Since becoming a Christian, I find myself growing quite introspective each year as Good Friday and Easter approach.
This year is no different.
Actually, with Terri's struggle weighing so heavily upon me I am made intensely aware of the sacrifice finished nearly 2000 years ago. For what was this sacrifice made?
Humanity?
Mel Gibson's contribution to Christianity was a stark reminder of the bare humanity of the events that occurred in Jerusalem during that Passover. For five years I had read and re-read about the trials of my Christ, but I had never truly known the pain; I couldn't feel his tears.
So, then, what has become of OUR humanity?
I know many of you that trip across this entry on this little blog, you become immediately hostile at even the mention of Christianity. That is your prerogative.
All I want you to understand is that my faith instructs me that humanity, our humanity, is to be respected and cherished. It is to be esteemed and cared for. The essence of humanity is tenderness and compassion. That is what I have learned from the Easter story.
When we become hardened and callous . . . When we become so self-interested that we are unwilling to traverse the barriers we've constructed around us, unwilling to reach out, unwilling to care . . .
When we neglect the weakest amongst us and colour their struggles with our prejudices . . .
Our humanity slips away.
Now this weekend, in the absence of any action by Jeb Bush, Terri will slowly slip away with it.
All I ask is that we keep her in mind.
And for those out there who share my faith, please don't miss the principle of this weekend. Spend some time thinking about the Passion, think about His humanity and use it to reflect upon ours.
This year is no different.
Actually, with Terri's struggle weighing so heavily upon me I am made intensely aware of the sacrifice finished nearly 2000 years ago. For what was this sacrifice made?
Humanity?
Mel Gibson's contribution to Christianity was a stark reminder of the bare humanity of the events that occurred in Jerusalem during that Passover. For five years I had read and re-read about the trials of my Christ, but I had never truly known the pain; I couldn't feel his tears.
So, then, what has become of OUR humanity?
I know many of you that trip across this entry on this little blog, you become immediately hostile at even the mention of Christianity. That is your prerogative.
All I want you to understand is that my faith instructs me that humanity, our humanity, is to be respected and cherished. It is to be esteemed and cared for. The essence of humanity is tenderness and compassion. That is what I have learned from the Easter story.
When we become hardened and callous . . . When we become so self-interested that we are unwilling to traverse the barriers we've constructed around us, unwilling to reach out, unwilling to care . . .
When we neglect the weakest amongst us and colour their struggles with our prejudices . . .
Our humanity slips away.
Now this weekend, in the absence of any action by Jeb Bush, Terri will slowly slip away with it.
All I ask is that we keep her in mind.
And for those out there who share my faith, please don't miss the principle of this weekend. Spend some time thinking about the Passion, think about His humanity and use it to reflect upon ours.
posted by Moonlighting in Misery at 1:15 AM
4 Comments:
I hate to sound hardened and callous but Terri died when she entered her "vegetative state" all those years ago. I have a great deal of sympathy for her parents but I think their denial of the facts is doing them more harm than good.
I'm not a christian. What I am is hard to define (I'm not going to try here it would take far too long). My faith instructs me the same way yours does though. I agree that our humanity deserves esteem, respect and care. Our humanity is to be cherished, you are right. How does this draw me to the opposite opinion to your's then? That the body of Terri should be allowed to die and her parents encouraged to continue the greiving process and make themselves whole again.
Yes Life is sacred, but at what cost? Does Terri even have what could be called a meaningful life?
How much has been spent keeping her alive for the last 12-15 years? How many lives could those resources have saved if used elsewhere?
We should remember another of Christs lessons (though one that I admit is only seen through interpretation); He sacrificed himself for everyone. All humanity. Not just the ones we love.
As I said I wouldn't consider myself a christian but I do (with some evidence) consider myself human.
Let Terri rest in peace and her parents get on with their lives in privacy and dignity.
My thoughts are with them this weekend and every weekend (Nothing that special about this one for me you see.)
On another note. I am usually one of those people who becomes hostile at even the mention of christianity in a blog. I am willing to admit this. I almost stopped reading but once I hit the second paragraph I was hooked. Nice to read a well written religious blog for a change.
Just to clear something up, I don't really consider this a "religious blog." That being said, I am still a religious person.
I respect your opinions. However, I question your knowledge of this case and your knowledge of Terri's condition.
If anyone needs further evidence of Terri's consciousness, click on the link to Terri's Fight at the side of the main page. There you will find several videos of her responding to orders and the questions of her parents.
Terri is NOT in a "persistent vegetative state". Judge Greer ignored the affidavits of 33 independent Doctors that believe she isn't. Today he ignored the esteemed opinion of another qualified doctor questioning Greer's decision.
Unfortunately, just watching the news, one is very unlikely to find out much about the Truth concerning Terri.
That wouldn't make for the best TV.
That wouldn't fit into their opinion of how life should be.
Terri is alive. Terri is living.
Who are we to judge if her life is worth living?
Always choose life. Always.
Oh, and by the way:
About the money spent on Terri's care . . .
That was money Michael Schiavo pleaded to a Florida jury to give him . . .
because, at the time, it was Michael's opinion that Terri would want to live -- And he wanted to care for her.
If that money wasn't spent on Terri's care, it would just have been spent on the various women Michael has dated over the 15 years since Terri's horrific journey began.
My apologies. This is obviously a more complex case than the media I am exposed to would have me believe. We have been told by most of the major news sources in Britain an obviously skewed view of events in Florida. I retract my last comment.
However I wish to clarify a point I made in it. I was not talking about the money that Michael Schiavo obtained from the courts. I was referring to the physical resources which were being used. If a peice of equipment is being used in one place it cannot be used in another. There are not an infinite number of machines available. Also nursing and medical staff cannot be in more than one place at the same time. I was trying to say that the staff and apparatus involved in keeping Terri alive may have been better used elsewhere. This is merely a question of semantics however as the rest of my comment on which the resources argument was based has been shown to be flawed. I'm no longer saying that the resources would have been better used somewhere else just clarifying what was meant by resources.
Though another question arises (not involving the Schiavo case) and that is; Why when resources are mentioned do we automatically think "money"?
I'll be giving this some thought.
Yours in peace,
Mandrill
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