Postmodern Fable 3

Biblical Prolog (Luke 10:30-34)

A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion, and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

Postmodern Continuation

While he was being treated at the inn, the man began to regain consciousness, and he let out a terrible moan. The more awake he became, the more his suffering increased. Every bruise, every gash, every fractured bone cried out in agony. The Samaritan became deeply distressed about his suffering and pondered what to do. Alas, everything he tried failed to reduce his suffering.

He also became aware of the press of time, for he had much business to attend to. Consulting with the innkeeper, he concluded that the most compassionate thing to do was to put the poor man out of his misery. He sent the innkeeper to the local apothecary to obtain a fast acting poison while he remained to console the man and to assure him that his suffering would soon be over.

A short time later, the innkeeper returned, the poison was administered, and the man quickly stopped breathing, or even moving. In a few seconds his heart stopped beating, he stared blankly into space and he died.

How horrible of the priest and the Levite to neglect their euthanasian duty! How fortunate that the Samaritan acted so quickly and with such deep compassion to end the poor man's suffering and to allow him to die with dignity.

Postscript

Suffering is a regrettable fact of life. While it is possible to end it abruptly by ending the life of the sufferer, condoning the practice of "euthanasia" reduces the value of life to a baseline of comfort with, perhaps, episodes of exhilaration. Pain management is a difficult art, and it is subject to error. Not everyone is equipped emotionally or professionally either to be the one in pain or to be the one in a position to provide comfort. The purpose of this reflection is not to judge people in this position or to second guess their decisions. I simply hope to point to the terrible loss of a sense of the inherent dignity and meaning of human life and the substitution in its place of a purely material perspective.

Furthermore, there is something deeply dignified about patience in the face of unavoidable suffering, especially the patience that affords reflection on the needs of others, especially the needs of others we leave behind when we come to the end of our lives. Such an experience can, potentially, greatly expand and purify the capacity to unselfish love, and people who choose such a path deserve our deepest respect.