«Simul stunt, simul cadent». Our Latino ancestors would comment on the deaths of the Kessler twins simultaneously. I will not focus on the genetic aspect. I have two sisters and a brother who are twins (and I’ll let you imagine what it means to live with three perfect copies of the same person). And it cannot be denied that there is an invisible thread between them that keeps them united even from a distance! But I want to focus on another point: they have not accepted that their beauty, beautiful, graceful and dashing at the age of 90, will decline! The German twins make decisions about their lives as if they were a torn sweater or an out-of-date blender. But instead we are talking about the best advantage that is not available: life. So this news should make us stop and reflect to ask ourselves whether we are still human.
PS Greta Garbo wisely retired from the real world at the age of 36 and removed every mirror in the house
Francesco Federico Fastorini Forte (Desenzano sul Garda)
Dear Francesco, euthanasia is such a complicated and divisive topic that, here, my keyboard is shaking at the thought of even writing about it. So I don’t want to discuss the merits of the choice of the Kessler twins, about which I actually have a very specific opinion. I certainly don’t want to attribute it to the inability to see oneself physically wither. Throughout their lives, they are wise, graceful, dignified. Over the years they have retired peacefully and there has never been a scandal, rumor or exaggeration heard about them. As you already understood, this is not a portrait of two people who are incapable of growing old. They cancel bills, cancel magazine subscriptions, send gifts to their best friends, organize inheritances, plan everything for months and, perhaps even before that, for years. Regardless of how someone feels about assisted suicide, I think we have to recognize that calm and methodical preparation requires the balance and determination they have demonstrated throughout their life and career.
They had always been two women, ever since they were girls. I exclude that being one of them by birth could put them in trouble. In my opinion, there are many other considerations that need to be made regarding this extraordinary ending.
