Arthur,
Over here the idea of euthanasia is proceeding far faster than I would have
expected even as recently as a year or two ago. My partner and I have both
signed a legal Advance Notices (requesting non-resuscitation in case of
severe debilitation, etc), and there are increasing numbers of press
stories about individuals (usually the totally paralysed with locked-in
minds who can only communicate by blinking) who want to be sent on their
way, retired doctors who confess to mercy killings when they practised, and
there's a growing stream of people leaving for the clinic in Switzerland
that does this thing.
I think that well within 20 years -- when there'll be huge numbers of the
old -- we'll see voluntary euthanasia on a large scale. I think we'll start
to see a lot more involuntary euthanasia than already goes on in our
nursing homes. My guess is that, already, hundreds, if not thousands, of
cases go on every year that are never revealed.
As recently as 200 years ago when Scandinavian families in the far north
had had a bad summer and insufficient food to see them through the winter
if they had an aged parent on board, they would hold a ceremony (usually on
a particular family rock) whereby the ancient was clubbed to death (with
their permission). Once we get this Christian thing about souls and so
forth out of our head then euthanasia of anybody who's become a severe
economic drain will become culturally acceptable. It will take generations
but, I think, inevitable. It seems terribly shocking to us now but it will
be normal then.
Keith
At 10:10 20/07/2010 -0400, you wrote:
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
boundary="----=_NextPart_000_002B_01CB27F3.C62B6520"
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I will go along with all that you suggest as long as you go along with
those who want greater choice over their life. As a long time supporter
of Dying With Dignity I wonder how you feel about such an approach to end
of life choices.
<http://www.dyingwithdignity.ca/>http://www.dyingwithdignity.ca/
arthur
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Darryl or Natalia
Sent: Monday, July 19, 2010 8:03 PM
To: RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME DISTRIBUTION, EDUCATION
Subject: Re: [Futurework] Here's to mental health at 90!
That lovely lady's body would be suffering all the more if not for her
wise active mind. She's fortunate to have put it to good use to eventually
ease the transition to the next life.
Do you ever wonder how much easier this transition from active mind to
frailty to physical death would be if people could learn to accept altered
states as a natural function of their time on Earth? If they had a shaman,
spiritual or psychotherapist guide them through these changes, is it
possible they could unravel some buried stuff and sojourn into new realms
with dignity in tact rather than be branded with senility?
As I glance at a list of Salish spirit quest altered states of
consciousness symptoms, described by Ludwig in the context of trance and
possession, 1968, I start to wonder:
1) alterations in thinking; including predominance of archaic modes of
thought, blurring of cause effect distinction, cognitive ambivalence
2) disturbed time sense
3) loss of conscious control and inhibition which may be relinquished in
order to gain a greater, culturally defined power
4) change in emotional expression towards affective extremes ranging from
ecstasy to profound fear
5) body image changes; feelings of depersonalization, derealization,
dissolution of boundaries between self and environment, often associated
with dizziness, weakness, blurred vision and analgesia
6) perceptual distortions,; hallucinations, illusions, visual imagery,
hyper-acuteness of perceptions, synaesthetic experiences
7) change in meaning; attachment of increased or specific significance to
subjective experience or external cues, leading to thrilling feelings of
insight, and revelation of "truth" which then carries an unshakable conviction
8) sense of ineffable; the essence of the personal experience is felt not
to be directly communicable; and this is often explained by varying
degrees of amnesia
9) feelings of rejuvenation; of renewed hope or of rebirth
10) hyper-suggestibility: a propensity to accept, or to respond
uncritically to statements of an authority figure via identification, or
to cultural and group expectations.
Imagine walking someone through the first parts to have them weave through
the latter--without the feelings of grief and loss over ego self. Picture
them being with someone who knew what to watch for, and who could
interpret what was seen or felt, without being overbearing or subjective.
Western culture would call these altered states psychogenic, most often
observed in hypnosis, religious revelation or hysterical dissociation.
Christians call it something else (like demonic possession), and yet
differences are about cultural rather than psychological or
neurophysiological states. But the term 'trance' designates a state of
double consciousness, between limiting state of awareness of personal self
and dream-like state of the para-personal self. The "neuropsychological
basis of the trance or possession state is the dissociation of the self,
which loses its experiential unity and is converted into a secondary dual
system of relational experience." This "capacity to attain altered states
of consciousness are a universal property of the human central nervous
system, but their prevalence is the function of socio-cultural variables"
says Wolfgang G. Jilek, M.D., author of Indian Healing, Shamanic
Ceremonialism in the Pacific Northwest Today. There may be a reason, a
personal motivation for induction of these states by seniors, and we're
dismissing/misdiagnosing their landmark passage as signs of demise.
