Remix

As I have done to you, so may it be done to me: a powerfully personalized form of the Golden Rule.

Who is my Enemy?

I usually excuse myself from the commandment to love my enemy in the same way that a certain lawyer excused himself from the commandment to love his neighbor: Who is my enemy?

Who am I angry with? Whom do I wish ill? Whose suffering do I dismiss as just reward for errant choices? It is unworthy of us as Christians to think that those who suffer deserve their suffering.

Who is my opponent? My rival? My competitor?

Whose perspective do I seek to dismiss, rather than to understand? Whom do I want people to stop paying attention to?

A Patient's Death

Things that I love about being present when a patient dies:

People stop paying attention to numbers, alarms, and medicines, and start paying attention to people.

The sacredness of life is recognized.

It is a moment infused with the same inherent holiness as a birth, or a marriage.

I can ensure that the patient didn’t die alone.

It gives me permission to show my emotional involvement in patient care.

It brings me face to face with a truth that most people expend vast energies denying, making me more honest.