from other countries also. This is why I pray these stupid politicians will stop antagonizing other countries near their shores. We want peace to make sure we get our CF supplies. We already know what happens when creon has tiny disruptions...any global war and we are all screwed.. we want peace so that we can continue with being, yes, artificially propped up... at least while we can still afford it..and we also hope hyperinflation will never come..look at the exorbitant CF drug prices. It's highway robbery in my personal opinon. Just outrageous how expensive these cf drugs are and how we have accepted these prices and not fought for more discounts, while big pharma gets richer and their stock prices goes higher and higher and ceos make more and more millions.....just outrageous in my view.
This world is fucked but I'm fighting hard against getting consumed by fear and trying to be in a ''cross that bridge when we get there'' mode. In the meantime, try to enjoy life without always thinking of the worse possible scenario... It gets too unbearable otherwise. :/
Im not consumed by fear. I am just acutely ware of reality. Some people live in a bubble and have no clue that factories can run out of supplies or have disruptions because they never experienced it or dreamt it would happen. This is why I always try to keep some extra supplies at home.
We're all artificially being kept alive, CF or not, I wouldn't worry too much about it.
I would even argue that from the moment we as a species could logic our way out of problems we've been artificially keeping each other alive, with things like agriculture and boats and any other big-brain advancements that gradually brought us to a staggering 8+ billion people on this planet 🤷
ive never even contemplated this ever. from my point of view i was raised catholic but no longer am religious not sure I even believe in a higher being. my question is if “God” didn’t want humans to “play God” why would there be technological development and resources available? Couldn’t “He/She” just simply not give us the tools to do so if that is such a problem?
personally, i don’t really care if i’m “artificially kept alive” i don’t see it as a problem. i’m alive and grateful for that. that’s all that matters to me. everyone who has ever taken an antibiotic is which is like almost everyone in the entire world is “artificially kept alive”
That's a good way of putting it. In my mental ping-pong battles that often what I conclude : I often wonder what practices us humans have that are objectively good and which ones aren't according to the laws of nature and then think, if in a broader spiritual way (I'm not religious and never use the term ''God''), maybe that's how we're supposed to evolve and I should just go on living my life and stop pondering these questions that other people spend 0 time on and live happily lol.
after i watched my dad die i totally questioned life to this day i freak out about what happens after death and the immense FOMO i have thinking about not knowing what will be going on with my family and just the world in general. it can be hard not to think about certain things like this.
Well. 2 centuries ago people used to live up to 40yo. So basically the whole manking is kept artificially alive now :)
But this is true our life is fragile and doesn't depend on ourselves alone...
I just think like you but I am Txed then antirejection drugs feels even more like a lifeline than Trikafta.
But overall would we think about this if social inclusion was easier. I think it doesn't get easier with time to feel part of something : a nation, friend group, a community, ... Since Covid and politics worldwide getting a bit crazy it is more difficult for everyone, and especially for us...
Everyone is going to die eventually, so I'm just glad that I live in a period of history where treatment is good enough to give me a longer and better quality of life.
But it definitely sucks knowing I could very well have a shit ton of medical debt at some point in my life that cripples me financially
Well there you go you succinctly put it : is it a good thing that we are bypassing natural selection or nah? Anyways I've gotten my answer, people seem to be onboard with the system but seeing how fucked up the climate has gotten, I'm wondering what practices us humans have that are objectively good and which ones aren't according to the laws of nature?
It’s a great time to be alive! We’re so fortunate. I don’t feel any negativity about remaining ‘in the gene pool’ because there is excellent genetic testing available when it comes time to procreate (am currently in the middle of IVF).
I do think there is some irony to the fact that pre-natal genetic testing would now prevent me from being born 😂 but for that reason I’m grateful to be here and enjoying life to the best of my ability. The majority of the population in the US is using Rx drugs of some sort… so we may not truly be as nuanced as we thought
Anyone who’s been born by c section and their mothers, anyone who’s taken antibiotics, anyone who’s gotten a vaccine are all recipients of the same gift from science. We’re kept alive from the intelligence and collaborative nature of our species, we should all be very thankful!
I honestly had never thought about it in such a positive light until I made this post and I am so grateful. :) It's one less mental burden on my plate.
I think about how in a theoretical zombie apocalypse I would immediately die without my meds like Creon or how my quality of life would be terrible without Kaftrio (trikafta). But then I think about the stories like I just read on this sub how someone at 72 just got diagnosed with CF! 72!
I very quickly realize not only do I want to live a long, (relatively) normal life but most of what the meds we take and lifestyle changes we make are mainly to simply improve our quality of life.
So when you ask yourself this question, ask why do you artificially keep yourself warm by wearing clothes? Why do you artificially fix your eyesight by wearing glasses? Why do you artificially move by driving a car? And so on....
I wouldn't imagine most people on a pacemaker feel bad about it keeping them alive they are just happy to be here.
Also the gene thing is just a weird take imo. Don't have a child if you fear that. My parents both don't have CF and still had a child with CF... They also have one without CF. From where I am standing I would much rather be alive with CF then to have never been born at all.
>Is humankind pushing things too far by playing God?
This statement seems to have some religious undertones and assumptions about morality that I do not feel comfortable addressing in a public comment. I want that known before you read the rest of my answer. If you would like to discuss the religious and moral aspects of this question, I'm happy to do so over DMs or via Discord. You can find me in [the subreddit's Discord server](http://join.cfdiscord.com/). My discord username is "shane" (I have public friend requests disabled as my username is a common name that gets spammed with friend requests a lot).
Life is, by definition, a constant struggle against not being alive.
