Posted on 04/06/2005 5:57:12 PM PDT by SJackson
"The moral law can never be legislated in ultimate terms by the human mind." -- Rabbi Yosef B. Soloveitchik
Make no mistake about the Terri Schiavo case. It was impeccably constitutional and went off without a hitch. This time around, the legislative, executive and judicial branches of the US government executed a flawlessly synchronized checks-and-balances performance. The tenet separating church and state held firm and refused to buckle under significant pressure.
The arguments were compelling and the race against time, heart-wrenching. But make no mistake about Terri Schiavo's death. In a two week period, she was dehydrated and starved to death, sliced open for an autopsy and cremated - and the entire process was scrupulously executed according to the law of the land. America must be so proud.
Pretty gruesome stuff, and that a good portion of the public could comfortably watch this chapter live on CNN, over a plate of lasagna, makes one kind of wonder who's the truly brain-damaged and comatose party.
Make no mistake, Terri's demise was a miserable and colossal moral failure.
Sentencing a brain-damaged woman to death by dehydration and starvation is an embarrassingly barbaric and pitiful solution for a modern, purportedly evolved, world. Regardless of which side of the argument one takes, this should have been a humbling moment for humanity.
How limited and primitive we are.
Much of the discussion surrounding the case circumvented the moral crux of the issue, and instead was directed towards the matters of personal, spousal and parental rights, and whether or not the victim would feel the pain of death.
But behind the scenes, this was clearly a battle between individual rights and moral obligations; between the takers and the givers; and between the material and incorporeal worlds. The hands-down verdict is that we live in a very selfish and material world.
Today, at least in the West, most individuals place great emphasis on the quality and comfort of their personal lives, as well as their personal freedoms and rights. I suppose it's expected and certainly permissible that human beings living a physical existence would naturally tend to gravitate towards, and place emphasis on, the material rather than the spiritual. However, an immense problem is created when a society structures itself on legislative and judicial foundations that, for the most part, underscore personal freedoms and individual rights, while compartmentalizing or excluding religious doctrine based on moral responsibility.
The prevalent attitude of "what's coming to me?", "what's in it for me?", and "what value is it to me?", has created a society of takers and self-centered consumers. This attitude, taken to its extreme, produced a legal system that condoned the taking of a handicapped woman's life and demonstrated a gross disregard for her body and soul. I believe this constitutes the worst possible type of theft. And after all, isn't that what murder is - robbery in the extreme?
Jewish law would not sanction the type of death Terri endured, because traditional Judaism places an emphasis on obligations rather than rights . Our responsibility towards G-d and our fellowman supersedes our personal freedoms.
Although we can't always understand the meaning behind some of our seemingly disproportionate or unfair trials and challenges, we nevertheless strive to accept them as part of a Divine plan. Ideally, any good fortune, assets or possessions one acquires in this world - whether material or spiritual - are to be regarded as gifts or blessings from G-d; life itself being the ultimate gift - even one which appears to be vegetative and physically unproductive.
However, the beauty of the modern world is that we have created tools and support systems that can and should encourage us to face-up to our trials and assist us in carrying our burdens. Those devices, however, should not be employed as a quick fix to rid us of our challenges.
Now, on to the pain...
Neurologists assured us that removal of Terri's feeding and hydration tube would result in a painless death. But even contemporary science recognizes the plausibility that there exists other levels and dimensions of consciousness that our top researchers have yet to discover. Indeed, maybe they'll never be discovered, as comprehending those states could be beyond the reach of our limited intellectual capabilities. Are our egos are so grand and intellect so blinding that we can't acknowledge the existence of a soul? Maybe Terri's soul was hungry, thirsty and tortured for two weeks. Maybe her silent screams manifested themselves through the pleas and anguish of her parents. After all, it was Terri's parents, not her husband, who have a flesh and blood connection.
We're told that she wouldn't have wanted to live that way (I guess we'll never know). But Terri was indeed alive, and seemingly content in her own world - as inconvenient at that world was to others (and isn't that the real issue here?).
When our scientists, doctors, legislatures, judges, intellectuals, and even clerics and family members become cognizant of their limitations and internalize an awareness of something greater than themselves, then the fear of G-d will enter the picture. We humans will then become acutely aware of those responsibilities outside of ourselves. We will become givers and not takers, and we will strive for true justice and morality. When that happens, we will be that much closer to a redeemed world and to finding a truly just solution for people like Terri.
