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Pastimes : The Philosopher's Thread -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: FJB who wrote (16)3/13/2010 10:46:34 AM
From: average joe  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 71
 
"The greatest evil is physical pain."
Saint Augustine



To: FJB who wrote (16)3/18/2010 11:33:10 PM
From: Hawkmoon  Respond to of 71
 
Our lives are totally meaningless if they are spent in unbearable pain. Watching my sister suffer makes me wonder if death is not the best thing for her.

I feel helpless...

I can totally relate to what you're enduring.. My father passed away this past June after battling complications from having a lung removed due to Mesothelioma. He spent 10 weeks in ICU before finally succumbing to renal failure.

Both my mother and I had to make the difficult decision to pull the plug and watch him die. Those are memories that will likely never be erased from my memory.

It's never easy.. And eventually they have to make the decision about their quality of life versus finding eternal peace.

Hawk



To: FJB who wrote (16)3/20/2010 11:46:37 PM
From: Sam  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 71
 
My condolences, Robert. I've had several loved ones in similar positions. Very, very difficult.

I found that Tolstoy's short story "The Death of Ivan Ilych" spoke to this issue, although in it, the protagonist has his own pain to deal with rather than the pain of another person. And his "My Confession" talks about how he confronted his sense of the meaninglessness of life.

FWIW. Perhaps obviously, they won't speak to everyone.


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