The law of Nature

 The Primary law of nature is that there must be a balance.  Each separate manifestation requires a separate  formula and proportion.  If the formula and/or proportion is violated, there is a reaction often resulting in destruction.

Survival in animal species requires a balance between predator and prey; plant species requires a balence between nutrients in the soil and rain, etc.  In nature the balance is controlled automatically by its laws.

As the human species slowly evolved over unimaginable time, intelligence and creativity emerged and  gradully expanded.  Man is also a product of nature, so too carries the requirement of balance.

Intelligence and creativity opened a new dimension into nature--the human, MAN, had the ability to manipulate the 'given elements of nature'--trees with which to build shelters, metals with which to make implements, plants with which to learn to preserve for times of scarcity, other plants with which to produce fabrics for clothing,  etc. . . .

With this magnificent 'new' ability of intelligence and creativity, MAN had forgotten that he too was part of nature requiring balance--in fact msn began to think of himself as The creator, not recognizing he was only using the elements 'given to him by life.'

There were various attempts to try to imagine 'The Source' and gave it names like "God", "Allah","The Great Spirit", etc. ...and invented ceremonies to give IT honor.  But that became a source of conflict, each insisting "Only may formula is right!" ...even though all shared the elementary Tennent of "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you", worded differently but fundamently the same.  (*see The Parliament  of World Religions in 1988)

In MAN's having forgotten the primary law of nature: balance, the world has become out-of-balance.  Power, Wealth, and Winning have become the 'goal' rather than respect of nature and human welfare.     We figured out how to split the atom and now hold an arsenal of weapons able to destroy the planet.  In getting to this point we have disrupted the climate and oceans, developed massive wealth inequality between humans, and have 'lost our way'.

According to the prime law of nature, imbalance results in some kind of correction, often destruction.

We Need to Pay Attention

 

One of the most frightening things I have ever read was an article from ‘The Atlantic’ current issue. My fear arises from the fact we have just held a presidential election that will affect our nation’s future.

 

The article is long and complex, but vitally important.  It is full of alarming information and carefully researched by a respected historian, Timothy W. Ryback, dated January 08, 2025.  There are perhaps few who would have patience to read the entire article but I wish to call it to attention because of its importance. 

 

The title is: ‘How Hitler Dismantled A Democracy in 53 Days.’ 

It begins:  “Ninety-two years ago this month, on January 30, 1933 Adolf Hitler was appointed the 15^thchancellor of the Weimar Republic.  . . . (he) set about destroying a constitutional republic through constitutional means.” . . . “What follows is a step-by-step account of how Hitler systematically disabled and then dismantled his country’s democratic structures and processes in less than two months’ time—specifically, one month, three weeks, two days, eight hours, and 40 minutes.“  The author goes on to describe just how it happened.  

 

It is long and detailed; the author tells of Hitler’s many promises and lies; and describes the steps Hitler took to achieve his end.   Pay attention and listen to the echo we hear coming from our newly elected president.  He speaks of ‘shaking up’ our democracy and he has said, ‘I need the kind of generals Hitler had.’

 

 

 

Our worst day

 This is the worst day in the history of the United States of America!  Donald Trump, a con-artist, a criminal and a malignant narcissist who created a lie about the last election which he lost, and then incited a riot—an insurrection against the Capital.  The nation watched in horror over TV then apparently forgot all about it!  He has been re-elected president of this nation that held the light of liberty and freedom to the world for some 300 years.  We have lost something precious.  The finest of humanities ideals began to crumble in the 20^thcentury.   First came world war one followed by world war two.  Adolf  Hitler came to power in Germany and instituted malhumn horrors against a race of people.  The war raged for years until the additional horror of the US dropping 2 atom bombs on Japan . . . was Armageddon released?

