It was a pretty good day here at monoblogue, nice readership spike. Yeah, I’ll give Joe some of the credit but he only provided 20% of the referrals, and normally he’s 10-15% on a regular basis.
But I’m not going to change to a radio review website, so I need some other stuff to bring you all back. And that’s what I’ll be working on next week since my heavy workload is coming to an end and it’ll be back to a more normal 7 to 5 day for me.
I did want to make another point about John Robinson though. On Monday he got into the whole Jack “the Dripper” Kevorkian (aka the “Doctor of Death”) controversy. My contention with the philosophy Kevorkian holds is that it cheapens life to a great extent. While having a living will is not a bad thing, and assisted suicide for the terminally ill sounds like the humanitarian way to go, bear in mind that many of Kevorkian’s victims may not have been terminally ill.
Regardless, my point is that euthanasia can be seen as the mirror image of abortion on the other end of a lifespan. Instead of killing for the convenience of the mother, you’re killing for the convenience of the offspring. But the victim is just as dead.
And while this is sort of an anecdotal story, a recent incident in Kansas makes me wonder just how desensitized society has become to death thanks to abortion and euthanasia. As Wichita Police Chief Norman Williams notes, “This (incident) is just appalling. I could continue shopping and not render aid and then take time out to take a picture? That’s crazy. What happened to our respect for life?”
So what did happen to our respect for life?
So what did happen to our respect for life?
Michael,
I think that the root of the issue deals with selfishness. Now don’t get me wrong, we have always been a selfish race. But from the 50s to the 70s America moved to a new degree of selfishness. It culminated in the “Sexual Revolution” (which actually confused the purpose of our sexuality) and eventually opened the doors for Roe vs. Wade. But abortion (and its closely related cousins euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, in vitro, and human cloning) isn’t the cause. It is the underlying “me” attitude that says nothing, not even another life, should be able to get in the way of what I want.
You now have an entire generation that has grown up with this culture. Are we surprise that people beat the homeless to death, don’t respond to others needs, or go on shooting rampages in school?
The “me” culture affects us everywhere. Even in non-life issues, such as corporate and social welfare. Nothing will change in this country until we change hearts back to a desire for something more than themselves.
“Euthanizing” the elderly and ill is the flip side of aborting inconvenient babies. Those of us at the tail of the baby boom and younger may be encouraged to lighten the load and do ourselves in, and insurance companies will not complain. It shocks me how many people view life as valuable only if it will produce something of marketable value. It’s Hitler, redux.
As for Kevorkian, he seems to be the type of sicko who pulls the wings off of flies. He’s a murderer who has deluded vulnerable people into committing suicide when they weren’t even in physical pain, let alone terminal. But judging from the most recent photos of him, he, by rights, should be considering self-euthanizing sometime soon.
I do not believe God would want me to go out with any shortcuts. The gift of life is not one I take lightly, so I shall not discard it as I would a spoiled egg.
I also do not believe that God look to fondly upon my judging others for believing differently, He has not assigned me to such a station for the day of judgement.
The terminally ill and aborted babies comparison? Not a good one. A baby has been given no say in the matter and is offered no decision. The ill or elderly are the very persons who have requested that the action be taken.
To point at how “sicko” or “deluded” another person is for their personal convictions and beliefs I would say is counter productive in urging them to side with you. If you wish for someone to see your view, demonstrate the beauty and honor that is brought to an individual who perseveres through the pains of life that has been so generously gifted to them.