-My own experiences in the emergency room lessened my hatred and personal intensity with illness and dying, most likely because I myself was in the 'hot seat' and was able to observe and infer from an 'ill person''s point of view. (source is obviously LIFE EXPERIENCE)
-I am now aware of more examples of determined people such as Dr. Paul Farmer, but I just cannot figure out how an inevitable problem such as illness and dying can be "solved". ("Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder)
-Best idea I took from Mountains Beyond Mountains: "I have fought the long defeat and brought other people on to fight the long defeat, and I'm not going to stop because we keep losing. Now I actually think sometimes we may win. I don't dislike victory." ("Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder)
-While I admired Michael Moore's spin on the world of healthcare and its problems, I couldn't help but think of it as no better than a cartoon after watching the realistic and self-explanatory "Near Death" by Frederick Wiseman. I think the main difference is that Moore felt like in order for people to understand he had to include witty commentary and flashy graphics, whereas Wiseman simply knew that in order to penetrate the audience most, all he needed to do was hit 'record'.
-We are always kidding ourselves about death. We all at one point (whether we like to admit it or not) believe we are invincible, that death is unreachable, and that we are meant for "another day". This is perfectly understandable. Unless us human beings are convincing enough to fool ourselves about an afterlife, no one has the ability to fathom what happens when the 'long defeat' simply becomes the 'defeat'.
Even though it was short-lived, I really found "Near Death" to be the strongest of the sources presented in the unit (to me... understand that I've heard and talk to my mom all the time about my dad) because it felt like a revisit to my own brutal experiences with death. It was so interesting to me to get a first-hand look at how the doctors and nurses approached these touchy situations, not only toward each other but toward the dying people. Of course "Sicko" was entertaining and informative, and I'd be sure to watch it again, but I feel like its more entertainment than substance compared to Wiseman's efforts. Also, I felt like Moore was the puppet master of his film, controlling all that we see and what sources we consult. Wiseman seemed like a passenger, giving us a grand tour of what REALLY matters in the end- the illness and the dying!
My questions that I think would be interesting to discuss in class over the last couple of weeks would be: If we know illness and dying are truly inevitable, how can we cope with it? I mean how can we be at peace with this horrifying fact? Is there any way to make dying less painful? Isn't illness and dying necessary? Isn't it true that if we ALL received wonderful care, that fewer would die and therefore the world would become over-populated (getting even MORE out of hand)? I think these are questions we've brushed around, but have never directly addressed in full-out intellectual discussion.
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