As the US grew in power it began losing a connection with God; prayer was outlawed in schools and government events.  The desire to become rich increased and soon money became the god of many people.  Guns became a quasi-idol and could not be controlled by laws.  Slowly? or rapidly? moral decline set in and decency gradually evaporated.  In this atmosphere, over half of this nation elected immoral and amoral Donald Trump to lead our nation.

Which will it be?

In the 2024 presidential election we are at a moral crossroad.  There is more at stake in this election than choosing between two equally honorable individuals—we will be choosing between good and evil.

 

What are considered the most serious issues in this election?  We are told by the news media it is the economy and the refugees.  We are not a nation which is starving and destitute; we are seen as the wealthiest, strongest and most secure nation in the world.  Yes there are problems about distribution, but in considering this election our most serious problem seems to be that we have allowed money to become the object of worship rather than God and thus, acquiring wealth supersedes all else—that is Trump’s religion and highest value.  

Harris sees the need to protect and restore our nation’s soul as the highest value.

 

Our greatest national symbol is the Statue of Liberty holding the words of Emma Lazar’s poem: ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free’ . . that has worked for us for over 300 years.  Do we have a refugee problem?  Yes because we have an ancient inadequate system processing them.  Trump wants to gather them all, even those who have been working for years, and throw them out of the country.

Harris wants to create a new workable system.

 

Trump has a history of bilking people of their money with nefarious schemes, he is a convicted felon, breaks all rules, violates norms, fabricates outrageous lies . . .

Harris has spent her career in service to our nation.

 

Which will it be?

--A woman whose career honors our human search for peace and justice.

--Or a man who sits on a gold toilet thumbing his nose at truth and justice?

 

We choose between good and evil.

Honest Man vs Notorious Liar

 The debate between Biden and Trump a few days ago ignighted fear in many viewers and joy in others and caused both Democrats and Republicans to question Biden's ability and wisdom in running for president.

It is true that aging does damage to every faculty and functional ability but it is NOT a given that at a particular age one becomes incapable . . . some do at 50, others beyond 100. 

In the past, people thought age brought wisdom.  In the present, people believe age brings incompetence.  Each can be true and each can be false.  And either accepted whole heartedly is both wrong and foolish.  

Biden had a bad night, a really bad night!  It alarmed me and made me doubt . . . until I considered the options.  There is no doubt that Biden is an honest and honorable man; and it has repeatedly been proven that Trump is a liar.  As president, either will be surrounded with intelligent staff who will have input on decisions.  Biden listens and hears; Trump listens to no one but himself.  I will trust the honest man. 

I watched every minute of the debate and the discussions that followed.  I am 88,  Biden's senior by 7 years.  The following day I recalled a similar incident that happened to me about a year ago: I had been invited to give a return talk to a group on a topic I was well-versed on.  Going in, I felt a little 'off', but had notes and wasn't worried.  As I began, I felt a little shaky but OK.  Within minutes I began stumbling over my words, then lost track of what I was saying, looked down at my notes and could make no sense of them . . . I kept trying to recoup but finally apologized and excused myself.  It was the most embarrassing experience of my professional life.

I later learned of TIA = transient ischaemic attack or mini stroke.  That is what had happened to me.  It is caused by a temporary disruption in the blood supply to the brain.  Symptoms are: numbness or weakness of face, sudden confusion, trouble speaking, walking or seeing.   The TIA lasts a short time, it doesn't damage brain cells or cause permanent disability.

It seems likely that is what happened to Biden.  I will stick with Biden as he is a man of integrity and I believe that is the most importent quality for a president.

We Need the Word Malhuman

So much frightening news in today's world leads me to return to my blog.

----

We need the word malhuman in our dictionaries.  It refers to human behavior that is beyond the pale of 'bad' and in the domain of evil.  Torture, brutality, rape, aggression, annihilation . . . Those are behaviors that defy human reason and justice. 

