Act 120

The main clause of Act 120 is: ‘Those with reduced life can and should be allowed a way out.’

As always, the pedantic were the first on the scene, diverting attention to the least ambiguous, that being ‘reduced life’ in this case.  Who, with all their senses still intact, has any doubt about that? Then, it was the turn of the do-gooders insisting on a humane ‘way out’. They were as cantankerous as trade unions and as amenable to amicable settlements via generous gifts to the leaders. The amicable, and reasonably humane, ‘way out’ was not difficult to decide.

The person availing the Act can choose from a wide range of pick-up vehicles–a limo for the rich or a shared van for the eco-friendly–and also decide whether to keep the final journey public or private, with a select or no crowd. There is no choice about the destination though; it is the waste-to-energy plant on the city-outskirts. Contrary to the expectations or prejudices of many, this remarkably clean, modern and efficient unit can rival the corporeal and spiritual purposes of the best graveyards and crematoriums.

Till date there has been only two glitches, in the process and not in the Act per se. The first was an identity crisis. The online application was filled out by well-meaning or not-so-well-meaning others on behalf of one. Stringent checks were put in place, including an online test to make sure one had most of one’s senses. The second involved logistics and metaphysics. A few wanted to withdraw their application. Even if processing and collection costs are minimal, the important question remains: how can a fickle or feverish mind make a reduced life less reduced? It was decided that one cannot change one’s mind after applying to be a zero.