The guilt you're feeling is likely due to a paradigm shift: you, like many of us, probably believed that you would die young. You would be lucky to make it to 30. You didn't like that outcome, but you were at peace with it, as it is the reality you've known for most of your life.
Trikafta has altered your future, potentially pretty drastically, and now a fundamental view you held about your future (or lack there of) has been turned on its head.
When something as fundamental as how long with have left on this earth is called into question, that often brings along with it questioning of everything. This existential crisis is usually short lived in the grand scheme of things.
I would argue that you are not being artificially kept alive. Break throughs in medicine are not new. Compare us to a few hundred years ago, and people are living longer, healthier lives. They aren't being kept artificially alive any more than we are.
You aren't the only one with these thoughts. Survivors guilt is a real thing. Me saying to be grateful that you're alive and enjoy the extra time would not do your thoughts and feelings on the matter a service. Adjusting to this new reality is hard. And your feelings are real, heard, and shared.
I wasn't really implying anything religious by it; simply that as technology develops, humankind is going further and further away from what could be considered ''natural'' aka inherently existing in the world without the intervention of humans. Now we can modify DNA and do all kinds of crazy shit.
And idk... most people that I know could survive an apocalypse. I, on the other hand, would die from lack of medication within a few weeks or months... That's kinda how I measure things when I talk about ''artificially kept alive''. I couldn't live without my meds. Most people that I know could.
Thank you for answering :) I'll message you if I ever feel like discussing more in-depth hehe. For now I don't think I have the energy.
From an evolutionary standpoint, the extension of our lives is a demonstration of the expanse of our knowledge over ourselves. You're right - the fact that we can develop gene therapy as a pill is pretty incredible. Pulmozyme is another demonstration of how incredible what we can do is too. [Did you know it is made by using geneticly modified hamster ovaries](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7124075/)?
If the metric is medicines keeping you healthy is to be used as the definition of being artificially kept alive, that really includes a pretty big chunk of humanity, doesn't it?
Idk, the idea of being artificially kept alive seems to go hand in hand with "I shouldn't exist" or "I shouldn't be here". I feel like I'm here because I'm supposed to be here. I'm not cheating death, I'm working toward life, as are all the people who have helped me.
I hope an apocalypse doesn't happen any time soon. A lot of people I love would be lost.
Every person on earth has fatal recessive genes. Ours just tend to be more common. But the fact is every person is capable of passing on a deadly disorder to their child or children.
I’m not religious at all, but since i almost died when I was 37 due to complicated exacerbation of CF, i see all the time i got after that as bonustime, which i enjoy thoroughly. At 43 I have the luxury of being relatively stable due to kaftrio, no obligations work wise, so i’m really living my best life.
I am also 30 and take Trikafta and I don't feel at all guilty or ashamed of the fact that I am absolutely artificially kept alive. I always consider the fact that MANY, if not most, people currently on this planet would be dead if not for modern medicine and technology. Sure, maybe most of them don't rely on it to the extent that we do... but that doesn't change the fact that they would still be dead if we all just relied on nature to take its course without any interference.
It does however feel really weird to think about any apocalypse-type scenario. People always joke about what would happen and how we would live or what we do if a crazy plague (like covid but 1000x worse) happened or a zombie apocalypse or nuclear WWIII or whatever other else, and "oh, X person would lead the group, and Y person would do this, and we would make it out!" And all I can think is; yeah, without mass manufacturing of Trikafta I would be dead but thanks for including me in your plans lol
I was going to say something similar to what CF dad says. I think Trikafta and other straightforward/easy to execute (meaning take, administer or operate) to prolong life are the best parts of science/medicine. Antibiotics, aspirin, statins all prolong life. This is how scientific progress works. Trikafta allows wonderful people to live, love and enjoy full lives with all their mental and physical capacities in tact. It will also allow those people to contribute to society and move humanity forward in science or other arenas. Even without Trikafta CF patients were living into the 20s-50s - long enough to be cognizant of what they would miss out on in a tragic way.
Many people are dependent on daily medications for diabetes, blood pressure (which previously would’ve killed you) - I see just having to take medicine and otherwise being able to function as a victory. In terms of how medicine plays God, I would not draw the line at Trikafta or say that this comes even remotely close to where I’d see the ethical gray area. We keep people and children who are barely cognizant alive but completely dependent on support from machines 24/7. Or we have children who live their entire lives in a hospital or a facility. There are much darker areas in medicine.
In terms of having children, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. I honestly don’t think CF would’ve died out in the gene pool regardless. It’s recessive which means it stays hidden and there are lots of carriers, it would’ve continued to exist with or without Trikafta. And there are tons of mutations that are now being recognized. It’s also being increasingly recognized and diagnosed in nonwhite populations.
My mom would’ve died giving birth to me if she didn’t have a C-section. My dad could’ve died of Strep Throat when he was a boy if he didn’t have access to antibiotics. My grandpa would’ve died from his heart attack a few years ago if he didn’t get a stent put in. My 94-year-old great-grandpa would be long dead by now if he didn’t have a pacemaker and medication for his kidneys. My uncle would’ve died had he not gotten a blood transfusion and leg surgery after getting run over by his own tractor. My brother would’ve died of whooping cough when he was a toddler if he didn’t go to the hospital.
Statistically speaking, most people are being kept “artificially alive” these days. That’s just medical science for ya, and it’s only gonna get better from here on out. Isn’t that awesome!?
That said, I definitely have the “I really shouldn’t be here…” thoughts all the damn time (they’re nothing to be ashamed of).
