tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post3651765594956501047..comments2023-11-03T11:37:04.473+00:00Comments on nothing new under the sun: Dying with dignitybyron smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-74189049108569380852012-02-09T16:17:57.063+00:002012-02-09T16:17:57.063+00:00Guardian: How doctors choose to die.
I'm scep...Guardian: <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/feb/08/how-doctors-choose-die" rel="nofollow">How doctors choose to die</a>.<br /><br />I'm sceptical (given the lack of evidence) for the claims about the practices and beliefs of "doctors" (as a whole), but it is still an interesting article.byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-80875890509534163032010-05-10T11:09:41.808+01:002010-05-10T11:09:41.808+01:00did you know jumping off a building in new york is...<i>did you know jumping off a building in new york is illegal and punishable by a jail sentence?</i><br />I didn't know that. It does seem a little odd.<br /><br /><i>(in my ideal system jail would be only one of the possible sentences among various therapies that are far more effective than jail at repeating crimes.)</i><br />I agree that gaol is not the only option available to the criminalbyron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-81851077969136893712010-05-10T11:09:35.830+01:002010-05-10T11:09:35.830+01:00Last Dietrich,
Thanks for taking the time to comm...Last Dietrich,<br /><br />Thanks for taking the time to comment. I appreciate the passion you feel about this topic. Please make sure you have not misheard me. I said nothing in this post about voting or about laws. It is a discussion of what dignity in the face of death means. I am trying to give a brief account of how it is possible to face death and dying with integrity and without fear.<br />byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-2869269695616418702010-05-01T00:24:12.348+01:002010-05-01T00:24:12.348+01:00Ok i gotta say anyone who uses religous sources fo...Ok i gotta say anyone who uses religous sources for their vote or opinion on what laws should be passed has no right to one. People in any town led alone city state and country all have their own beliefs and to use your religion as a source is to say they should be forced to follow the rules of your religion. I for one believe that much as doctors have specialties there should be one for dying. AAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-16606945825017003432009-05-09T13:03:00.000+01:002009-05-09T13:03:00.000+01:00we are also given choice regardless of purpose.I b...<I>we are also given choice regardless of purpose.</I>I believe that choice is only a relative good. It is possible for people to make choices that are disastrous for them and for others. It is more important that we discern what is good and pursue it. Not every choice is good, and our laws rightly limit our choices. However, what is good is not always obvious, and so it is important that laws byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-54918058390148193852009-05-09T03:58:00.000+01:002009-05-09T03:58:00.000+01:00Forgot to mention - why does death need to be rega...Forgot to mention - why does death need to be regarded as an enemy if we can all accept it happens regardless of our beliefs? - again, a societal leval thing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-64498009979289090382009-05-09T03:57:00.000+01:002009-05-09T03:57:00.000+01:00"even a life without purpose can end in a death th..."even a life without purpose can end in a death that is dignified through being deliberately chosen"<br /><br />Pretty much. <br /><br />I believe you can have purpose in life but when you feel you've fulfilled it (or if, yes - even to not have felt you've had purpose), then yes I believe that death can be a dignified response should that be your view on life.<br /><br />Even if we are given Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-62490957632516646412009-05-05T11:18:00.000+01:002009-05-05T11:18:00.000+01:00Geoff - we are all living under a death sentence. ...Geoff - we are all living under a death sentence. Some of us have the privilege of having a better idea when that might be. Some of us have the privilege of the likelihood that it is still many years distant.<br /><br />As for what the image evokes - for me, if evokes a life (and death) marked by Christ, sharing in his suffering and being wounded by and for him. It is an image of a martyr (the byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-55178474716829891012009-05-05T06:22:00.000+01:002009-05-05T06:22:00.000+01:00Is it possible to rail against the evil of death i...Is it possible to rail against the evil of death in a dignified way? To condemn death as having no place in this good creation and yet accept it as "something we all have to go through?"cyberpastorhttp://mindofthespirit.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-46032983586384902952009-05-01T07:19:00.000+01:002009-05-01T07:19:00.000+01:00I tried to deal with some approaches to death rece...I tried to deal with some approaches to death recently for CPX. I'm not sure how well it turned out... but I like your approach here - especially your thoughts on identity. <br /><br /><I>Dying with dignity means a death in which one's identity is not destroyed</I>And so, if one's identity is not yet been given back undivided, unshattered, dignity would be unobtainable - and could perhaps lead Drewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03148452877425621293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-89013032136690509532009-05-01T00:48:00.000+01:002009-05-01T00:48:00.000+01:00"Dignity is a term used in moral, ethical, and pol..."Dignity is a term used in moral, ethical, and political discussions to signify that a being has an innate right to respect and ethical treatment" (source completely unacademic Wikipedia).<br /><br />However, I see much dignity in my great grandmother when she knew it was her time to go. She was in hospital then and refused treatment (and food). It took 6 weeks but not a complaint from her, Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-69601603981966794622009-04-30T02:42:00.000+01:002009-04-30T02:42:00.000+01:00Byron> Dignity... a very big topic. I have alw...Byron> Dignity... a very big topic. I have always viewed Dignity in Death being similar to courage under pressure/fire. Generally dignity seems to come with courage and confidence. Be confident in the Lord's promises and have the courage in the face of your fears.<br /><br />Another aspect on death which I found interesting was that going through the experience of death personally Andrew Chirgwinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-19087070108330266782009-04-29T23:09:00.000+01:002009-04-29T23:09:00.000+01:00Hy Byron. Glad to see you posting your blog commen...Hy Byron. Glad to see you posting your blog comments on FB. That might remind me to read them more often! Anyway, I spoke about this recently. The whole 'dying with dignity' mantra of the euthanasia campaigners saddens me. It's their substitute for dying with hope which I think is the far better (proper) way to die. When one dies without hope or certainty of what lies beyond death then I think 'Jaime Dicksonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-62100259677397081122009-04-29T21:42:00.000+01:002009-04-29T21:42:00.000+01:00thanks Byron. I have an old friend (but he is not ...thanks Byron. I have an old friend (but he is not very old) who is living under the death sentence of a cancer that has returned, that will almost certainly be his death in the next 1-2 years.<br />As a person of deep and impressive faith, his journey so far mirrors your post, so I look forward to sharing it with him.<br /><br />I too was struck by the evocative image. the problem is I can't gbroughtohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04835374770367316112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-71094878952436952012009-04-29T12:23:00.000+01:002009-04-29T12:23:00.000+01:00Megan - yes, I wouldn't say that dignity is the fi...Megan - yes, I wouldn't say that dignity is the first criteria of a good death. I simply picked the phrase from common use in order to critique and (hopefully) Christianise it.<br /><br />Dunc - I love it too. Perhaps I should offer points, but I doubt anyone would get it except Matheson, since he was there when I took it. It is a sculpture on the door of S. Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri in byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-42376823355492869542009-04-29T12:12:00.000+01:002009-04-29T12:12:00.000+01:00That sculpture is incredible. I found your post re...That sculpture is incredible. I found your post really helpful too, by the way, but that image is haunting. <br /><br />Where did you take it?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-76323226369204901652009-04-29T11:55:00.000+01:002009-04-29T11:55:00.000+01:00good stuff. Dignity is an interesting concept.good stuff. Dignity is an interesting concept.Meganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05400747412761753914noreply@blogger.com