Posted on 10/28/2003 3:37:41 PM PST by nickcarraway
As a child, I was taught the story of the Good Samaritan. In this parable, a man is found on a roadside, having been robbed and beaten by some bandits and then left to die. This man is never named, never given an identity, he is just another of the needy among us. As he lay in the dirt, bloodied and bruised, two men pass by him on their way to various destinations.
Perhaps like many of us, the men that passed him that day were busy, and it would be inconvenient for them to show any true compassion. Perhaps they thought, “I gave some money to a charity recently”, or “someone else will help this hapless soul.” Amazingly, the first man to pass by this poor wounded person is a priest, a man entrusted by his ordination to care for the less fortunate among us. The second man, a lawyer, passes by him even though he may be able to offer this victim the protection of the law by assisting him in identifying and bringing to justice those criminals who left him to die.
I wonder how many of us would pass by this nameless man? I wonder how many of us would find it inconvenient to help those who have been left to die?
Terry Schiavo was left to die last week, and many people among us were willing to pass her by, thinking it was inconvenient or unnecessary to provide assistance to someone that is not currently experiencing “a full life”. Like Terry Schiavo, the nameless man was not currently experiencing what society would have deemed “a full life”. Thankfully, compassion overcame convenience and someone stopped to help him. Thankfully, the Florida Legislature and Governor Jeb Bush allowed compassion to overcome convenience by stopping to help Terry Schiavo this week.
The battle between compassion and convenience is one that we each fight on a daily basis. Although we may be busy working and living, we must also be compassionate to the less fortunate among us. The reason we must be compassionate is clear: it is a response to the essence of humanity, being made in the image of the Creator. The story of the Good Samaritan has an interesting beginning – The story is prompted by the question, “Who is my neighbor?”
“Who is my neighbor?” I believe this question is motivated by a desire to limit the bounds of our charity. The man asking the question is seeking to restrict his solidarity to a small group in his community. Yet Jesus blows that notion to smithereens by telling a story about a Jew being helped by his mortal enemy, a Samaritan. In the end, Jesus’ interrogator realizes the true meaning of being a neighbor. A neighbor is someone who allows compassion to overcome convenience.
When compassion wins, new relationships are created; when convenience wins, old relationships remain status quo. When compassion wins, the fullness of life is experienced; when convenience wins, the emptiness of existence is perpetuated. When compassion wins, a culture is humanized; when convenience wins, mankind becomes more mechanistic.
This week, in the life of Terry Schiavo, the Florida Legislature, and Governor Bush, Compassion Won! In the coming court battle, let’s pray that compassion wins. In this new millennium, let’s pray that compassion wins. In the hearts and minds of humans the world over, let’s pray that compassion wins.
_____________________________
Derek Holser is the Executive Director of Common Good Foundation, an ecumenical movement devoted to the conversion of culture through four pillars of participation; life, family, freedom and solidarity with the poor. He is also the President of Advocatus, LLC., a full-service lobbying and public relations agency dedicated to "giving a voice to those who have none".
You're misinformed. She is not brain dead. Neither you nor I know where the mind resides and she isn't our blood relative. The decision is not the courts, it is that of her family.
Normally that duty would fall to her husband but he has too many conflicts so lawfully it should fall to her parents.
A diagnosed "brain dead" woman wrote a letter to the editor today in USA Today. Turns out she wasn't brain dead after all, woke up some years later and is now well enough to write a cogent and emotional letter supporting Terri Schiavos parents.
Supporting courts ordering the death of our fellow citizens absent informed consent or clear and convincing evidence of their wishes is not something I'm interested in at all.
Not courts plural, a judge, singular.
Perhaps you are unaware, but at this moment, thousands of mentally retarded people--many of them as bad off or worse than Terri--are living in state institutions, at taxpayer expense. I look at Terri as being no different than these people. As a society, we seem to have agreed that it IS the job of society to pitch in and help people who are genuinely helpless.
Would you have us systematically go through these state hospitals for the retarded and empty them, perhaps? I hear that Germany had a very efficient program in the 1930-1940 era for ridding society of useless people. Do you think we should emulate them? Personally, I don't want to go there.
This bears repeating: You obviously haven't followed the case. The husband was awarded $1.3 million, with at least $700,000 earmarked specifically for her treatment. At most, $50,000 of it has been spent on it. Besides that, her parents want to take care of her and are willing to pay for everything. This is not a taxpayer issue. Here, in San Francisco, our Supervisors pushed thru the legal paperwork to allow City workers to have transgender operations, paid at taxpayer expense. Yet, workers cannot have certain necessary dental work done because of loopholes that deem it "cosmetic". Having boobs created and other sexual organ surgery is covered at taxpayer expense, which many people argue is purely cosmetic.
It's an upside down world, where liberal idiots deny life to those human beings who want it or can't speak for themselves, yet will spend millions on saving garter snakes, snail darters, butterflies, weeds, and other frivolous things. Terry Schiavo is not a vegetable, she's a living, breathing human with a soul trapped inside by a souless evil husband.
He didn't pay for her rehab. You should investigate and get your facts straight.
Her father payed her bills and housed Michael until the lawsuit was settled. When the money was handed over, Michael moved out and refused to pay her Father out of the proceeds for what he had covered.
Michael got proceeds of his own (for loss of marriage privileges meaning because he could no longer have sex with her), which are none of our business how he spent and are not as issue.
Michael has payed out some of the money on her care, and spent some in California for some experimental procedure which apparently had no success. After that, he cut her care to a minimum, and spent most of the rest of the money on lawyers (specifically George Felos) who is in the business of mercy killing.
Yup, just like small unborn infants have been evaulated as GARBAGE, to the satisifaction of "THE COURTS".
Good God, a "court worshiper". Now that's sick.
We are a nation of laws. The courts uphold the laws. If you want to ignore the laws and encourage anarchy that is beyond sick, it is insane. The courts are the reason we have President Bush instead of President Gore.
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