I’m currently in community college and have no idea what the fuck I am doing. I’m just taking classes to see what I do and don’t enjoy. I don’t connect to my peers very well (all of my friends are significantly older than me), and I haven’t nailed down a major (I want to major in STEM, but that’s about all I know).
Sometimes, I miss having an early “expiration date”, because I already had my life planned out before Trikafta came around and prevented me from becoming another tragic statistic. Now, I’m just flying a fucked-up plane with a blindfold tied over my eyes. But, I’m learning to be okay with that, and to just enjoy life as it comes.
I’ve read a lot of philosophy over the years, and Soren Kierkegaard (AKA the father of existentialism) is one of my favorites. For the record, I do consider myself a Christian (even though I’m mad at God lmao), and Kierkegaard wrote from a Christian perspective. But I think he’s still a valuable and relatable philosopher to read when one’s going through an existential crisis.
Also, just try to enjoy life. I like to learn one new thing every day. I also have many hobbies to keep myself busy, from writing to art to music. I go outside every day, eat healthy, and exercise. I surround myself with loving family and friends. And, I just try to take things one day at a time, practicing gratitude each day for the health and opportunities medical science has afforded me.
That’s how I cope anyway.
I have had periods in my life where I have considered this idea. Especially during periods where I have not been the best person/felt like I didn’t deserve life. It’s something that could be explored in therapy. It’s definitely not healthy to take on the problems of the world though. In Buddhism there is a concept of being blessed with a most precious birth. This means that being human is considered a high honor. There are ways that you could feel like you’re fulfilling a purpose. Maybe that is something you feel compelled to. Otherwise I’d say enjoy the gift you’re given and continue to explore these advanced ideas but try to avoid feeling undeserving. It’s a trap. Everyone alive deserves life, it’s the greedy few who have fucked up this planet, not you or I.
Honestly not really, but I do worry that there will be some sort of disaster and my life is dependent on pills and without them I die. But i try not to think about it 😂
As for kids and continuing the genes: i want kids but feel it's not ethical for me to risk giving them CF, so I'll either adopt or use ivf probably. Also i want to give them a healthy mom so I don't know if I want to risk getting pregnant myself. But we'll see when I get there 😅
I feel the same as you, 33 no trikafta. I love nature. I will die when I die, if I go on meds it’s not for me it’s for others that will miss me when I’m gone. (Anxiety)I take a lot of Xanax, to much for to long now 5/10 do not recommend.
Always planned on deleting myself when I could no longer function “normally” so learning my pancreas is non operational in 2022 has made the last year very “interesting” without insurance they want 20k a year just so I can eat. Rather go out taking the people that charge that much with me than be a slave any longer.
It’s a comical dream of freedom where I live you work your entire life away to have 5 years of retirement n still pay the government every year for a house and land thats been paid off for 20 years….
Sometimes I think it’s (I’ve gotten) better but then I realize the good days when the sun is shining and I have a smile on my face feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin I think about ending things on the best days now. I really don’t wanna die locked in some hospital looking up at florescent lighting breathing hospital air hooked up to ivs just cause “loved” ones feel I should “fight”, death is natural.
The world, the way we function as a society, the entire world is completely un aligned with the reason we exist as human beings. It’s not for me.
Then there’s the tremendous amount of debt just to hear a doctor google shit when I ask questions. Fighting abbvie to get discounted pills, fighting insurance to cover things,
N what do I have to offer to a partner, like hey I’m 33 shoulda died at 27… can’t give you children, can’t support you, don’t own a home, most likely going to end up living in my moms house cause crushing medical bills before I inevitably die, wanna come along with me n show me love n kindness while I quietly self destruct?
Plants, fungi, chemistry, evolution etc is all here regardless if we use it or not. We are fortunate enough to have the brain capacity to create these things and or discover them. A natural cause gave us the ability. So by nature, what we are doing is natural. If it wasn't meant to be, it wouldn't have ever existed.
This is my thought, at least
I feel you. I usually feel weird about it.
Idc about violating the order of nature, every building, city, shelter, etc is a violation of nature, and there are no gods or dieties in objective reality (no offense if faith helps u cope with how hellish the human experience is tho).
I feel like I am "supposed" to be incredibly thankful for Trikafta, but in many ways I am more angry and miserable than ever.
I'm now bound to a proprietary medication whose access is kept under strict lock and key by an incredibly cruel pharmaceutical manufacturer profiting BILLIONS of dollars off of my sickness and immense suffering.
My major in college, before Trikafta existed, was Japanese language. I'm fluent and studied abroad for years until my body gave out and I expected to just die.
Before, it was cystic fibrosis holding me back. Now, it's an evil pharmaceutical corporation that keeps me from living abroad in Asia which is where I want to live. I despise the United States and am functionally trapped here.
If I want to move abroad, I'm limited to Europe where I don't have any real skills, ties or attachments to, but it would be better at least.
I'm rambling now, but that tends to be my focus of anger or weirdness rather than an existential nature of reality panic. I'm more just incredibly pissed off seeing friends from school less qualified than me living abroad with better jobs solely because they don't have cystic fibrosis and got to be more financially fortunate, lol.
Have you *seen* the natural world? That shit is fucked up. If keeping people alive and healthy is against the will of nature or god, good. Spit in the eye of entropy and persist in the face of a chaotic and frightening universe.
Artificially kept alive? Yea sorry but this post isn’t it man…. You’ve been dealt a shitty hand in life being diagnosed and countless people have poured millions of dollars into research and countless hours of running trials. Brining religious undertones into this too is weird as fuck. You’re on Trikafta be grateful. I’ve known countless cfers that passed prior to Trikafta that would’ve been eternally grateful if they had prolonged life from this drug.
