We call it “dying with dignity.” But what if real dignity means enduring, loving, and suffering together? A Washington couple ended their lives together in what the media called a “romantic” assisted suicide. But the story isn’t romantic, it’s tragic.
Yet it is so difficult to convince someone who is not Christian and is suffering that their suffering has meaning especially as our culture has gone the way of the non-believer in every moral and ethical issue we face. Worse, there is a societal acceptance that human beings are not better than anything else that exists and now should be subjects of the earth which has greater value.
The culture of death takes every area of life where the dignity of the human person becomes challenging and converts suffering into evil rather than love and mercy. The ruler of this world does everything possible to deny those from seeing the face of Jesus in others. He has won them over when he does and the light of the world, glory and joy, even when tempered by grief, is placed under a giant stack of bushel baskets.
We must open our eyes to the light of the world and live, even as our body dies.
Since, as Ms. Sarah Cain learned from working on a crisis line, mere "existential commentary on life's meaning" is not the best way to help someone who feels pressured to give up life, I am wondering, therefore, whether relevant thoughts are important or not that people have presented on such choices such as William James's ideas that he argued for in his essay "Is Life Worth Living?" (I think that is the right title)?
Or how about the thoughts of someone such as Viktor Frankl on meaning and life?
I do like Sarah's point that people facing such dire situations should best be reminded of their "inherent humanity."
So, therefore, I'm wondering now more about the ideas of some writers that have been proposed that relate to such issues. What is the proper place for such ideas, and how do they really fit in with our lives on Earth?
I'm interested in such ideas as one who has endured some grueling ordeals, myself, because of some grave and often misunderstood mental illness. I would be dismayed that some others facing similar ordeals might very well be offered euthanasia to escape them.
It's not that commentary on life's meaning is wrong, but rather that to a person who is actively suicidal, he can no longer properly hear those messages, because he is emotionally numb. He needs to be reminded of the day-to-day, such that he can feel again, before he can make use of the deeper messages. My point was that pro-euthanasia laws reinforce the same dehumanization that is inherent in those struggling with suicidality.
I read this and pray when my time comes I go to the Lord without being a burden on anyone! May God give us all the strength and grace to show the world Christ in us in the end of our lives!
Oh Glen. When someone says they don't want to be a burden on anyone it is like they are saying I don't want anyone to obtain the graces that God could give to them for caring for me out of their love of God and of me. That everyone who needs assistance of some kind from others is to be avoided rather than giving others an opportunity to be a caring human being doing the will of God by caring for another who cannot care for themselves.
An excellent Christian synopsis of the non-Triune God culture we live in.
Thanks, Sarah, for an excellent article.
Yet it is so difficult to convince someone who is not Christian and is suffering that their suffering has meaning especially as our culture has gone the way of the non-believer in every moral and ethical issue we face. Worse, there is a societal acceptance that human beings are not better than anything else that exists and now should be subjects of the earth which has greater value.
The culture of death takes every area of life where the dignity of the human person becomes challenging and converts suffering into evil rather than love and mercy. The ruler of this world does everything possible to deny those from seeing the face of Jesus in others. He has won them over when he does and the light of the world, glory and joy, even when tempered by grief, is placed under a giant stack of bushel baskets.
We must open our eyes to the light of the world and live, even as our body dies.
What EVIL is lurking in the church when the do not decry uthinssia ?
There is almost always some positive contribution a person can make when they are still alive. This may be small, but it will be missed.
Since, as Ms. Sarah Cain learned from working on a crisis line, mere "existential commentary on life's meaning" is not the best way to help someone who feels pressured to give up life, I am wondering, therefore, whether relevant thoughts are important or not that people have presented on such choices such as William James's ideas that he argued for in his essay "Is Life Worth Living?" (I think that is the right title)?
Or how about the thoughts of someone such as Viktor Frankl on meaning and life?
I do like Sarah's point that people facing such dire situations should best be reminded of their "inherent humanity."
So, therefore, I'm wondering now more about the ideas of some writers that have been proposed that relate to such issues. What is the proper place for such ideas, and how do they really fit in with our lives on Earth?
I'm interested in such ideas as one who has endured some grueling ordeals, myself, because of some grave and often misunderstood mental illness. I would be dismayed that some others facing similar ordeals might very well be offered euthanasia to escape them.
It's not that commentary on life's meaning is wrong, but rather that to a person who is actively suicidal, he can no longer properly hear those messages, because he is emotionally numb. He needs to be reminded of the day-to-day, such that he can feel again, before he can make use of the deeper messages. My point was that pro-euthanasia laws reinforce the same dehumanization that is inherent in those struggling with suicidality.
I read this and pray when my time comes I go to the Lord without being a burden on anyone! May God give us all the strength and grace to show the world Christ in us in the end of our lives!
Oh Glen. When someone says they don't want to be a burden on anyone it is like they are saying I don't want anyone to obtain the graces that God could give to them for caring for me out of their love of God and of me. That everyone who needs assistance of some kind from others is to be avoided rather than giving others an opportunity to be a caring human being doing the will of God by caring for another who cannot care for themselves.
You have taken the higher road! Thanks for giving me something to ponder!