You Don’t Know, You Don’t Want To Know
Sunday, December 14th, 2008Why does it take getting pounded by life to tenderize our hearts to the suffering of others? Some don’t get tender, of course. Some, like Javert, feel wronged and pursue “justice” until the end of their days. They keep track of every slight and spend their days plotting revenge. Mercy is weak, kindness naive.
Some who suffer retreat from life and become a non-entity. And some who see these people retreat condemn them. The Anchoress addresses this notion:
John never demanded notice. Likely he never believed he was worth anyone’s noticing. When you are rejected by your parents at a young age, never quite included in “the family,” that can happen.
It has never been my habit to decide the spiritual fate of someone else; in fact I loathe nothing more than folks who presumptuously declare they know the state of someone else’s soul, because of this scripture verse or that. These people, to me, seem unloving, empty and oddly disconnected from the scripture they quote…as though their intellect has cut off from their heart. Other people mean well, but…I know tomorrow my email will contain a few missives from people who will quote scripture at me and enumerate to me all the reasons my brother is not now in the peace of Christ.
I say to hell with that. He was loved into being; he was baptized and sealed. The people who were supposed to teach him the way in which to go spun him madly, incessantly - then allowed him to get dizzy and lost. He lived a sad, tortured life the best way he knew how - quite imperfectly, but then his tools were also very insufficient and his trust was non-existent. I cannot claim to know anything, but I do not believe that a loving God would look upon this much-sinned against man and reject him once again, as he was rejected all his life.
Pain. There is so much pain. And while many people have empty souls, who knows what their lives would be like if love touched them? Only God knows the answer to that.
Obama’s Abortion Position
Wednesday, September 17th, 2008Here (h/t Ace):
Just to clarify.
And also, related: Why Sarah Palin is immoral for NOT having an abortion. No, they aren’t joking. Says Cassy Fiano:
So, I guess in this guy’s mind, we should have no Helen Kellers or Franklin D. Roosevelts; no Lord Byrons, Lord Nelsons, or Beethovens. Is that the argument? That unless you’re 100% “healthy” — and by whose standards is “healthy” defined anyway? — you don’t have a right to live? And what gives this guy the right to decide?
I grew up with my Down’s Syndrome cousin. She was as integral to the family as any chromosomally “perfect” person. The funeral home could not fit all the people when she died. She was loved and she loved. She lived on the farm and she contributed.
What amazes me is that these same people will go to any length to save a dog or get naked for PETA and will turn around and show callous disregard for human life–either flawed or inconvenient.
A note on late-term abortions: My sons were born at 24 weeks gestation. One died after contracting MRSA at the hospital. One received the best medical care and is now in 5th grade. These are children. People. The notion of having a botched late term abortion and then allowing that child to die, or actively kill the child is beyond barbaric.
Radical leftists like Obama embrace eugenics and a life inconvenienced by unplanned children. It is horrifying. What birth defect do you have that makes you unworthy? What circumstance created your inconvenient existence?
Birthing A Baby To Save A Baby and Dying At Will: The Ethics Of Saving Or Losing A Life
Tuesday, August 5th, 2008It seems impossible that 18 years have passed since the controversial decision by the Ayala family who chose to get pregnant with a baby to save their daughter, Annisa, who suffered with leukemia. She needed a bone marrow transplant to save her life, but there were no matches. Her parents had another child who ended up being the perfect match. Both girls are alive and well today. Watch the whole story here.
An ethicist made the argument that it was wrong to have a child, and before the baby could consent herself, take her bone marrow to save her sister. I watched the family, imagined watching my daughter die and can see making the same decision. The thought did occur to me, though, what if the child wasn’t a match? How would that reality affect the family? After the older daughter died, would the new child be a solace or source of pain? That’s a lot to put on a child. I’m sure the parents thought this through. What say you?
This case also reminded me of end of life decisions, too. No one likes to talk about it, but I know for a fact that parents, children and doctors make tough choices every single day in hospitals across America. The Terri Schiavo case was especially divisive because of the nature of her husband’s relationship and the questionable circumstances surrounding her coma. At any rate, her case wasn’t typical. Most people at the end are suffering and the question is whether to intervene and end it, or less overtly, just remove the life support; or, should nature be allowed to take it’s course, meaning that the person dies when the body quits. Again, I’m curious about your reaction to this dilemma.
Cross-posted at Right Wing News
Tony Snow Dead at 53, DeBakey Dead at 99
Saturday, July 12th, 2008
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: Life is short. He struggled against colon cancer and lost the fight.
Tony’s humor and humanity stood out in whatever role he played. I delighted in his sparring with the press when he was Press Secretary. I delighted in his sparring with politicians in his role at FOX. He just seemed like a smart, dedicated, nice guy.
Michelle Malkin says:
He was a true mensch, multi-talented–and one of the kindest people I had the honor to meet in the news business.
Even a long, meaningful life is short. Yesterday, surgeon Michael Ellis DeBakey also died. He is the father of modern cardiovascular surgery:
He remained vigorous and was a player in medicine well into his 90s, performing surgeries, traveling and publishing articles in scientific journals. His large hands were steady, his hearing sharp. His personal health regimen included taking the stairs at work and a single cup of coffee in the morning.
DeBakey’s death was mourned Friday night by the leaders of Methodist and Baylor. Methodist President Ron Girotto said, “He has improved the human condition and touched the lives of generations to come. We will greatly miss him.” And Baylor President Dr. Peter Traber added that “he set a standard for preeminence in all areas of his life that those who knew him and worked with him are compelled to emulate. And he served as a very visible reminder of the importance of leadership and giving back to ones community.”
It occurs to me that both of these men shared a trait: recognition that time is short and impatience with those intent on wasting it:
”He’s not hard to work with if things are done right,” said Noon, DeBakey’s colleague of more than three decades, in a 1995 interview. ”He was hard on people who slacked off or made mistakes. But he was so busy. He had to depend on people, and he could be tough. But he was always tough for a reason.”
Tough, impatient, perfectionistic, driven, curious, kind, smart. Good traits to be remembered for.
R.I.P. Tony and Dr. DeBakey.
Dr. Melissa
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