… He knew how to listen. He listened intensely. He was not listening for the slip where he could introduce a wedge of condemnation, but so that he could grasp all the energy of the hidden spring from which words pour forth. And when he answered, he would unveil prospects that attracted his interlocutor, like […]
on how to listen … Read More »
… a profile of Daniel Sulmasy… a Franciscan brother who is also a … physician, philosopher & member of the Obama administration’s bioethics council. “There is no heroic physician who inspires my medicine. It is more about St. Francis embracing the leper. That is the sort of way in which I’m inspired to be a
embracing the leper … Read More »
… Robert Pollack shares his thoughts on our modern day rituals of death … “The current hospital response of science to the dying … goes something like this: “You have had the misfortune to be born too soon to benefit from science’s ever deeper comprehension of nature. That is too bad, but since we can
a biologist’s reflections on pain, dying, and hope … Read More »
… Giancarlo Cesana’s reflections on our limitedness. “Limits are our human condition, to be shared. This is the only way in which we can respect also the people whose limitations are apparently more evident than ours.” “If I am the ugliest man in the world, but the most beautiful woman in the world loves me,
we are all limited … Read More »
… burnout … compassion fatigue … brokenness … emotional fatigue … stress … anxiety … The paradox is that it is only through our woundedness that we are able to heal others. Frank Ostaseski discusses here. (scroll down a little to “Too of ten in care-giving …”) Rachel Remen discusses in a previous post. Leonce
we have many words to express our woundedness… Read More »
… links to practical resources. (as is often the case, the comments section tells us much about the culture and times in which we live)
caring for our loved ones with dementia … Read More »
… the story of Vicky, a young lady with HIV, who is healed in her encounter with Rose … it is also told in Greater – Defeating AIDS, an award winning film at Cannes. Vicky is speaking at the Med Conference this weekend.
an encounter that can resurrect a life … Read More »
… GeriPal has a nice round up of different palliative care posts, thoughts and trends. Great Danes … hospitalists … death masks … and more.
palliative care round up … Read More »
“Being whole doesn’t mean being more than who you are this very moment. It means being who you are this very moment. It means accepting the parts of yourself that used to make you ashamed, or feel small. These are the parts of yourself that will allow you to connect to other people, allow you
on being whole … serving others from our need … Read More »
… a good summary of recent developments in Europe (UK, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands) re assisted suicide, euthanasia and non-voluntary euthanasia. “As the debate over euthanasia has continued in past months in Britain it became clear that opposition to loosening the law comes from many quarters. Brendan O’Neill, the editor of the online commentary site
assisted suicide … in Europe … Read More »