Reason and justice are among the building blocks of civilization.  When human behavior defies reason and justice, it becomes malhuman.  When our intelligence is perverted to choose behaviors that are totally harmful and destructive, it falls into the realm of evil.  Evil is defined as: profound immorality and wickedness; exclusively harmful and destructive.

Malhuman acts are human behaviors directed by humans to other fellow humans.  They don't 'just happen', they arise from calculation, planning and choice.  We are responsible for our choices.

The word malhuman will help us better understand the nature of the behaviors we choose. 

Our Choices

This morning as I walked in the drizzling rain looking at the beauty of Spring . . . trees in bloom, fresh green grass and the last two daffodils,  my mind was once again presented with the question, ‘Who or what is God?’  Of course that is beyond my knowing or understanding, but it’s a question that often presents itself, and my consciousness wrestles with the question.  I was praying.  I don’t do a good job of staying focused but the effect is to stimulate thoughts . . . Who or what is God. . . IS God?  I must answer that last question in the affirmative for the world IS, the Universe IS, Life IS, humanity IS . . . it is all ordered and in balance and harmony . . . until MAN, with the gift of reason and free will set about choosing without adhering to God’s advice . . . ‘I lay before you life a death, choose life that your children might live’. . . and God gave us the outline of what was  meant by ‘choose life’.   Life flourishes in following the directive ‘Do unto others what you would have done unto you’.  Some version of that showed up in every civilized religion and was expanded in more detail by what came to be called ‘The Ten Commandments’, once again showing up a bit less clearly defined, in every religion.  Those were God’s directives . . . having given humanity reason and free will, God did not command and demand but rather left ‘choice’ to man.

 

Man invented religion, which became religions.  Early on, humanity was yet without having communications and transportation well defined.  Each group was vastly separated from others so each group structured guidelines for living differently.  Oh yes, and also having evolved from brute ancestors wherein the law of the jungle was ‘might means right’ humanity carried that law forward which came to be interpreted as ‘man’—the one with the ‘might’ had the voice of ‘right’ and silenced the ‘weaker sex’, thereby women had no voice in leadership (leaving out things like compassion, kindness, love etc.) and power became disproportionately important.  Religions (the aspect of keeping-in-touch-with God) also developed with power and control as an important element,  and even here, the voice of half of humanity was left out.

 

With eons of time, man became more and more aware, skills and knowledge expanded, communications and transportation grew to include hitherto unimagined possibilities and then by the 19^th century the ‘whole world’ became available to individuals who had the means to pursue it.

 

As humanity gained more and more knowledge over time, it became narcissistic (in love with its own reflection) and God became less and less important.  Man ‘stood alone’ in his power which he protected with weapons.  As humanity became more in control of all aspects of existence, different conclusions and points of view set up clashes.  The fear that ‘his power or point of view might overpower mine’ grew.  Fears escalated, it was necessary to build walls of protection and greater means to resist.  Finally in the 20^th century, the power man held was literally the ability to destroy all life on earth! 

 

Meanwhile, the feminine voice began to emerge as mankind evolved in its humanity and made room for compassion, kindness, love, etc.  (Ending slavery, caring for the unenfranchised, etc.)  That is not to say ‘feminine voice’ refers to only and to all women, it is to say the feminine ‘voice’ which exists in both genders as does the masculine voice exist in both genders’ but each gender is more prominently associated with the one than the other. As both the feminine voice as well as women take a place in governance the future may change.  Civilization developed with the masculine voice in control, allowing for a disproportionate emphasis on power and  control.

