Book Review: A Christmas Carol – by Charles Dickens

I have tried to read a book by Charles Dickens many times now.  I’ve never been able to get far enough into one of his novels to get hooked.  I figured – “This is ridiculous.  I can read 1400 pages of Victor Hugo, but I can’t read 300 pages of Dickens?”

So, even though it is May, and nowhere near Christmas time, I decided to Read A Christmas Carol.

The book is wonderful.  I won’t detail the story; I’m sure most of you know it very VERY well.  Up until now I only knew the Muppet’s version (which is surprisingly true to the book)

Two passages stuck out to me.

“The air filled with phantoms…every one of them wore chains like Marley’s ghost…The misery with them all was clear, that they sought to interfere, for good, in human matters, and had lost the power forever.” – p. 28-29 

This is how I envision Hell.  Imagine finally understanding, finally knowing what people need.  You can see their anguish and you want to help them…but you can’t.  You have no physical body.  You can do nothing.  You can’t lend a helping hand, or dry a tear, or give them money, food, or shelter.  You can’t console them or care for them; you can’t do anything but sit and watch the suffering.  All you can do is sit and bemoan the fact that you had the chance to help when you were alive, and didn’t.  Now it’s too late.

“Will you decide what men shall live, what men shall die?  It may be that in the sight of Heaven, you are more worthless and less fit to live than millions like this poor man’s child.” – p. 74

I see the poor and the homeless every day.  I know that many of them are drunks, druggies, and thieves.  I sit listening to their stories all day and then I go home at night to my house, and my family, with my paycheck in hand.  I’m sure I’ve thought many times like Scrooge, that I am better than them.  I am a “productive member of society” I think to myself.  Luckily, for myself, and everyone else – I am not the one who decides who lives or dies.  This book reminds me that in heaven’s view, I may be more worthless and less fit to live than millions like them.

This book brings humility and perspective to a wanton and self-serving world.  I might need to read it every Christmas...and every June; just to be sure I haven’t lost my way.

Two Fathers: Valjean and Tevye

    



     What will one do for the love of a daughter? These two characters give up all that is dear to them to help the ones they love. Their journey is long and arduous, and maybe that’s why they are so memorable.

     These two men were quite different. Valjean was a convict, finally released from a French prison in 1915. He was a hard man, strong, gruff, and suspicious of everyone, until kindness and mercy were shown to him. He broke his parole and eventually became a wealthy man, the mayor of a city. He there befriended a dying woman whose only wish was to see her daughter before she passed. When the woman died Valjean sought out her daughter Cosette, and cared for her as if she were his own. He tried to keep her innocent, sheltered, and loved. He feared being caught so he avoided making friends or entertaining company. He was a rich man.

     Tevye was a poor milkman living in Czarist Russia in the 1880’s. He lived in a small Jewish village with his wife and 5 daughters. He was very honest, and very religious. He would not perform work on the Sabbath day, he always kept his head covered and wore his prayer shawl. He loved his religion and the traditions that went along with it. He loved his daughters and wanted them to marry intelligent men – scholars.

    Tevye was content with his life, but told God “It's no shame to be poor, but it's no great honor either. So what would have been so terrible if I had a small fortune?” He then dreams of what he would do with all his money. At first he wants a big house with servants and livestock, but he then says he just wants to see his wife happy. He wants time to sit in the synagogue, and discuss the Holy Books with the learned men. “That would be the sweetest thing of all."

     Jean Valjean was rich,but refused to live like it. He lavished gifts on his daughter Cosette giving her all the finest clothes, but he refused to wear them himself. He walked with a beggars coat - but instead of begging money of others, he gave to the needy. His coat was lined with secret pockets and pouches all filled with money for the poor. He became known as “the beggar who gives alms” and was mockingly called “monsieur threadbare millionaire.” Had Tevye been a rich man, he likely would have spoiled his wife and daughters. I believe he would have been like Valjean, giving to the poor and feeling uncomfortable in wealthy attire.

     Both these men had good lives for a while. They were content, their daughters were happy, and they both thought life would stay that way; but politics would intrude, and their daughters would find love.

     Tevye’s daughters tried his patience progressively. His eldest daughter Tzeitel did not stray far. She simply didn’t want to marry the man the matchmaker had picked. She didn’t want an easier life with the wealthy butcher; she wanted to marry the love of her life, a poor local Jewish tailor named Motel. Tevye was a little disappointed, but he wanted to see her happy, so he gave in.

