At the end, to be or not to be

The campaign for people to write a living will while they are able is gaining ground in China's fast aging society

Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew wrote in his new book One Man's View of the World that there is an end to everything and he wants his "to come as quickly and painlessly as possible", instead of being incapacitated in bed and with a tube inserted into his nostrils and down to his stomach.

The 89-year-old's musings over death are a mirror of the times, as advances in medicine and technology, such as mechanical ventilators and feeding tubes, have not only helped to save more lives, they also at times prolong the process of dying, sometimes against people's wishes.