I'm sure that I speak for many of us here in Israel when I wish the Schindler family condolences and hope that they find comfort.
Ellen Horowitz and her family live on the Golan Heights. She is a painter, columnist and author of the upcoming book, The Oslo Years- A Mother´s Journal.
Maybe Terri's soul was hungry, thirsty and tortured for two weeks. Maybe her silent screams manifested themselves through the pleas and anguish of her parents. After all, it was Terri's parents, not her husband, who have a flesh and blood connection.
Throughout this "event", and that's what it became, I frequently thought of the awareness of the soul of earthly events even after death.
good article- thank you
Her death was a combination of cowardice, apathy and evil.
This time around, the legislative, executive and judicial branches of the US government executed a flawlessly synchronized checks-and-balances performance. The tenet separating church and state held firm and refused to buckle under significant pressure.
It was so, so very wrong.
Don't forget fear, a projection of our fear of suffering, which is regarded as the ultimate evil.
Ping to self for later pingout.
I don't understand what she is saying in this paragraph, and I am intrigued. Leaving aside the fortunes of Republicans and Democrats, is it plausible that there is a significant change coming in our outlooks?
IMO, No. This incident is over, and I doubt there'll be much lasting impact, ie legislation. When you mention R's and D's, remember she's Israeli. IMO the answer is in what you left out.
...then the fear of G-d will enter the picture. We humans will then become acutely aware of those responsibilities outside of ourselves. We will become givers and not takers, and we will strive for true justice and morality. When that happens, we will be that much closer to a redeemed world and to finding a truly just solution for people like Terri.
Our leaders aren't aware of their limitations, were they them might have looked to universal moral standards beyond "I wouldn't want that to happen to me" for guidance. Of course that might well force them to confront not only their fears, but their faith(s).
Put another way, justice is rarely found in a secular outlook.
What an amazing article! A real keeper, thank you!
She says so eloquently what so many of us were trying to argue here for the past month. Wow!
Ping!
Great article.. but I have serious doubts that her death was "impeccably constitutional" considering we are guaranteed the right to Life, first and foremost..
Sorry, but I beg to differ that the checks and balances worked. The judiciary refused to be checked or balanced. Along with Terri, the law was also a victim of Greer and his decisions. Please, where is it lawful to order the death of a citizen without even charges of a crime or a trial?
This article brought out many truthes about greed and self interest,
the the checks and balances DID NOT WORK.
vaudine
http://www.noapathy.org/tracts/mythofseparation.html
The Myth of
the Separation of Church and State
For better or worse, the courts decide that.
Everything old is new again:
[T]he laws of nature . . . of course presupposes the existence of a God, the moral ruler of the universe, and a rule of right and wrong, of just and unjust, binding upon man, preceding all institutions of human society and government.
John Quincy Adams
The law of nature, “which, being coeval with mankind and dictated by God Himself, is, of course, superior in obligation to any other. It is binding over all the globe, in all countries, and at all times. No human laws are of any validity, if contrary to this.”
Alexander Hamilton, Signer of the Constitution
The “law of nature” is a rule of conduct arising out of the natural relations of human beings established by the Creator and existing prior to any positive precept. . . . [These] have been established by the Creator, and are, with a peculiar felicity of expression, denominated in Scripture, “ordinances of heaven.”
Noah Webster, Judge and Legislator
God Bless you Terri...
Rest in Peace
that's a pretty lazy attitude.. are you gonna let the courts pee away our constitutional rights? What if they're wrong? Or just plain evil? Are you gonna sit back and let it happen?
PING
IMO, No. This incident is over, and I doubt there'll be much lasting impact, ie legislation.
My question was not limited to the effect of the Schiavo case. I am not thinking the case is a "tipping point." However, I am intrigued that in general we may be seeing the approach of a sea change in attitude. It's happened before countless times. While human nature doesn't change, the destiny of individual cultures do.
When you mention R's and D's, remember she's Israeli.
Yes, I knew that. Never mind what I meant, not that important.
IMO the answer is in what you left out...universal moral standards...
I understand what you wrote about what I left out, but you didn't make a prediction about whether it is going to happen. I am fascinated by whether an appreciation for the transcendant can be learned by a class of people - say those in the legal profession, meaning especially judges - without necessarily becoming religious. Will legal people learn one way or another some things which I think would render them incapable of handing down certain judgements of the type which seem logical within standard secular humanist worldview, but to me are objectively insane.
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