The first time I heard that some people wrote in their wills that when they die their remains should be donated to a research lab to enhance the advancement of the human race, I couldn't help but shout "What the hell? How can someone in his right senses expose his or her family to such emotional troubles where they can't even bury their bodies?" It sounded ludicrous and cringe-worthy at the same time.
If there is one thing that has helped mankind as we grow and evolve, it is the amount of sacrifice some people are willing to make to get things done. The likes of Marie and Pierre Currie stayed in the lab for decades for research purposes even when it was harming them. Some scientists have gone the extra length of trying out a new drug on friends, their loved ones, and even themselves just to get it right. So if people are willing to sacrifice that much for unsure answers, donating oneself to charity especially when one is confirmed to carry an important cure shouldn't be a problem, right?
One relatable story that has a similar feel to this episode's topic is the ongoing HBO series The Last Of Us. The setting was a post-apocalyptic world where fungi have found a way to infect humans and take control of their bodies without killing them. With the infection spreading through bites from the infected, it wasn't long before the majority of the world succumbed to the deadly fungi attack. In between that pandemonium and struggle for survival, a girl was found to be completely immune to the attack. She doesn't get infected.
Not to bore you with some movie scripts, I'll cut it short. With the world in decline, the girl was the hope of humanity. A doctor in a faraway land has the skill set and tools to squeeze a cure out of her and save the human race but she has to travel lots of miles through perilous planes to get to him. With the aid of a smuggler, she made it to the doctor. However, when it was time for her to be cut open and analyzed for research purposes, the smuggler, who had grown a father-daughter bond with the girl along the way, just couldn't take it. He popped the doctor's head, killed everyone in sight and disappeared with the girl to a safe place.
Look, it sounds normal to think, "Yes, I have the cure and should be experimented on to save the world." However, going that route will make one's life a living hell. Things that have never been done before will be tried on one's body. There is a high percentage that one's life will be nothing but hell. Hey, we only have one life to live. Why should I sacrifice mine? For legacy or what? So that people will never forget me?
Honestly, it sounds selfish to think I won't be willingly laying myself down to be messed up for research purposes. But then, I don't have a saviour complex. I wish the world would be a better place and it takes sacrifice, however, I'd prefer not to be sacrificed. Despite my take on this, I won't shut the door on helping out in my subtle way. But becoming a full-time lab rat? No way.
