As Psychology students, we're always bombarded with questions of the mind and the body. One abstract, one physical. No matter how much you would like to deny it, these two are more intricately linked that we would like them to be. They always say it's "mind over matter", and that if you will it to be, it'll be. But what about the body making the mind think otherwise? It's not a two-way street, it's a two lane highway.
Which leads to this question: Which would you rather have go first, your mind or your body?
Just the thought of that would terrify anyone. Lose your mind and trapped in a limbo, or feel your body slowly betray you and shut down? Most people I've asked have said that they would rather have their bodies go first, and I wonder why.
If I had the choice, I would definitely want to lose my mind first. It's a purely selfish act. If I were to lose my mind to something as pitiful as Alzheimer's, or something as consuming as schizophrenia, I would just be living my days one at a time, no sense of direction, no sense of safety for myself. It would be just like being riveted back to being a child. It would be the people surrounding me who would have to bear the burden of taking care of me while I carelessly take one day at a time.
If your body breaks down and your mind is still intact, you'd be able to understand the horrors of your body dying. And that itself, I think, is pretty scary. Why spend the last few years of your life suffering in pain?
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