 

So let’s bring God back into the picture.  We cannot know nor comprehend the vastness of creation, the Universe, or God; we can only be in awe of it.  But now, in the 21^st century, as we face the danger we have brought upon ourselves and this planet we need to face what is said to be God’s directive.  It  doesn’t matter so much how you envision or deny ‘A God’, what matters is the wisdom of: ‘choose life over death’, ’do unto to others’ and ‘moral guidelines’ . . . be they from God or very wise men long ago, they are our only hope for continuation of the species.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Toward A Better World

After a six month pause from my blog, I return to report of the 2^nd edition of my fiction book, ‘The Conflagration’.  It does not fit available genres—it is a cautionary tale for the 21st Century.  A fire-bird, a Phoenix, graces the cover, a symbol of new possibilities rising.  It is now in a second edition which carries a new sub-title: ‘Toward a Better World’. When I began writing the book about a decade ago, ‘conflagration’ was, perhaps, a less familiar word.  It can now be found in music and as at least one other book title.  It has also struck me that my use of the word on its own may be a bit misleading as it brings to mind images of widespread destruction.  The addition of the subtitle helps set up the more positive post-destruction story that takes place in a world that has learned to live in peace.  

 

The story opens 300+ years into the future in a world without war when a plane from the 21^st Century is found in the Antarctic containing an intact cryonic capsule with a mature young woman inside.  There is controversy about what to do as that world does not practice cryonics.

 

She is revitalized and slowly learns of her fate.  She is angry, unbelieving and resistive to what she is told.  Her resistance gradually thaws under the gentle care of her rehabilitation team.  The team recognizes her intelligence and a plan is made to educate her to this world and hopefully enable her to find a career.

 

Once Sydney accepts the truth of the destruction of her world at the end of the 21^st Century, she falls into a deep depression.  Next, recovering from the depression, as new information piles on, she becomes overwhelmed by what she must absorb and she goes to the desert on a long retreat.  In that soul search she becomes obsessed with the question, ‘Did the Conflagration have to happen?  Was it inevitable?’

 

Upon her return, she decides to write her Master’s thesis on some version of that question by delving into what information was available to her former world that could have helped avert WWIII, The Conflagration.

 

In the story, this is Sydney’s question . . . Our 21^st Century world is in crisis; we are on the wrong path; Sydney’s question is the book’s question.

                                                    *all references to the 20^th and 21^st Centuries are factual.

                                                          Click here to buy on Amazon

 

of Serious Thoughts: End of an Era

of Serious Thoughts: End of an Era:   I began writing ‘Of Serious Thoughts’ in August 2013.     August 2022 marks the completion of 9 years of regular writing, first twice a mo...

End of an Era

 I began writing ‘Of Serious Thoughts’ in August 2013.  August 2022 marks the completion of 9 years of regular writing, first twice a month then after 5 years it became once a month. This will be my final entry as I intend to cease writing regular blogs.  Will I add another one now and then?  I’m unsure, time will tell.  I want to thank my many readers for the 180000 reads over the years.  

 

I chose to begin with a long prose poem, ‘Un-Named God’ from my poem collection.  I chose it as it seemed to incorporate all that I think of and care about.  I’ve just reread the poem and find it to still be true.  Some time ago a priest read it and suggested it seemed blasphemous; I recommended he go back and read Psalm 2 . . . he relented.

 

My blog is of a serious nature as its title says.  It covers situations of concern in our contemporary world as well as basic human issues and humanity’s struggles with God.  I have frequently mentioned Teilhard de Chardin and did a 7-part series on his works from June to October 2015.  (Part 6 was somehow deleted so I re-added it on January 2, 2017.)  I believe him to be the Galileo of our time.  He has opened our eyes to a new way of seeing.  By leaving the static world behind and focusing on our dynamic evolving world, he sees Science and Religion as two sides of the same coin—the search for Truth.

 

Presently my focus is heavily on my latest work of fiction, ‘The Conflagration’.  It is an unusual story, not easily fitting any genre.  It arose from my belief that our world is on the wrong path and we are actively choosing our ultimate destruction, be it by the Climate Crisis, atomic warfare, or the obscene imbalance in wealth distribution—1% of the population (the billionaires) hold ½ of the world’s wealth, while the rest is distributed to the other 99% in way that leaves much of the human population starving.  There is increasing polarization in both politics and the general populous, making compromises on any issue virtually impossible.  We presently hold the tools needed to create a peaceful and prosperous world—scientific understanding of climate and the climate change, numerous international organizations such as the UN, UNESCO, and The World Health Organization, economic organizations such as The World Economic Forum, etc.—if we would but acknowledge the present danger.