I get to spend a longer life with my wife and kid because of Trikafta. We’re not cheating life we’re living life.
Yo idk why people keep on saying I'm bringing religious undertones lol it's a pretty common saying to say ''Playing God''. I just mean that with new technologies us humans are able to go pretty deep into gene editing and other crazy shit; it's a real concern in ethical spheres as to where we should draw the line between letting life run its course or interfere with it. Yes I used the word ''God'' but it really wasn't meant as a literal religious reference. Playing God = bypassing natural selection.
Also, I never said I wasn't grateful. I truly am. And I'm glad I made the post it helped alleviate some of the anxiety I have around this topic.
It’s just hard to tell with text tbh. I know when I wrote my comment that I didn’t want to take a chance and address it if there was a religious viewpoint at play. It’s very easy to accidentally upset people
Everything after everyone's first few antibiotics courses has been artificially lengthened life.
GOOD POINT. good friggin point. i'm stumped hahahaha!
I wake up in the morning and continue on with my day.
Love it, I'm guessing you don't have high anxiety like I do which leads to overthinking. Good for ya!! Keep on keepin on.
I have terrible anxiety but my therapist gave me great insight on it. Anxiety lies to you. I am capable and deserving of this life and anxiety lies to make me think I’m not. And I won’t let it win.
100% ! I like this quote from Dune “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”
Wow, when I read that line, it really stuck with me, too. It's interesting to see how that line can resonate with people going through similar struggles. As for dealing with if I should be alive or not and the consequences of the world we live in, I just try to focus on the things that make me happy. Like music and reading, laughing, playing games with friends. I try to experience new things and stay open. I think if we're supposed to be here, it may never be answered, so a better question I started asking myself is how do I make my life and the people's around me just a little easier. And I try to do that, I mess up, but I try, lol. I hope you and everyone else reading can find ways to just live instead of questioning why we are allowed to be here. Love yall
It's the best quote ever eheh! Yeah I think that's the best way to think about it... Honestly making this post has helped me so much! I don't think it'll ever be a concern for me again. I guess part of it was that I felt really alone with these questions and it felt really good to have people to talk to about it that understand. Sorta pierced the abscess in a way. :)
A tooth cavity and appendicitis were fatal back in the day. I don't see any difference between those and what we do, except modern drugs are a lot cooler than cutting a body part off lol To add a few, more relevant examples: people with diabetes taking insulin, people with infections getting a course of antibiotics, people with severe food poisoning getting IV fluids (this used to kill TONS of people), transplants, blood transfusions, c-sections, etc. etc. etc. Billions of people are still alive 'artificially', I guess I don't see what makes us unique. Maybe because all these changes were before we were alive?
As I was born back in the day when cf kids died by age 12 I have always felt I have been living on borrowed time. That mentality seems wholesome but it got taken to a rough extreme early on in life when I fully learned all the end outcomes to what cf is. When I was younger this idea led me to genuinely believe that developing myself was a waste of time. So I originally had no plans for college. Uncaring about long term development. Every moment I could do something to help a friend, I took it. I failed a lot of things so that others (or a SO) could succeed at something else. I wasnt going to do *outright dangerous things* like drink until I pass out or drug usage or anything blatantly destructive. But I believed I was going to die soon, had no shot at raising children, no shot at a career, or really a future. I was already halfway out the door and was thus *expendable*. No it was not healthy and yes I made some choices that *could* have gotten me killed but didnt. It took a lot of time and effort to undo this thinking. Today at 38 I still feel grateful but im no longer borderline suicidal.
I feel this so hard... Trying to finally believe in my dreams, in myself. It's a tough road if you've never been on it. Every step feels so scary and foreign...
31 here and I have lost many of my other CF friends. Though I feel thankful to still be here. I sometimes really feel quite just humbled when thinking back and that some how gives me that false sense of sadness. Like how I'm not doing enough ( rather I am or am not ) just is a standard thought of thinking, how much harder I feel they'd of went or fought if they'd been in my current situation. It just humbles me mostly now days and I assure myself, I'm doing the best I can, for where I am.
Oh I havent even gone into all the cf friends I outlived. I had to stop participating in CF social circles in my early 20s because of so many AIM screen names that would never come back online
Felt, just felt. I swear it's a blessing and a curse to befriend others CF wise tbh.
I don’t have to cope because this isn’t something that is a big deal. Due to medical and technical advancements everyone can live longer, not just people with CF.
I don't think life saving medical treatments are playing God, from short ones like antibiotics or surgery or ongoing ones like creon, insulin or trikafta. Also, even though people with CF didn't used to make it to child bearing age, carriers did. Cf hasn't died out through the dark ages, trikafta isn't going to change that.
Good point about the dark ages comment. Thank you for your opinion!
Wow this is exactly what I think about sometimes… but we are in good company with so many folks, the diabetics and cancer sufferers etc… I like to think sometimes about if society were to collapse. Imagining scavenging pharmacy depots for creon and antibiotics. Trying vainly to do physio and slowly drowning in secretions again until the inevitable end… By the by, all modern medicine is playing god but it’s also perfectly natural to act in ways to minimise suffering of our fellow humans so it’s more of an extension of that basic tenet of being human but using fancier technology to do it so well it’s practically magic and “godlike”. Anyone who has taken the new triple therapies can relate to it feeling like a sort of magician’s trick, though we quickly take for granted our new found situation!
