Its quite easy to contemplate and think of things which do not matter or you believe should not matter. This is normally done by me during my morning walks, when thoughts just flit in and flit out and there do not seem to have any continuity ever. It invariably has some event or image to trigger of thoughts which you may spend the next 10 minutes and from there embark on a journey which may take you all over the place in terms of space and time. It fascinates me that a thought which flashes in so fast, trigger a chain of thoughts, which at the end of it all will surprise you as to how the whole chain gets linked up. Maybe this is very similar to a dream, you dont remember the start nor the course of the dream but while you come to the end and sort of wake up the last part is quite vivid sometime and it is impossible for you to piece up the whole dream.
It's also quite difficult to understand the cycles of life. When you are a child or with a child you do see your inability to be comprehended or to comprehend. At least this is what we feel. I am talking of a situation where I was with a senior citizens bedside and was closely watching him battle out an ailment of his respiratory system. Years of smoking had reduced the same to a very inefficient organ and this today was life threatening. He was hooked up to a number of life support. A small tube ran down his throat taking nourishment a to his stomach bypassing the mouth and all activity around it. So here've was taking nourishment a on a force feed manner and not enjoying the simple pleasures of food being masticated and tingling his senses meant for that. Another mask covering most of his face helped him breathe. This simple exercise taken for granted by all of us was laboriously being supported by a piece of machinery oblivious to the person it's supporting and indifferent to emotions. Another very indifferent piece of instrument fought with a few bottles of sodium and glucose to feed potassium into the body.
The human being was brought down to a system where all chemicals were monitored and fed as per observed levels and understood saturation. This thought again puts me in a contemplative mood, what is it exactly we are doing , what is it we are trying to achieve. Are we battling forces beyond our control to extend the inevitable? What is it we are gaining by shifting the obvious departure by a few more days? Are we proving to society that we are so attached that we would not hesitate to sell all our possessions to gain an additional day, month, year for our loved ones?
Yes the Supreme being has put an instinctive sense into us to preserve but at what cost. He did not give endow with an instinct to destroy ourselves to maintain status quo for an acquaintance. But on the other hand he did give you an intelligence and a compassionate mind to do exactly this. There is a law on suicide but is there a law on commercial suicide where family or a Human being takes the step to keep a near one alive. Well all this is in keeping up the practitioners of the medical profession well endowed.
This will then lead to the next question of - what is death? Is it the beginning or is it the end. There are some religions in the world which celebrate death. On this occasion people throng the area with a festive creation and sing and dance their way to the graveyard for the ritual cremation or burial. They declare that the person has escaped bondage and is free, but does that mean that life is a Bondage? Well ? I dont know. But one thing is for sure when its my turn I really do not want my life to be stretched like a rubber band till it snaps. I would like to allow myself to go as naturally as possible with the minimal intervention.
But on the other hand it really is quite tough to take a decision when it comes to a healthy and a loved one. Seemingly healthy a person is diagnosed with a deadly disease and is given about six months or so the grim Doctor cites. In another breath he also says that they have a few medications which could extend this to few more months or years. This is the dilemma faced by most families, what do you do? Can you just let the person go? Everybody without exception take the route of going ahead with the medication. This decision taken not in concurrence with the patient and the treatment begins. This is painful for all, the patient suffers physically the maximum, the families suffer mentally the maximum. This whole farce continues for another three months and finally the patient gives up his soul. The family is poorer considerably.
Well I have no answer, I am still looking for one.
This will then lead to the next question of - what is death? Is it the beginning or is it the end. There are some religions in the world which celebrate death. On this occasion people throng the area with a festive creation and sing and dance their way to the graveyard for the ritual cremation or burial. They declare that the person has escaped bondage and is free, but does that mean that life is a Bondage? Well ? I dont know. But one thing is for sure when its my turn I really do not want my life to be stretched like a rubber band till it snaps. I would like to allow myself to go as naturally as possible with the minimal intervention.
But on the other hand it really is quite tough to take a decision when it comes to a healthy and a loved one. Seemingly healthy a person is diagnosed with a deadly disease and is given about six months or so the grim Doctor cites. In another breath he also says that they have a few medications which could extend this to few more months or years. This is the dilemma faced by most families, what do you do? Can you just let the person go? Everybody without exception take the route of going ahead with the medication. This decision taken not in concurrence with the patient and the treatment begins. This is painful for all, the patient suffers physically the maximum, the families suffer mentally the maximum. This whole farce continues for another three months and finally the patient gives up his soul. The family is poorer considerably.
Well I have no answer, I am still looking for one.