 

The story is set in the future after WWIII, known as the Conflagration, had nearly destroyed planet earth, and caused the survivors to vow to never war again.  Some 300+ years later when the planet has recovered and is again thriving, a cryonically preserved young woman from the 21^st Century is found and revitalized.  She struggles to adapt to this new world of peace and is obsessed with the question, ‘Was The Conflagration inevitable’?

 

I invite those who have enjoyed my writing to check out:  www.theconflagration.com 

of Serious Thoughts: Abortion, "Yes" or "No"?

of Serious Thoughts: Abortion, "Yes" or "No"?:  As the Supreme Court considers the abortion issue, people are protesting from both sides . . . there is too much shouting and polarization ...

Abortion, "Yes" or "No"?

 As the Supreme Court considers the abortion issue, people are protesting from both sides . . . there is too much shouting and polarization to allow for reasonable points to be made.  The abortion issue is not easily easily settled with a 'Yes' or 'No' law.  It is complex and multi-faceted.  

The first point to consider is that conception is the first step to the transmission of life and the protection of human life is our highest value.  That makes it a moral issue--but does not automatically give us the answer.

The next point to consider is that a moral choice in always the responsibility of the individual affected by it.  When a moral decision is called for, it involves a dilemma . . . a forced choice between equally undesirable alternatives.

Laws are general guidelines, but laws cannot encompass all moral issues that arise.  For example, the 6th Commandment is 'Thou shalt not kill' . . . and yet we recognizethere are times when the law ceases to apply as when an innocent life is threatened, that seemingly absolutist position is modified. 

In the abortion debate the Pro-Life stand is taken from an absolutist position that it is NEVER right to take a life, even (and perhaps especially) a potential one.  This fails to take into consideration the moral dilemma of the pregnant woman.

The Pro-Abortion side takes the absolutist position that argues for NO restriction on abortion, thus failing to give credence to the moral value of protecting human life.

It is unfortunate that when the Roe v Wade debate was settled into law it did not include a limited time frame for undertaking the procedure; that would have avoided its becoming the intractable situation we now have.  Society has been appalled at seeing piles of aborted babies in different stages of development   and stories of babies aborted within days of delivery.

The coming-to-be of a human life is an evolution.  The new life goes through stages of development. Within 24 hours after fertilization the egg rapidly divides into many cells, within 3 weeks it becomes an embryo, gradually becoming more complex as systems develop.  Between the 8th and 9th weeks it is called a fetus as it takes on the recognizable form and functions of a baby. 

Conception begins the life process and various religions argue about when a fetus becomes 'human' (heart beat? soul enters? viability?), but from a non-sectarian standpoint most would agree that if a pregnency is to be terminated, the earlier the interruption, the more humane.

There is another issue that permeates this debate and that is "Who has the right to decide?"  It is within the rights of government to put limits on the timing of the procedure, but it is not the role of a government  to make moral decisions.  It is the responsibility of each woman seeking the procedure to come to the decision within her own conscience.

Is God A Non-Issue?

 We are encouraged to seek ‘The Good’.

 

Take a slow and thoughtful look at our world:

 

            --Nations under siege

                        or collapsing without leadership

                                    the world awash with refugees.

 

            --a measurable increase in violence:

 

                        the violence of war

                        mass killing in schools

                                    and the marketplace

                        increasing violence in the streets

                        violence as our prime entertainment source

                                    in movies, on TV, in video games . . .

