Date: Sat, 06 Jul 96 20:04:22 EDT
From: Kevin Jones <100621.17@CompuServe.COM>
To: Subscribers to the maili <TWC-L@HALMARAX.DEMON.CO.UK>
Subject: Is this a repeat, or just a software abberation?
>In message <19960706.173620.73@halmarax.demon.co.uk> several people
>including agno249 and Kevin Jones wrote:
> > agno429@acs.bu.edu said:
> >
> > >your message sounds like 'the spirit medium preparing his death.'
> >
> > Well, you may as well do a good job of it. I have no plans myself
> > to die just yet. Then again, I may well have to help a friend
> > with it in the future. We have similar views. Then again, she
> > keeps putting it off - she's got far too much to do at the
> > moment! ;-)
I think it might be a software hiccup. I got my contribution back
verbatim labelled MicA. Can a piece of software have suffer from
multiple personality disorder?
Meantime I've told my friend we might be able to fit her dying
into the calendar of engagements somewhere after 2010. She's got
far too much to do up till then to afford the luxury of lying
around. :-)
You develop a good graveyard humour round terminally ill people.
She'd be most insulted if you tried to come on sympathetic and
'Oh dear I'm dreadfully sorry!' On the other hand, she cracked
up with laughter when I bought her a packet of fags and told
her, tongue in cheek, 'You realise that these might kill you?'
Don't ever feel sorry for someone in that position, or awkward
and avoid mentioning it. Help them get through what's left of
life with pride, give them support and help them keep fighting.
It's a day to day feature of their life, always at the back of
their mind. Humour, no matter how dark, is a way of dealing
with it. Don't take anything away from them by making them
dependent on you. Give them something by strengthening them
instead. And don't be afraid to kick them up the arse if they
are being stupid or difficult. A terminal illness doesn't give
them the automatic right to expect to get their own way!
Then again, don't underestimate the psychological impact. She
cried and panicked for a couple of weeks after diagnosis. She
spent most of the next 18 months drunk. Understandable when
you've just been given a death sentence. It's to her credit
that she got out of that and started fighting again. You can
give someone as much support as you like but only they can find
the will to start fighting and living again. Then again, they can
decide to give up, in which case they will be dead very, very
quickly.
>However, there will be many an individual facing death with fear
>and trepidation, sans an appropriate state of consciousness, due
>either to lack of time, ability or awareness of such options.
>One of the main reasons that I and some other people I know
>might miss the boat when it comes to esoteric or plain faith
>based routes to a peaceful death, is that our lives have been a
>relentless journey through the all consuming materialism
>encouraged by our culture. Some of us know of nothing else,
>until suddenly faced by materialism's ultimate contradiction.
>When ones life has been geared to grabbing and then hanging on
>to the prized goodies, the analogous "eye of the needle" can
>present a distressing logistical problem. If those of us in this
>position find no solution within ourselves and remain confused
>and frightened by the looming prospect, then perhaps we would do
>well to join that colourful and happy band who use psychedelic
>drugs as their sacrament(thanks Chris) and spiritual vehicle of
>choice.
Some people are just plain shit scared about the prospect of
not existing. Some people are shit scared about the pain
that may be involved, no matter how briefly. Some suddenly see
everything they wanted to do or achieve being denied to them.
Oddly enough, those who are least scared are those who have done
most with their lives and feel most fulfilled. Those who are most
scared are often those who have done the least with life.
Unfinished business again?
How would you feel if the doctor told you that you would probably
be dead in 6 months time? That your illness would progress to
paralysis until you were in a wheelchair? That there would be
great pain that would eventually exceed even the ability of
morphine to stop? And that you would eventually die because your
body's mechanism for breathing would fail - you would suffocate
in short.
I'm not surprised my friend spent 18 months drunk! At 35 it's
not the best news you could get.
Otherwise a very valid point.
>If the TWC were able to provide geographical locations for the
>experience to take place, a number of willing guides and helpers
>and all the ancilliary backup needed, then the group would be
>catering for a significant need with charitable intent.
Ah, but could you get it declared a charity?!
> > >i'm not into hallucinagens, because my personal delusion is
> > >goodly messed up as it is.
>Do you think this will right itself in the nornal course of
>events?
How long is a piece of string?
>Do you think that a dying person in this state could be led to
>a more acceptable reality by the use of hallucinogens and the
>sympathetic help of experienced guides?
Might take a lot of work beforehand Tony - long before the
idea of a hallucinogen was introduced. You'd have to unscramble
someone's head first, which takes a lot of time. Depending on the
problem and severity it might take months or even a year or two.
I've had to do stuff like this in the past. Even then, you'll get
the odd failure. There's no such thing as a 100% success rate -
most GP's average about 40% success. Anyway, under the
circumstances you may well not have the time.
Hey, there's always going to be some people you can't help. Some
won't want it, others may have been to screwed up. There is no
'one size fits all', no panacea. You just have to do the best
you can with what tools you're given.
Regards
Kevin