     Tevye’s second daughter tried his patience further. She wanted to marry a radical young Jewish boy named Perchik who was not from town. When Perchik decided to join the revolution, he proposed and Tevye’s daughter accepted. Tevye forbid the marriage but was told “we are not asking for your permission, only for your blessing. We are going to get married.” Tevye saw no way out. He wanted his daughter to be happy, so again he gave in and gave them then his permission and his blessing. Later, when Perchik went to Kiev to join the revolution, he was arrested and exiled to Siberia. Tevye’s daughter went there to join her husband, and Tevye’s fears were realized. She left the village, likely never to be seen again.

     Tevye’s third daughter asked to marry a young Russian named Fyedka who was not of the Jewish Faith. Tevye forbid it, and forbade them from ever speaking again. When his daughter Chava eloped with the Russian, Tevye proclaimed “Chava is dead to us! We'll forget her.” He cried and struggled mightily when his daughter begged for his acceptance, but he could not ignore his religion, he couldn’t abandon everything he held dear. He ignored her, refused to speak to her and rejected her.

     Soon his perfect little life was completely upside down. One daughter had married a poor tailor, and another had moved to Siberia with her exiled husband. His third daughter had married outside the faith and was now dead to the family. Now, the back-breaking news, he was being forced to leave his home. The Czar had evicted all Jews. Tevye’s entire community was forced to make a mass exodus out of town. As Tevye was leaving town his third daughter came by to say her last goodbyes. He ignored her as she said goodbye to her mother and sisters. He tried to stay strong, stick to his convictions, but he couldn’t help it. He loved her too much. As she was leaving he said “God be with you.”

     Valjean’s adopted daughter Cosette had much in common with Tevye’s daughters. She loved someone who was forbidden by her father - a revolutionary who was going to battle. Her love was not forbidden because the man was poor, or a revolutionary, or of a different faith. It was forbidden because Valjean didn’t know how to live without her. He couldn’t let her go, he couldn’t survive without his little Cosette. It wouldn’t matter what it was that took her away, anything would devastate him. Valjean went to great lengths to keep them apart. Like Tevye, Valjean had more to worry about than just his daughter. He was being chased by the police. An old enemy had also found him, and was trying to rob Valjean of all his wealth. Valjean decided they had to move far away, across the sea. This would keep him from losing her, and also let him escape the police and the thieves that haunt him. He had everything set, his perfect life would continue somewhere else…but his daughter was unhappy. Her boyfriend, Marius, was not going with them. The revolution had begun and he was staying to fight. He sent a letter to Cosette which Valjean intercepted saying: “I die, I love you. When you read this, my soul will be near you, and will smile upon you."

     As happened many times in Valjeans life, he was faced with a decision. If he did nothing, life would go on easily. He could let Marius die in battle, and move with his daughter to England. It was perfect, it was simple, and he didn’t have to do anything to make it happen. Valjean couldn’t just let it happen. He loved his daughter too much. So he went to the battlefront himself. He fought together with the rebels, trying to protect Marius. When Marius was shot, Valjean carried him down into the sewers eventually to freedom and a place to heal. Marius eventually recovered and Valjean consented to their wedding. He did not wish to mar his daughter’s marriage in any way. Valjean knew he was still a wanted ex-convict, and any connection he had to Cosette would put her in danger. He excused himself from the marriage, had someone else sign the marriage certificate and gradually withdrew from his daughter’s life. He returned instead to living more like a beggar. He gave his life, his happiness; to ensure nothing would interfere with his daughter’s happiness. On his death bed Cosette and Marius are with him when he said his last words. “I die happy, let me put my hands upon your dear little heads.”

     These two fathers were great examples to us all. One is presented to us in a 1400 page novel, the other, in a set of short stories. Most people today know them through two very popular musicals: Fiddler on the Roof, and Les Miserables. We love them, and we strive to be like them. They have shown us how to love, how to live, and how to learn. They taught us how to be selfless. They taught us that you don’t lose your identity when you love someone, your identity simply changes as you become someone better.

     These two fathers were created in the minds of Victor Hugo and Solomon Naumovich Rabinovich, but they live on perpetually in our minds, our memories and in our hearts.

Book Review: Mockingjay - The Hunger Games series

I finished the series and my first thought was…the author went overboard.

The first book was an amazing story, well written, engaging, and positive enough to get past the gruesomeness of the tale.

The second book had two purposes, to show the authors creativity, and to set up the third book - I thought it was great. I loved her ideas for the arena, and all the subtle hints along the way of what was REALLY going on.

The third book was not a good story. It wasn’t good overcoming evil, it wasn’t triumph over tragedy, or even victory over adversity. It didn’t show creative solutions to tough problems. Instead it was very realistic. It showed great plans come to nothing, it showed people at their worst, and it described in VERY graphic detail the most horrific parts of war. I’ll admit that the books portrayed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder fairly well. It showed what can cause it, and how it can manifest later, and carry on for years. So that aspect was well done.