 

            --loss of restraint and civility:

 

                        fist-fighting on airplanes

                        at school board meetings

                        children’s soccer games

                        threats and insults on social media

 

            --a news headline:

 

                        ‘Billionaires’ wealth surged during pandemic’

                                    Half the world’s wealth belongs to the top 1% 

 

In our world in the 21^st century, God has become a non-issue, something to perhaps give a nod to one day of the week—or once a year; but otherwise not actually having an effect on lives.  God is ignored.

Whatever you consider to be God’s name or how ‘he’ should be worshiped, it is understood that ‘a god’ represents to humanity all that is good.  Losing awareness of our God (by whatever name) brings with it, the loss of focus on ‘the good’ . . . and little by little evil creeps in until it becomes overwhelming.

God doesn’t need us, but we need God in order to remember ‘The Good’.

Malhuman Acts

 Day after day, as I watch the news of Ukraine, tears roll down my cheeks.  I don’t invite them and I can’t stop them.  I feel a measure of guilt for having a comfortable world with an inability to render any aid.  (A few dollars? Even hundreds—but what is that in the face of such need?)  My tears come because I have learned empathy and compassion—it is what is required of us to be human.  It sensitizes us to feel others’ pain.

 

Those who lack those qualities commit malhuman acts.  Putin’s troops are trained to slaughter innocent people; children, women, old people as well as men in uniform.  He orders the bombing of hospitals, schools, living quarters, buildings marked ‘CHILDREN’.  In areas which they invade but cannot hold, they stealthily plant booby traps where people will walk and shoot captives with hands tied behind their backs.  They rape and torture women before killing them, and some when they don’t kill, wish they had.  It is total depravity, equal to the Nazi horrors of WWII.  Russia had no particular enmity against Ukrainian culture, Putin simply wanted the territory and moved in with his armies.  This man is evil!  It was blasphemy for him to be pictured blessing himself for the cameras in a church at Orthodox Easter.

 

I borrow a paragraph from my earlier blog of September 13, 2014 titled ‘Malhuman’. . . “we search for words with which to describe them and their deeds—all our strongest words seem inadequate”; they have transgressed the boundaries of civilization.  It is inaccurate to call their actions ‘beastly’ or ‘inhuman’.  Beasts instinctively kill for survival but don’t commit these horrors; humans act through conscious choice.  They can’t rightly be called inhuman (lacking human identity) or unhuman (not resembling or having qualities of human beings) for these are heinous actions consciously chosen by humans. . . choices arising out of pure evil.  

 

I’ve searched dictionaries for the word malhuman, and I get ‘no match found’.  I can’t understand why it is not in our lexicon.  I offer it as the word which best describes what we are witnessing.

of Serious Thoughts: Putin's War--The Hand of Cane

of Serious Thoughts: Putin's War--The Hand of Cane:   Ukraine wants to be part of NATO.     NATO is the alliance of democratic nations who agree to mutually support each other if attacked by a...

Putin's War--The Hand of Cane

 Ukraine wants to be part of NATO.  NATO is the alliance of democratic nations who agree to mutually support each other if attacked by a rogue nation.  Putin does not want Ukraine in NATO and has chosen to call a war to mercilessly attack Ukraine to prevent its joining.  This is not Russia’s war, it is Putin’s.  Putin controls his nation’s communications so Russians don’t have access to the truth.  The US and other NATO  nations are doing all they can to support Ukraine short of sending troops—as that would trigger WWIII.  We all know this much.

 

What calls for a closer look is that a world war would immediately become a nuclear war.  The world stockpile of nuclear weapons is estimated to roughly be 12,700 warheads.  90 percent of that is held between Russia and the US in more or less equal amounts.  Do we realize what a terminal danger this world is in?  We have created the possibility of destroying the earth as we know it!

 

In Deuteronomy 30:15 God’s words are quoted as: “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.  Now choose life, so your children may live.”  Living by God’s laws is simply, ‘Do to others as you would want done to you’.  Later Jesus added, ‘Love your enemies’.  Living by God’s laws promises life; opposing those laws spells death. . . and that is true, whether or not you believe in a God.

