Organ Donation

    I do not know much about Mr. Jyoti Basu or his politics, except that he was the longest serving chief minister of West Bengal (for that matter any Indian state), one of the eastern states of India. He had been the beacon for West Bengal politics and had been a mentor for many of his comrades, including the current chief minister. He breathed his last on Jan 17th, 2010. When I first heard the news of his death I thought it was good that he did not struggle for his death, which was good for him and the state. States usually would spend tons and tons of money on their politicians, just to keep them "alive". But he went one step ahead, in his death he has shown us all a path towards immortality. He decided to donate his body for a very noble cause - medical research.

    This reminds me of a story that Prof. Barry Shwartz had once mentioned in one of his articles. He said that it was seen that British donate their organs more often than Americans. It was not as if Americans were less inclined to donate, rather it turned out that the driver's license in America had a default opt-out of organ donation whereas Britain had a default opt-in. So, it was just the difference in how the policy was framed.

    It is in human nature that we want to take the path of least resistance, therefore we do not take active steps towards addressing these issues. I am sure if it is made easier where in every country adopts this automatic opt-in policy for organ donation, people would agree to it and would come forward to do so. In that sense Jyoti Basu has been a true leader.