Output Stream of Consciousness

Okay, okay, everyone and their dog has weighed in on this case already, but it has been much on my mind.

What should have remained a relatively local, personal tragedy has turned into the a bigger battle cry for 'human rights' than Rwanda ever did.

I have never seen so much insinuation, grandstanding, fabrication and attempts to violate due process as I have over the past fistful of time. There are folks trying to whip up new uncertainty over the case to a fever pitch.

It's a traditional smear campaign.

What, pray tell, are they hoping to accomplish out of all this? There are some honest people who have been misled into believing that with just a little more medicine... or prayer... Terri will get out of that bed, shake her head and announce to the world, "Thanks for saving me".

There's always someone that instigates a riot, though, and I don't think Terri's parents had the ability to suck a whole nation into their plight.

I suspect we will find people co-opting this tragedy to start 'dialog' on something else. I imagine it won't take very long, especially if Terri is allowed to rest in peace in the meantime.

In the meantime, I would like to talk about the soul.

I imagine that some people (I encountered a few over at kuro5hin) imagine that it doesn't matter how much brain damage you have - your soul is separate, contains your personality, your "you" - and is undetectable by scientific means.

This is a very New Testament idea of the soul, and it goes right back to Mind Dualism. Plato and some of his contemporaries split mind from body. Plato proffered the tripartite soul, and it seems that what is thought of as the soul in Western circles today most represents logos.

Aristotle (which the Catholic Church has held in high regard) would disagree. So, from what I can tell, would the Old Testament.

The Old Testament we get in the King James Version doesn't always carry the flavour of the Hebrew original. In the original, the soul was called nephesh, and, unlike in New Testament philosophy where only Man has a soul, all living creatures had nephesh.

Spots that are translated as 'spirit' instead of 'soul' usually refer to ru'ach, the "Breath of God". In a rough sense, it's the power in your battery - when it's gone, you stop.

I think science would, these days, side more with Aristotle and the Old Testament on that count.

So, she's not coming back.

In so many ways, though, that's beside the point.

One of the better history-of-the-case pages is located here.

I hope the truth bears out. I've had my fill of revisionists.

One good thing that will come out of this whole mess... is that anyone who has been putting off making a living will is more likely to get off their behind and make one.

That's going to include me.

Just in case I don't get a chance to - I will state here, though I'm sure the legal standing is zilch, that I do not want to go through life as a vegetable! Do not let my parents intercede - I feel they would be also likely to hold out false hope. Do not let the media intercede. Do not let the medical caregivers ignore my wishes.

PLEASE.

Now that that's off my check, I wish you a good day :)