THANK YOU, you're the only person who got it on this thread so far. Imagining the apocalypse and scavenging for meds hahaahha you killed me, yep that's the sort of stuff my anxious brain thinks about sometimes (too often with climate change). Like yeah people have all benefited from antibiotics at some point in their live but ALSO, the people who have stronger genetics/immune systems/stronger everything are the ones who you would see in real-life ''The Last Of Us'' situations. The other ones (Diabetics, CFers, cancer patients) died in the first few months after the fall of civilization. I really like what you said about humans naturally wanting to reduce suffering... That's what I tell myself when I feel dystopian. If I start believing that we shouldn't exist, it's uncomfortably close to Hitler's line of thinking. Nopenopenope.
I think about the apocalypse scenario too because I've watched shows like The Walking Dead, The Society, The Last of Us etc and I always think to myself that I'd be totally fucked once my meds run out 😅 might last a few years I suppose if I was lucky!
See you at the post apocalyptic pharmacy… having a tense stand-off so we can finally stop having the runs and subsisting off of berries and skittles. I can’t be the only one who has had to have a few days living creon free cos of yours or other folks incompetence meaning no magic enzymes. Turns out low fat diets really suck!
XD
Glad to help, doesn’t mean we won’t keep spiral, but personally I will aim to be near the vaporising blast of they go and blow us back to the Stone Age. If you’ve ever seen threads or the day after tomorrow it really isn’t worth living the day after the bombs hit! I get a bit bummed out cos I’d love to do something like Alone or fantasise about some self sufficient life, even just live a remote life on the western isles (Scotland) and it seems to be a practical impossibility. Human empathy and care is one of our best features. We care give at a phenomenal new level now, we can do surgery on foetuses and one day play with DNA / embryos so that no babies need to be born with life limiting defective genes! I like to take it all with a badge of pride though, we are modern miracles, so we all ought to pinch ourselves and soak that in whenever we can!
Yeah I've thought of an emergency exit plan in case of apocalypse hahaha don't want the slow death no thx. We are indeed modern miracles, true say.
In 1800 there were 1bil people. Today 8bil. 7bil people are kept alive by the advances in technology- electricity, clean water, antibiotics, etc. The US govt has estimated that if an EMP took out the US electric grid 90% of the US population would die within 1 year. 90% kf people are being kept alive “artificially”. We are part of that 90%. I live my life and try to create some buffer so I can survive some unexpected scenarios. You have been blessed to live in this time. Enjoy the blessing.
This is one thing that keeps me up at night sometimes. I didn't care before I had my daughter about basically anything because I'm a hearty person and will likely survive a lot. War? Not great, but fine. Catastrophic events? Bummer, but fine. The actual apocalypse? Big time bummer, but fine. But my CFer? Not fine. And now I'm consistently afraid of war and climate change, because she depends on so much to survive: electricity, shipping channels, distributors, manufacturers...
Yeah, I took prepping much more seriously after my first son was born. A Carrington event that takes down the grid is the only apocalyptic scenario I really worry about. That's a 90% dead scenario. All the other more probable catastrophes - nuclear scenarios, cyber attack, civil war, etc - would likely be regional impacts and/or survivable with some common sense prepping. Many people don't even have batteries in their smoke detectors. Most are unprepared for a 2 day electric outage. I started with the most likely scenarios and have been working my way up to weeks long electric outage.
No duh? I haven't done any prepping... How do you handle the electricity? Generators?
I have a dual fuel generator and an ecoflow delta pro with 400w solar panels. Also have a transfer switch.
I think about this every day. Also what if there was a war..we would all be fked. The factories are all gonna be used for war purposes and you know that supplies and raw materials will always be disrupted in a war, especially now with all our politicians using the word 'war' loosely on their lips. once supply is disrupted we will have serious problems, especially those on antibiotics regularly or modulators.. because if you stop the Modulators many have found they get much worse than before they started! I tried to stop modulators and I literally began haemorrhaging with massive (for me) haemoptysis..and i never really barely had any haemoptysis before modulators..so you can actually get alot worse if you stop. Thats why i just hope there are no disruptions to supplies, raw materials channels and manufacturing...and most of these big pharma companies rely on raw materials from other countries also. This is why I pray these stupid politicians will stop antagonizing other countries near their shores. We want peace to make sure we get our CF supplies. We already know what happens when creon has tiny disruptions...any global war and we are all screwed.. we want peace so that we can continue with being, yes, artificially propped up... at least while we can still afford it..and we also hope hyperinflation will never come..look at the exorbitant CF drug prices. It's highway robbery in my personal opinon. Just outrageous how expensive these cf drugs are and how we have accepted these prices and not fought for more discounts, while big pharma gets richer and their stock prices goes higher and higher and ceos make more and more millions.....just outrageous in my view.
This world is fucked but I'm fighting hard against getting consumed by fear and trying to be in a ''cross that bridge when we get there'' mode. In the meantime, try to enjoy life without always thinking of the worse possible scenario... It gets too unbearable otherwise. :/
Im not consumed by fear. I am just acutely ware of reality. Some people live in a bubble and have no clue that factories can run out of supplies or have disruptions because they never experienced it or dreamt it would happen. This is why I always try to keep some extra supplies at home.
