On November 1st
Brittany Maynard ended her life. The 29-year old woman, afflicted with terminal
brain cancer, had deliberately moved to Oregon to take advantage of their Death
with Dignity Act. She spent weeks posting her thoughts and reasons, gained a
large following, and then took her own life, pretty much on schedule.
I have to wonder -
is this part of the slippery slope we entered when we stopped valuing life
itself in favor of QUALITY of life? Once we’ve decided it’s okay to end one’s
own life, how long will I take us to slide into having someone else decide it’s
our time?
As these things
seem to happen only too coincidentally, the story of Lauren Hill came to
prominence as a counterpoint. Lauren is 19 and has an inoperable brain tumor.
She loves basketball, and chose to pursue her dream on the court for Mount
Saint Joseph University, making the most of the time she has left and inspiring
others.
There you have two
different approaches to handling a frightening brain cancer, but this posting isn’t
just about the choices of the terminally ill.
None of us exist
in a bubble – we all have an impact on others. Even those of us who prefer not
to be involved with our fellow man still set our own examples, whether we want
to or not (much like the belly-aching sports stars who claim not to be role
models, but are still modeling behaviors and standards.) Our fellow humans,
especially our young, see what we do and emulate it.
If a positive
attitude is supposed to help in the fight (against illness, or some other
struggle), what does it do when you make a virtue out of giving up? Life – even
without having to deal with a fatal illness – isn’t easy. The going is harder
under any negative circumstances when what you see around you is a culture of
surrender. How many of you think it’s a good idea to tell your friend to give up
when they come to you and say “I’m having a hard time”? How does telling them
to quit make things better?
Each of us has a
responsibility to make the world a better, more positive place. No, it will
never be perfect – there will always be pain and suffering. And NO, we can’t
make life fair – unless we want to lower the experience equally for everyone.
It can be wonderful to IMAGINE some bright UTOPIA where everything is perfect,
but you can get lost in that dream and lose track of REALITY. We need to deal
with life as it is, to find ways to inspire others and be inspired.
Me? I’m not
inspired by stories about people giving up. The stories that stick with me and
help drive me usually involve impossible odds and underdogs who see how the
deck is stacked against them, but push forward anyway. Sometimes they beat the
odds, but even when they don’t, they leave an example for others to strive for
(and build on.)
You can’t win
against the odds if you don’t finish the game. Never give up! Never surrender!
Just
saying…
<<<>>>
William Mangieri’s writing (including his latest collection
of short stories titled: “Still Even More Things I Could Get OUT OF MY MIND”)
can be found in many places, such as:
- His
Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B008O8CBDY
- Barnes
& Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/william-mangieri?store=book&keyword=william+mangieri
- Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/NoTimeToThink
- Createspace: https://www.createspace.com/pub/simplesitesearch.search.do?sitesearch_query=william+mangieri&sitesearch_type=STORE
Connect with him on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/NoTimeToThink
No comments:
Post a Comment