Respect for Life

I just read the news on the Internet today. A young woman in Wichita, Kansas was stabbed in a convenience store. The other shoppers simply walked over her, while another took a picture of the dying woman with a cell phone, instead of helping her. The Police Chief was shocked by this behavior and asked, "What happened to our respect for life?" I'd like to ask the same question. But remember, in America, a mother has a "right" to kill her own unborn baby through abortion, and a disabled person, such as Terri Schiavo, can be euthanized against her will, simply because she's disabled. So is it any wonder then, why people nowadays, have a wanton disregard for human life? No one is safe. The next "victim" could be you. Mother Teresa was quite right and prophetic when she said, "And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?" Maybe what we need is to restore respect for life, from conception to natural death.

Suicide vs. the Value of Life

I came across an article on the Internet where a self-proclaimed philosopher believed that suicide was the ultimate expression of freedom because one had control over one's life and death. Since there had been several incidents in this country where a person, who was suicidal, had killed other people before killing themselves, I wanted to pose a question to everyone, especially those who adhere to the aforementioned philosophy. If people don't value their own lives, why would they value the lives of others?

True Meaning of "Quality of Life"

Many have heard the term "quality of life" before, especially with the case of Terry Schiavo. Some say that if you can't do anything anymore, then you don't have a "quality of life". I discovered the true meaning of "quality of life" when I met a single mother, who adopted a severely disabled & terminally ill child. People thought she was crazy since this requires tremendous sacrifice. But when asked why, she said no one else will want a child who can't do, nor become, anything. But she wants a child, not to get something back , but rather to give. So she adopted the child to give him love. That child died recently and the single mother grieved the loss. But she had no regrets. That's because that child received the most important thing of all - to be genuinely loved. Now that's what it means for both of them to have a "quality of life" - to be able to love and be loved.