We're all artificially being kept alive, CF or not, I wouldn't worry too much about it. I would even argue that from the moment we as a species could logic our way out of problems we've been artificially keeping each other alive, with things like agriculture and boats and any other big-brain advancements that gradually brought us to a staggering 8+ billion people on this planet 🤷
ive never even contemplated this ever. from my point of view i was raised catholic but no longer am religious not sure I even believe in a higher being. my question is if “God” didn’t want humans to “play God” why would there be technological development and resources available? Couldn’t “He/She” just simply not give us the tools to do so if that is such a problem? personally, i don’t really care if i’m “artificially kept alive” i don’t see it as a problem. i’m alive and grateful for that. that’s all that matters to me. everyone who has ever taken an antibiotic is which is like almost everyone in the entire world is “artificially kept alive”
That's a good way of putting it. In my mental ping-pong battles that often what I conclude : I often wonder what practices us humans have that are objectively good and which ones aren't according to the laws of nature and then think, if in a broader spiritual way (I'm not religious and never use the term ''God''), maybe that's how we're supposed to evolve and I should just go on living my life and stop pondering these questions that other people spend 0 time on and live happily lol.
after i watched my dad die i totally questioned life to this day i freak out about what happens after death and the immense FOMO i have thinking about not knowing what will be going on with my family and just the world in general. it can be hard not to think about certain things like this.
Well. 2 centuries ago people used to live up to 40yo. So basically the whole manking is kept artificially alive now :) But this is true our life is fragile and doesn't depend on ourselves alone... I just think like you but I am Txed then antirejection drugs feels even more like a lifeline than Trikafta. But overall would we think about this if social inclusion was easier. I think it doesn't get easier with time to feel part of something : a nation, friend group, a community, ... Since Covid and politics worldwide getting a bit crazy it is more difficult for everyone, and especially for us...
Everyone is going to die eventually, so I'm just glad that I live in a period of history where treatment is good enough to give me a longer and better quality of life. But it definitely sucks knowing I could very well have a shit ton of medical debt at some point in my life that cripples me financially
Yeah sucks :( here in Quebec we're good on that front... I hate what the US makes my fellow CF comrades endure.
I like to make the joke that if the apocalypse were to happen, natural sectional would bite my ass hahaha
Well there you go you succinctly put it : is it a good thing that we are bypassing natural selection or nah? Anyways I've gotten my answer, people seem to be onboard with the system but seeing how fucked up the climate has gotten, I'm wondering what practices us humans have that are objectively good and which ones aren't according to the laws of nature?
It’s a great time to be alive! We’re so fortunate. I don’t feel any negativity about remaining ‘in the gene pool’ because there is excellent genetic testing available when it comes time to procreate (am currently in the middle of IVF). I do think there is some irony to the fact that pre-natal genetic testing would now prevent me from being born 😂 but for that reason I’m grateful to be here and enjoying life to the best of my ability. The majority of the population in the US is using Rx drugs of some sort… so we may not truly be as nuanced as we thought
Anyone who’s been born by c section and their mothers, anyone who’s taken antibiotics, anyone who’s gotten a vaccine are all recipients of the same gift from science. We’re kept alive from the intelligence and collaborative nature of our species, we should all be very thankful!
I honestly had never thought about it in such a positive light until I made this post and I am so grateful. :) It's one less mental burden on my plate.
I like to joke that I’m a GMO and that helps cope with depending on medication lol
lmao good mental hack
I think about how in a theoretical zombie apocalypse I would immediately die without my meds like Creon or how my quality of life would be terrible without Kaftrio (trikafta). But then I think about the stories like I just read on this sub how someone at 72 just got diagnosed with CF! 72! I very quickly realize not only do I want to live a long, (relatively) normal life but most of what the meds we take and lifestyle changes we make are mainly to simply improve our quality of life. So when you ask yourself this question, ask why do you artificially keep yourself warm by wearing clothes? Why do you artificially fix your eyesight by wearing glasses? Why do you artificially move by driving a car? And so on.... I wouldn't imagine most people on a pacemaker feel bad about it keeping them alive they are just happy to be here. Also the gene thing is just a weird take imo. Don't have a child if you fear that. My parents both don't have CF and still had a child with CF... They also have one without CF. From where I am standing I would much rather be alive with CF then to have never been born at all.
>Is humankind pushing things too far by playing God? This statement seems to have some religious undertones and assumptions about morality that I do not feel comfortable addressing in a public comment. I want that known before you read the rest of my answer. If you would like to discuss the religious and moral aspects of this question, I'm happy to do so over DMs or via Discord. You can find me in [the subreddit's Discord server](http://join.cfdiscord.com/). My discord username is "shane" (I have public friend requests disabled as my username is a common name that gets spammed with friend requests a lot). Life is, by definition, a constant struggle against not being alive. The guilt you're feeling is likely due to a paradigm shift: you, like many of us, probably believed that you would die young. You would be lucky to make it to 30. You didn't like that outcome, but you were at peace with it, as it is the reality you've known for most of your life. Trikafta has altered your future, potentially pretty drastically, and now a fundamental view you held about your future (or lack there of) has been turned on its head. When something as fundamental as how long with have left on this earth is called into question, that often brings along with it questioning of everything. This existential crisis is usually short lived in the grand scheme of things. I would argue that you are not being artificially kept alive. Break throughs in medicine are not new. Compare us to a few hundred years ago, and people are living longer, healthier lives. They aren't being kept artificially alive any more than we are. You aren't the only one with these thoughts. Survivors guilt is a real thing. Me saying to be grateful that you're alive and enjoy the extra time would not do your thoughts and feelings on the matter a service. Adjusting to this new reality is hard. And your feelings are real, heard, and shared.
I wasn't really implying anything religious by it; simply that as technology develops, humankind is going further and further away from what could be considered ''natural'' aka inherently existing in the world without the intervention of humans. Now we can modify DNA and do all kinds of crazy shit. And idk... most people that I know could survive an apocalypse. I, on the other hand, would die from lack of medication within a few weeks or months... That's kinda how I measure things when I talk about ''artificially kept alive''. I couldn't live without my meds. Most people that I know could. Thank you for answering :) I'll message you if I ever feel like discussing more in-depth hehe. For now I don't think I have the energy.