I've long suspected that a lot of what's going on with cognitive
impairment has to do with mind taking a trek/break from chiefly
psychological pain and restraints. I suspect that at the first signs of
it, people ignore the warnings to search for peace within. Seniors
generally will become frightened and seek out allopathic remedies, which
may or may not be the answer. In my observations, this usually marks the
beginning of the end because the drugs are so harmful, and require other
drugs to alleviate the adverse effects. Then, it's diarrhea city. Every
elderly patient I've observed, be it with Alzheimer's or depression,
post-stroke or what have you, has been bombarded with mind numbing
anti-depressants or systems depressants that typically lead to hip
fractures/falls that wouldn't likely have happened had the patient stayed
home, got meals delivered, and were allowed time to work it out themselves
or with some nursing or counseling. Sure, you have those who might set the
house on fire, but I'll bet they are more in the numbers of those who are
iatrogenic victims than not.
I've wondered how much rigidity and such things as giving away one's
personal power over time have to do with later brain impairment or demise.
Usually permanent physical condition arises out of a predisposition for
it, yet it's always different with each patient. But if that person had
been able to know themselves, others and their world better in a more
connected or fulfilling light, would it have been easier for them? There's
often a pattern of a major resentment or trauma that should have been
addressed. Blockages that can cause very real symptoms that can all too
easily easily be assigned a clinical name. And once they hand over their
own well being to the care of others and pharmaceuticals, they may never
learn that looking at life differently will yield different results.
They've never been taught the tools, or the resources in naturopathic
remedies, and though spirituality might take them there, their steady diet
of religion or resentment thereof fails to direct them. I believe
religions should be taught in school. All religions and spiritual beliefs,
so that people would know choice. Biggest thing going, along with science
and technology, and kids are forced to learn dogma from within limiting
parental purlieus, or worse still, from a religious school they may be
attending. Atheism should also be taught, not just left fore kids to adopt
without knowing the theory.
We all have to dream and experience freedom for our mind's well-being. In
material life, immediate gratification without consequences would
obviously lead to miscreant actions. Aside from all of the physiological
documented evidence one could present, I suspect night dreams are the
mind's coping strategy for daytime maintenance of high energy, low
frequency physicality. If we didn't have the escape from the physical on a
(preferably) nocturnal basis, our minds would go nuts from chronic
imagined imprisonment--not so much physical but psychical. In aging, our
dream recall tends to diminish, resulting in less conscious processing of
subconscious experience. People with vivid recall don't seem to experience
this lessening, but they may become victims of their own fear-based
interpretations as the line between conscious and subconscious crosses or
merges. Most psychologists could help these people to some extent, but
getting the help they need in time never happens.
Just thoughts. Not professional. What do you think?
Natalia
Ray Harrell wrote:
I have to go visit a 90 year old Jewish lady whose brain is not
downsized. Its just her body. What a waste.
Hey Natalia, I was sad before I went. She is bright and worked full
time up until she was 88. She raised a daughter on her own. The
daughter became so self reliant that in her late teens she hiked all over
Europe and a lot of Asia, was a member of the Bread and Puppet Theater and
worked through college to a PHD in Social Work. She rescued a couple
of Indian children from the wars in Central America and raised them as a
single mother. Because they are Indian she brought them to our
community and participated with them in our ceremonials and
rituals. Meanwhile she is known as an angel to the police because she
would step right in front of a policemans gun to protect a child in a drug
dealers apartment. She is now retired but has gone back to school and
is continuing to do her profession privately.
What an amazing little woman with an amazing mother who smiled a huge
smile and spoke beautifully with a mind that speaks for someone much
younger than her 90+ years. So much knowledge in so frail a body.
It was a gift to me today.
Thank you Miriam,
Wado Edoda.
REH
From:
<mailto:[email protected]>[email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Michael Gurstein
Sent: Sunday, July 18, 2010 1:50 PM
To: 'RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME DISTRIBUTION, EDUCATION'
Subject: [Futurework] FW: [p2p-research] newsweek on The Creativity Crisis
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From:
<mailto:[email protected]>[email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Michel Bauwens
Sent: Sunday, July 18, 2010 4:03 PM
To: Peer-To-Peer Research List
Cc: <mailto:[email protected]>[email protected]
Subject: [p2p-research] newsweek on The Creativity Crisis
<http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/10/the-creativity-crisis.html>http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/10/the-creativity-crisis.html
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