 

The Bible story of Cane and Able tells of older brother, Cane, who out of jealousy, kills his brother Able.  It is a cautionary tale.

 

On March 16^th Pope Francis led a meeting of students in St. Peter’s Basilica at which he read a beautiful prayer by Archbishop Battaglia:

 

“Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, we implore you to stop the hand of Caine; enlighten our conscience, let not our will be done, do not abandon us to our own doing.

Stop us, Lord, stop us, and when you have stopped the hand of Caine, take care of him also.  He is our brother.

Forgive us if, not content with the nails with which we pierced your hand, we continue to drink from the blood of the dead torn apart by weapons.

Forgive us if these hands that you had created to protect, have been turned into instruments of death.”

of Serious Thoughts: Death With Dignity

of Serious Thoughts: Death With Dignity:   This past month has     brought me to consider the issue of Death with Dignity.   Twenty days ago my sister Marian, my only sibling, died....

Death With Dignity

 This past month has  brought me to consider the issue of Death with Dignity.

 

Twenty days ago my sister, my only sibling, died. We were very close; when at my Connecticut home (across the driveway from hers) I visited with her daily . . . the doctors say she died of Corona although she was vaccinated and boosted—I believe a broken heart was the responsible underlying cause. In those few months, she had lost her daughter, her home, her freedom and her husband.

 

She and her husband lived on the farm that she and I grew up on.  It had been in the family through 4 generations, 132 years.  They moved in with Mom following my Dad’s death in the early 1980’s.  Their children had married or moved away but often gathered ‘on the farm’, first with grandchildren and later great-grandchildren.  Sometime around 2000 their oldest daughter moved in with them as her husband had died and her only son married.  That daughter looked after them for their last 10 years when Parkinson’s disease limited my sister's normal abilities and for the last 5 years she walked with a walker but her mind was clear and she became an avid reader.  For this last year, each week I got several large-print book for her from the library. . . and she read every one.  Her favorite author was Mary Higgins Clark, followed by John Grisham then James Patterson.  The reading helped her tolerate her confinement.

 

This past June, the daughter living with them died unexpectedly.  From that point on everything seemed to go wrong . . . During that summer her husband was twice rushed to the hospital but first they could not find the problem.  The next time he was near death; he was found to have an embedded tick and was diagnosed with lyme disease.  He pulled through but his previous vigor was diminished—yet he was still independent.  They had a series of home health-care workers.  Their two remaining children began to talk of a nursing home for them (neither lived close to the farm).  They did not want to go. He was adamant, but to their two children, my sister remained passive  By Fall, they finally acquiesced to their suggestion.  

 

The intent was to have them share the same room in the couples wing but the lack of an available space placed them temporally in different rooms in the ward.  Soon she was transferred, expecting he would join her.  But he began spiking high temperatures and was several times sent to the hospital—finally diagnosed with failing kidneys.  He was often quarantined so at times my sister could not even visit him.  January 2^nd he died—alone.

 

Of course my sister was shaken, but strong.  She attended his funeral Mass and the dinner following.  There, she was alert and conversational, enjoying seeing all the family and a few friends.  I had long visits with her for several days before returning to Florida (where I stay for the winters).  She seemed OK but I could see the depression moving in.  The weather was bad, she urged me to “go back where it is warm”.  

 

In 2 weeks I got the call that she was in the hospital and expected to die.  I got an immediate flight, but on arrival I couldn’t see her, she was under Covid restrictions.  She hadn’t wanted extreme measures to prolong her life so when she reached the critical point she was removed from nourishment and fluids in preparation for her expected death.  At that point the hospital allowed one and only one, person per day to say their good-by . . . I was third; after son and daughter.  I give the hospital credit for allowing a visit, but by the time I saw her, my sister was already gone.  She was unconscious and unresponsive, with a morphine drip in her arm.  Her mouth hung open and there was an oxygen tube in her nose—why?  Was that keeping her hanging on? . . . but she had already left us, there was no response to human touch, she wasn’t ‘alive’ any more yet the end dragged on a few more days.  She was alone at the time of her death. We treat our animals better; quietly putting them to sleep when the possibility of recovery is gone.  I believe that should have been available for my sister.

