ASYLUM

 

The DOCTOR enters the cell and gazes benignly at MR. HART.

 

DOCTOR.  Good morning, Mr. Hart.

      And how are we feeling today?

 

      (MR. HART turns away and says nothing.)

 

DOCTOR. You're not being very polite Mr. Hart.

      But I think a larger dose of the medication will cure you of that.

 

MR. HART. I don't want your friggin' medication.

 

DOCTOR. Now you're being very rude.

      What have I told you about being rude, Mr. Hart?

 

      (MR. HART says nothing.)

 

MR. HART. I'm not happy here.

 

DOCTOR (laughing good-naturedly)

      Well, that's why I'm here.

      I'm here to make sure that you are happy.

      And the drug will help make you happy. Very happy.

 

MR. HART. The drug makes me unhappy.

 

DOCTOR. Oh, Mr. Hart.

      You need the drug because you are unhappy.

      You must not resist. We know what's best for you.

      You must trust us. We have only your best interests in mind.

      The drug is life. Choose life, Mr. Hart.

 

MR. HART. I choose death.

 

DOCTOR. You're suicidal. You need help, but you can't help yourself.

      That's why I'm here.

 

MR. HART. I no longer choose to live under these conditions.

      I want to live on my own terms.

 

 

 

DOCTOR. Oh, Mr. Hart, what am I going to do with you?

      We cannot permit you to make those decisions.

      You're not in your right mind. You choose death.

      And by choosing death, you have proven to us that you are ill

      and that you cannot make the correct decisions by yourself.

      Death is never an option for someone who is of sound

      mind and body.

 

MR. HART. It's my decision to make.

 

DOCTOR.  Not if you don't choose life, Mr. Hart.

      By choosing death, you devalue the lives of others.

      We can't have that; you owe it to others to be positive.

      We need you to affirm the worth of our existences.

      We can't do it on our own.

      And if you were to kill yourself, what kind of message would that convey?

      Imagine if we all chose death? Then what? The human race would be in a

      fine pickle now wouldn't it? You owe to everyone to remain

      positive or we might all fall into despair.

      If not for yourself, do it for us.

      Do it for the children who will inherit the earth.

 

      (MR. HART laughs.)

 

DOCTOR. Besides, Mr. Hart, you're my only patient.

      How do you expect me to make a living?

 

MR. HART. I've decided to cancel the treatment.

 

DOCTOR. But the drugs have extended your life span.

 

MR. HART. I'm miserable.

      And I don't want to live like this.

      The drugs don't make me feel better.

      They just make me feel ... numb.

      They just make it difficult for me to know what to do with myself.

      And then I have trouble thinking for myself.

      I rack my brains trying to remember what made me miserable

      in the first place, but I don't remember.   And that makes

      me feel even more miserable. I'll never get to

      the bottom of things.

 

DOCTOR. Ah, but the drugs will make you forget you were even miserable.

      That's the whole point. You will forget what you should

      never have remembered in the first place.

 

MR. HART. Drugs or no drugs, I'm still miserable.

     

DOCTOR. You're miserable because you're suicidal;

      Because of a morbid disposition

      and a predisposition towards self-destruction.

      But we'll cure you of that. I assure you of that.

 

      (MR. HART steps away)

 

DOCTOR. You need our help, Mr. Hart.

      After all, we are here to serve your interests. To make you happy.

      To make you a content and fully functional member of society.

 

MR. HART. But you don't understand.

      I've chosen to discontinue the treatment.

 

DOCTOR. You are not in a fit state to make decisions for yourself.

      You are under the influence of drugs as we speak.

 

MR. HART.  I don't want the drugs.

 

DOCTOR. But the drugs are keeping you alive.

      Otherwise you might have taken your life long ago. We can't

      take chances. We are trying to keep you alive as long as possible.

      And how do you expect us to do that if you insist upon killing yourself?

      You must cooperate. It's for your own good, after all.

           

MR. HART. I'm not happy.

 

DOCTOR. Life is happiness. You are unhappy due to a morbid disposition.

      Once we eliminate the morbid disposition, you will

      remember what bliss it is to be alive.

      I trust that you will do the right thing and take the drug.

 

MR. HART. I've never wanted to do the right thing.