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April 2, 2005
Terri Schiavo, the Pope & Beth’s Client
There has been a lot of death in the news lately, and some at home here. The Schiavo story has been picked over way too much. I have found it very hard to get by the fact that Michael was fighting to preserve some dignity in carrying out Terri’s wishes, and a big chunk of the U.S. political establishment was fighting to use the tragedy in his life for their own ends. Anyone who stuck their nose into the Shivo’s business should be ashamed.
The Pope’s decline and anticipated death is on the other end of the “worthy of news” scale. I don’t agree with all of Pope John Paul’s theology or choices, but I have a lot of respect for him. He made some significant changes in the Church, and that is notoriously hard to do. He focused on kids, and gave them hope and encouraged them to faith. That was, and is, a very wise investment. And he traveled like a madman and reached out to people of little means and much need, and offered them something that would help lift their hearts and souls out of the internal poverty they live in. It takes courage and conviction to do that, and I am very grateful to the Pope for that. He was a vital, compelling voice in our collective world dialog, and when he dies, he will be missed.
One of Beth’s favorite clients is near death. He has cancer, and it not expected to last many more days. Beth has spontaneously burst into tears as she grieves for his anticipated death. His life has been a model of generosity, compassion and responsibility. His death will be a loss to many in the community.
We all agree what Life (with a capital L) is when we see it, and clearly we want to protect that. We all know death when we see it as well, and there’s consensus on how to treat that with dignity. Its the boundaries between life and death where we have trouble. Is it possible for someone to have a pulse but be dead? Is it possible for “someone” to be alive and not have a pulse or even a body?
Western (American) civilization is obsessed with a literal and factual world view, and that poses a significant barrier. It requires a concise definition of Life and Death, but these subjects are mainly informed by philosophy and psychology and these disciplines often rely on metaphor to define and explain concepts. So we arrive full circle at the problem – we seek a concise definition of life, and our language and understanding has not matured enough for that, so we must rely on metaphor to discuss and understand the subject.
Certainty in this area will not be available any time soon. In the mean time we need to listen with our hearts and heads as we discuss this important subject. Jumping or clinging to any conclusion right now will not help the discussion much.
Posted by pgutwin at April 2, 2005 9:50 AM