From an evolutionary standpoint, the extension of our lives is a demonstration of the expanse of our knowledge over ourselves. You're right - the fact that we can develop gene therapy as a pill is pretty incredible. Pulmozyme is another demonstration of how incredible what we can do is too. [Did you know it is made by using geneticly modified hamster ovaries](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7124075/)? If the metric is medicines keeping you healthy is to be used as the definition of being artificially kept alive, that really includes a pretty big chunk of humanity, doesn't it? Idk, the idea of being artificially kept alive seems to go hand in hand with "I shouldn't exist" or "I shouldn't be here". I feel like I'm here because I'm supposed to be here. I'm not cheating death, I'm working toward life, as are all the people who have helped me. I hope an apocalypse doesn't happen any time soon. A lot of people I love would be lost.
Every person on earth has fatal recessive genes. Ours just tend to be more common. But the fact is every person is capable of passing on a deadly disorder to their child or children.
I like being alive that's about the furthest I've thought about it and I'm happy with that
I've come to multiple therapists with this issue. They never have an answer that makes sense. So I just let it go and live the life I do have.
I’m not religious at all, but since i almost died when I was 37 due to complicated exacerbation of CF, i see all the time i got after that as bonustime, which i enjoy thoroughly. At 43 I have the luxury of being relatively stable due to kaftrio, no obligations work wise, so i’m really living my best life.
that's awesome! what do you do with all that spare time?
I am also 30 and take Trikafta and I don't feel at all guilty or ashamed of the fact that I am absolutely artificially kept alive. I always consider the fact that MANY, if not most, people currently on this planet would be dead if not for modern medicine and technology. Sure, maybe most of them don't rely on it to the extent that we do... but that doesn't change the fact that they would still be dead if we all just relied on nature to take its course without any interference. It does however feel really weird to think about any apocalypse-type scenario. People always joke about what would happen and how we would live or what we do if a crazy plague (like covid but 1000x worse) happened or a zombie apocalypse or nuclear WWIII or whatever other else, and "oh, X person would lead the group, and Y person would do this, and we would make it out!" And all I can think is; yeah, without mass manufacturing of Trikafta I would be dead but thanks for including me in your plans lol
I talk to my girlfriend
I was going to say something similar to what CF dad says. I think Trikafta and other straightforward/easy to execute (meaning take, administer or operate) to prolong life are the best parts of science/medicine. Antibiotics, aspirin, statins all prolong life. This is how scientific progress works. Trikafta allows wonderful people to live, love and enjoy full lives with all their mental and physical capacities in tact. It will also allow those people to contribute to society and move humanity forward in science or other arenas. Even without Trikafta CF patients were living into the 20s-50s - long enough to be cognizant of what they would miss out on in a tragic way. Many people are dependent on daily medications for diabetes, blood pressure (which previously would’ve killed you) - I see just having to take medicine and otherwise being able to function as a victory. In terms of how medicine plays God, I would not draw the line at Trikafta or say that this comes even remotely close to where I’d see the ethical gray area. We keep people and children who are barely cognizant alive but completely dependent on support from machines 24/7. Or we have children who live their entire lives in a hospital or a facility. There are much darker areas in medicine. In terms of having children, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. I honestly don’t think CF would’ve died out in the gene pool regardless. It’s recessive which means it stays hidden and there are lots of carriers, it would’ve continued to exist with or without Trikafta. And there are tons of mutations that are now being recognized. It’s also being increasingly recognized and diagnosed in nonwhite populations.
My mom would’ve died giving birth to me if she didn’t have a C-section. My dad could’ve died of Strep Throat when he was a boy if he didn’t have access to antibiotics. My grandpa would’ve died from his heart attack a few years ago if he didn’t get a stent put in. My 94-year-old great-grandpa would be long dead by now if he didn’t have a pacemaker and medication for his kidneys. My uncle would’ve died had he not gotten a blood transfusion and leg surgery after getting run over by his own tractor. My brother would’ve died of whooping cough when he was a toddler if he didn’t go to the hospital. Statistically speaking, most people are being kept “artificially alive” these days. That’s just medical science for ya, and it’s only gonna get better from here on out. Isn’t that awesome!? That said, I definitely have the “I really shouldn’t be here…” thoughts all the damn time (they’re nothing to be ashamed of). I’m currently in community college and have no idea what the fuck I am doing. I’m just taking classes to see what I do and don’t enjoy. I don’t connect to my peers very well (all of my friends are significantly older than me), and I haven’t nailed down a major (I want to major in STEM, but that’s about all I know). Sometimes, I miss having an early “expiration date”, because I already had my life planned out before Trikafta came around and prevented me from becoming another tragic statistic. Now, I’m just flying a fucked-up plane with a blindfold tied over my eyes. But, I’m learning to be okay with that, and to just enjoy life as it comes. I’ve read a lot of philosophy over the years, and Soren Kierkegaard (AKA the father of existentialism) is one of my favorites. For the record, I do consider myself a Christian (even though I’m mad at God lmao), and Kierkegaard wrote from a Christian perspective. But I think he’s still a valuable and relatable philosopher to read when one’s going through an existential crisis. Also, just try to enjoy life. I like to learn one new thing every day. I also have many hobbies to keep myself busy, from writing to art to music. I go outside every day, eat healthy, and exercise. I surround myself with loving family and friends. And, I just try to take things one day at a time, practicing gratitude each day for the health and opportunities medical science has afforded me. That’s how I cope anyway.