The very end of Mockingjay was predictable, but the author had screwed up the telling of the story so much that it wasn’t even enjoyable. I wasn't impressed, I was disappointed.

If you’re going to write a story that’s fun to read…then do it.
If you’re going to describe the atrocities of war and the evil in the world…then do it.
But don’t mix them together...or you end up with a disappointing mish-mash of a series.

Book Review: The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games causes a conundrum in my brain. It is riveting. I read the first book of the series in less than 24 hours, and that’s with a full time job, three kids and a wife. Suzanne Collins does an amazing job of weaving an enthralling tale. A friend at work asked me at lunch what I was reading that was so interesting that I couldn’t even put it down as I ate. I started to tell him about the book.

It’s post-apocalyptic, when all known countries no longer exist and one central government has taken over what remains. The Capital controls everything, and has divided the citizens into 12 districts. Each district is completely isolated, is starving for food, and provides a necessary resource to the Capital, like District 12 provides Coal.
There was once a rebellion from District 13, which no longer exists because it was bombed into oblivion by the Capital for rebellion. To convince the rest of the districts to obey, they hold the annual “Hunger Games” They select 2 teenagers from each district in a lottery, and then put them in a huge arena where they kill each other until only one kid is left alive. That kid is the winner, and their district gets additional food and a slightly easier life for the next year.

At this point my friend said “That actually sounds rather vicious and gruesome…I’m not sure I want to read something like that.”

Our conversation ended there, but I wanted to tell him how that’s not how it’s portrayed at all. The author fascinates you with the back story of the “tributes” which are the kids selected to fight in the Hunger Games. After learning about their families we learn about their trip to the Capital and how they are dressed up and presented as Gladiators. We learn their skills, the amazing clothes they wear, their fighting gear. We learn who has made secret alliances, who the crowd is cheering for and why. There is a “Head Gamemaker” who designs the battle arena each year. He designs it with advantages, challenges, and ways to make the tributes come closer together to make them fight, so there will be more action for the viewers at home. The arena is different every year, and when I finished the book I was anxious to see what next year’s arena would look like. The author didn't disappoint. The second arena is AMAZING! The different weapons, and traps and the entire set-up is genius.

That’s when it hit me. I’m a citizen of the Capital. Suzanne Collins (the author) is the Head Gamemaker. She is taking something horrific and terrible, and presenting it in such a way that I can’t turn away. She makes me like some tributes and cheer for them, while hating others. I find myself cheering for some to win…to kill the others. It’s like the movie “The Running Man” with Arnold Schwarzenegger. I am cheering because the games are fun and interesting, even though people are dying. I’ve become a Roman citizen at the Colosseum watching the Gladiators fight to the death.
The sad part is, I’ve read the second book, and I am actively reading the third. I can’t put them down. It’s like watching all the seasons of “24.” Each is bloodier, and more tragic than the last, but because of the way they are portrayed, it’s hard not to watch. Suzanne Collins has proven she is the ultimate Head Gamemaker, and she is making millions doing it.

Book Review: Jonathan Livingston Seagull

WOW, I haven’t read this book in fifteen years and somehow I forgot how amazing a thirty minute book can be.

This book has been read by millions of people, and I’m sure very few learn the same lesson from it. To me the book had very little to do with flying or seagulls, and everything to do with the origin of God, and the potential in each of us.

[I intended this to be a fun book report about a fun book, but when I read it, all I could think of was its religious aspects - so this is a much more spiritual book report than I ever expected]

Jonathan is a seagull who wants to do more than scrounge for food every day. He doesn’t see the point in fighting with the other seagulls over morsels of food, and he certainly doesn’t see flight only as a means to get to food.

He enjoys flying, he spends his days trying to attain faster speeds, lower flights, faster dives, better turns, and how to do it all using the least amount of energy possible. He analyzes other birds, how they succeed in these maneuvers, and how he can mimic them.

For all this, he is cast out of his flock, he causes too much trouble, he’s too different, he’s not a good seagull.

Eventually he is found by two other outcasts, who can fly as well as he does, and better. He follows them to “heaven” where all the seagulls care about is flight, and getting better at it. They still eat, but they eat much better than the regular seagulls because their flight allows them to catch better food.

He then meets one who is the oldest, and the wisest; some call him the “Great Gull.” Jon learns from him that the physical body Jon has mastered, is just a projection of Jon’s own thoughts. He could fly instantaneously to any place or any planet he wanted, just by already knowing he was there. Jon eventually learns how to “teleport” and to do any number of seemingly miraculous things. His mentor eventually leaves this world forever, and Jon goes back to teach his old flock what he has learned. He is at first rejected. He practices his miraculous flying in front of them and eventually gains a large following. He first teaches them the basics of flight, how to fly faster, use less energy etc. Any time he mentions thoughts, or the greater power inside them, they are lost, confused, and wonder what that has to do with flying faster and higher?