 

And this is the story that brings me to the issue of Death with Dignity laws which allows one who is medically terminal the opportunity to say good-by to loved ones while still able to communicate.

What is Death with Dignity—also known as the Right-to-die?  Very simply, it is an end-of-life option to allow a physician to assist in hastening the death of a terminal patient.  In the U.S. it is the state, not the Federal Government which determines allowability.

 

The-Right-to-Die movement emerged in Oregon in the 1990’s.  It began as a citizen’s initiative in 1994.  In 1997 Oregon enacted the Death With Dignity Act.  It faced much opposition and was brought to The Supreme Court.  In 2006 The Federal Government lost the case against the Oregon law, thus allowing other states to make similar laws.

 

At present there are eleven states in which ‘medical aid’ in dying is legal.  In alphabetical order they are:  California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.

Every minute of its existence, the medical field strives to interrupt the course of disease or disorder to improve the quality of the life of its patient.  That is not considered an 'act against God's will'.  To strive to give dignity to one's dying is to honor that person's life . . . and so honors God, the author of life.

of Serious Thoughts: God Beyond Knowing

of Serious Thoughts: God Beyond Knowing:   This month I write of my works of fiction.     My two novels, although very different, are connected to my firm belief in a God beyond my ...

God Beyond Knowing

 This month I write of my works of fiction.  My two novels, although very different, are connected to my firm belief in a God beyond my knowing—this theme was presented in my first blog eight and a half years ago Aug 19, 2013—the long poem ‘Un-Named God’.  That poem encompasses all that I write about.  I often make references to Teilhard de Chardin who saved my faith and enabled me to embrace ‘Mystery God’.  Teilhard foresaw religions moving out of the static state of absolutism and into a dynamic evolutionary world view wherein religion and science are seeking, by different paths, the Truth of our existence.

 

‘The Stations’, my first novel is about an artist commissioned to create Stations of the Cross for a proposed shrine.  It has an allegorical quality in that the artist must plumb the depths of his soul and challenge the establishment to give new meaning to an old church symbol in the face of resistance from the conservative arm of the Catholic Church.  The artist shares Teilhard’s vision of the need for humanity to expand our vision to find sacred meaning in the secular world. Many of our religious symbols have become static and inert—thus idols.  Symbols need to be suggestive and speak to us of where we are in our development so they come alive with insightful perceptions.  Much of our world resists transformative change.  The search for new meaning in religion is not a denial of historical spiritual tradition; it’s each era’s attempt to reach closer to Truth (which cannot be reached, only approximated).  New knowledge is always built upon the old with the understanding that it is the way we grow.  Not denial; rather a transformation to incorporate elements of an ever-changing world.

 

My new novel, ‘The Conflagration’ carries the theme of transformation.  The old world is nearly destroyed by a nuclear WWIII at the end of the 21^st Century.  The shock, that near world destruction actually came to be, is enough to awaked the survivors to realize war is never the answer and they see the need to recognize the planet as One World.  Their descendants cooperatively abandon war and embrace universal values to assure continuation of the species; shaping their choices by relying upon the demands of sustainability and guided by global ethics.  The protagonist is in effect a ‘time traveler’ from the 21st century and we watch as she resists, then gradually adapts to the new world and is haunted by the question “Was the Conflagration inevitable?”  For her Masters thesis she looks back at the signs of danger that were there for all to see yet were ignored.

(Although a work of fiction, all references to issues of the 21^st century or earlier, are researched and accurate.)