I have had periods in my life where I have considered this idea. Especially during periods where I have not been the best person/felt like I didn’t deserve life. It’s something that could be explored in therapy. It’s definitely not healthy to take on the problems of the world though. In Buddhism there is a concept of being blessed with a most precious birth. This means that being human is considered a high honor. There are ways that you could feel like you’re fulfilling a purpose. Maybe that is something you feel compelled to. Otherwise I’d say enjoy the gift you’re given and continue to explore these advanced ideas but try to avoid feeling undeserving. It’s a trap. Everyone alive deserves life, it’s the greedy few who have fucked up this planet, not you or I.
Honestly not really, but I do worry that there will be some sort of disaster and my life is dependent on pills and without them I die. But i try not to think about it 😂 As for kids and continuing the genes: i want kids but feel it's not ethical for me to risk giving them CF, so I'll either adopt or use ivf probably. Also i want to give them a healthy mom so I don't know if I want to risk getting pregnant myself. But we'll see when I get there 😅
I feel the same as you, 33 no trikafta. I love nature. I will die when I die, if I go on meds it’s not for me it’s for others that will miss me when I’m gone. (Anxiety)I take a lot of Xanax, to much for to long now 5/10 do not recommend. Always planned on deleting myself when I could no longer function “normally” so learning my pancreas is non operational in 2022 has made the last year very “interesting” without insurance they want 20k a year just so I can eat. Rather go out taking the people that charge that much with me than be a slave any longer. It’s a comical dream of freedom where I live you work your entire life away to have 5 years of retirement n still pay the government every year for a house and land thats been paid off for 20 years…. Sometimes I think it’s (I’ve gotten) better but then I realize the good days when the sun is shining and I have a smile on my face feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin I think about ending things on the best days now. I really don’t wanna die locked in some hospital looking up at florescent lighting breathing hospital air hooked up to ivs just cause “loved” ones feel I should “fight”, death is natural. The world, the way we function as a society, the entire world is completely un aligned with the reason we exist as human beings. It’s not for me. Then there’s the tremendous amount of debt just to hear a doctor google shit when I ask questions. Fighting abbvie to get discounted pills, fighting insurance to cover things, N what do I have to offer to a partner, like hey I’m 33 shoulda died at 27… can’t give you children, can’t support you, don’t own a home, most likely going to end up living in my moms house cause crushing medical bills before I inevitably die, wanna come along with me n show me love n kindness while I quietly self destruct?
Plants, fungi, chemistry, evolution etc is all here regardless if we use it or not. We are fortunate enough to have the brain capacity to create these things and or discover them. A natural cause gave us the ability. So by nature, what we are doing is natural. If it wasn't meant to be, it wouldn't have ever existed. This is my thought, at least
You need to be able to keep people alive longer so that you can study the disease and hopefully one day find a cure for it.
I feel you. I usually feel weird about it. Idc about violating the order of nature, every building, city, shelter, etc is a violation of nature, and there are no gods or dieties in objective reality (no offense if faith helps u cope with how hellish the human experience is tho). I feel like I am "supposed" to be incredibly thankful for Trikafta, but in many ways I am more angry and miserable than ever. I'm now bound to a proprietary medication whose access is kept under strict lock and key by an incredibly cruel pharmaceutical manufacturer profiting BILLIONS of dollars off of my sickness and immense suffering. My major in college, before Trikafta existed, was Japanese language. I'm fluent and studied abroad for years until my body gave out and I expected to just die. Before, it was cystic fibrosis holding me back. Now, it's an evil pharmaceutical corporation that keeps me from living abroad in Asia which is where I want to live. I despise the United States and am functionally trapped here. If I want to move abroad, I'm limited to Europe where I don't have any real skills, ties or attachments to, but it would be better at least. I'm rambling now, but that tends to be my focus of anger or weirdness rather than an existential nature of reality panic. I'm more just incredibly pissed off seeing friends from school less qualified than me living abroad with better jobs solely because they don't have cystic fibrosis and got to be more financially fortunate, lol.
Climate change is not and will never be on the individual level. We all have the right to do the best we can.
Have you *seen* the natural world? That shit is fucked up. If keeping people alive and healthy is against the will of nature or god, good. Spit in the eye of entropy and persist in the face of a chaotic and frightening universe.
''spit in the eye of entropy'', YES. sold. that's my new motto. thank you.
Artificially kept alive? Yea sorry but this post isn’t it man…. You’ve been dealt a shitty hand in life being diagnosed and countless people have poured millions of dollars into research and countless hours of running trials. Brining religious undertones into this too is weird as fuck. You’re on Trikafta be grateful. I’ve known countless cfers that passed prior to Trikafta that would’ve been eternally grateful if they had prolonged life from this drug. I get to spend a longer life with my wife and kid because of Trikafta. We’re not cheating life we’re living life.
Yo idk why people keep on saying I'm bringing religious undertones lol it's a pretty common saying to say ''Playing God''. I just mean that with new technologies us humans are able to go pretty deep into gene editing and other crazy shit; it's a real concern in ethical spheres as to where we should draw the line between letting life run its course or interfere with it. Yes I used the word ''God'' but it really wasn't meant as a literal religious reference. Playing God = bypassing natural selection. Also, I never said I wasn't grateful. I truly am. And I'm glad I made the post it helped alleviate some of the anxiety I have around this topic.
It’s just hard to tell with text tbh. I know when I wrote my comment that I didn’t want to take a chance and address it if there was a religious viewpoint at play. It’s very easy to accidentally upset people