#342- How to rest in peace

I'm listening to This American Life- the last part of the episode is interviewing a man who helped his elderly mom rehearse her suicide then she carried it out. She had planned this for 10+ years because she saw elderly people suffering from dementia and saw helpless people full of tubes and unnaturalness in hospitals and so she and her husband decided that they would not let themselves suffer but that they would end their life when they felt it was appropriate. She did not have mental or emotional issues coloring her views. The interviewer and the son talked about dying with dignity and being emotionally comfortable with death. I think there may be a certain comfort with death when able to come to terms with it and address it as such, but I think ultimately such a plan and act boils down to pride and selfishness. I think society loses something important if there are no needy around and if nobody is willing to help the needy. I know it would not be fun to be old and needy or have dementia or any other problems, but I feel like it's not ok to take the forces of life and death into our own hands. I believe in a God who is in charge of that, and I think we can take the situations that come our way and to some extent choose what to make of them and choose what to learn from them. I'm a believer in the power of attitude and perspective and the value of humility, and I think there is a lot to learn from ourselves and others.

This program also addressed the issue of how murder is entertainment, but how it can be touchy for people who have someone directly in their lives who was murdered. There were some brief comments by one woman and then the main focus was on the story of one man. I thought it was ironic, however, that this program itself was capitalizing on murder.

boston

I think (I take that back- I know) Boston has made me more preppy than I ever desired to be, and it's made me more tense. I used to be carefree and spontaneous, but lately I find that I want to plan ahead and sometimes I have to make my friends reserve a time slot far in advance just to hang out. I need to chill out and get back to my California roots...

top three goals as of 11/1/07

1. get a helicopter pilot's license
2. get a nice camera and develop photography skills
3. learn to breakdance