Eventually one pupil shines through (Fletcher), and over time Jon teaches him the greater truth, it isn’t about physical ability, that was just a means to get him to realize his mental capabilities. Jon teaches him until he can “teleport” on his own, then Jon says he is leaving, going on to other worlds, not to return. He tells his pupil “Don’t let them spread silly rumors about me, or make me a God. O.K. Fletch? I’m a seagull. I like to fly.”

Then Jonathan Seagull was gone. Fletcher goes back to the other pupils and starts teaching them “You’ve got to understand that a seagull is an unlimited idea of freedom, an image of the Great Gull, and your whole body, from wingtip to wingtip, is nothing more than your thought itself.”

The young gulls look at him quizzically and wonder what on earth that has to do with flying a loop in the air?

Fletcher sighs and says “Hm, Ah…very well, let’s begin with level flight.” The young gulls saw Jon as the great gull, and Fletcher as his pupil. Fletcher realized that Jonathan had been no more divine than Fletcher himself.

- To me this book shows one possibility of the Origin of God, and of the potential of Man.

God was once a man, built like the rest of us with the same ability and opportunity. He was determined to learn, to advance. He wanted something more than the daily grind. He found eternal truths, discovered abilities that were available to all, but were ignored because they were simply unbelievable to common minds. Now he has reached the point of perfection, of all knowledge, all power. He understands all laws, and man’s true potential. He makes us his pupils, and tries to teach us. He offers all of us the same ability and knowledge that he has. He tries to teach us, but few understand such great truths because they simply don’t make sense to our infant minds. So he has to start with simpler ideas. He starts by teaching us things we can do here and now that make life better, He starts with the basics or “level flight.” As we progress we can understand greater and simpler truths until eventually, we are so different from our former selves, that those who have not progressed see us as outcasts.. We seek different things, we believe our life’s goal to be completely different from theirs. We wish to teach them, to help them, but we are rejected. We don’t resent them, we simply have to go back to basics and show them the joy of “level flight” and eventually progress to the greater things.

Book Review: The Bhagavad Gita

PREFACE

I was born a Christian, raised a Christian, and I'll die a Christian. Nevertheless, I enjoy learning about many different religions, and one of my favorite courses in college was “World Religions.” I read portions of many sacred texts, and have since wanted to read them more extensively - starting with the Bhagavad Gita.

I am not Hindu. I have never been to a Hindu place of worship, and I have had very few conversations with practicing Hindus about their religion. Hence my understanding of the Gita may be very flawed, and very inadequate. But I read it, and this is what I thought. If there are gross misunderstandings on my part, please don’t take offense. My intent is to learn, and to help others understand a small portion of a religion I am attempting to understand.

What is the Bhagavad Gita?

It is a portion of the Hindu scripture called the Mahabharata. As I understand, it is the most well known and widely read and quoted portion of the scripture. It takes place in the middle of a war. Arjuna is the commander of his army, and feels a moral dilemma about fighting his own cousins. Lord Krishna explains to him his duties, and then expounds the meaning of life, the cycles of reincarnation, and how one can finally escape this life and become one with God. He does this through the Vedantic philosophies, the different Yogis, the Gunas, and other examples and analogies on life.

The main lesson is to go through life doing good, but to avoid attachment. We should work hard, serve others, do our best, but never care about the outcome. Whether we are rewarded are punished, should not matter. The goal is to be one with God. We should act and feel the same toward our friends and foes, saints and sinners, family and strangers. We should be moderate in all things, disciplined in all actions. The level to which we do this determines the state of our reincarnation. Hopefully we will eventually attain perfect union with God, forsake all attachment, and escape the reincarnation cycle.

Quotes, and some of my thoughts about them.

“There was never a time when either I, or you, or these rulers of men did not exist. Nor will there ever be a future when all of us will cease to exist.”

The soul of man is eternal. Nothing can change that.

“The foolish do not respect me in this human form, failing to know My supremely excellent form, that of the highest Lord of all creation.”

It seems this is true of all prophets or Gods in all religions. I can compare it easily to Christ, who was scorned and hated by those of his own religion in his time, and was eventually killed by his own people. They would not recognize him for who he was.

“Even those who become devotees of other deities and, with faith, perform sacrifices to them, they too sacrifice to Me…though not in the manner prescribed.”

Lord Krishna appreciates all worship of all religions, saying that there is only one God (him), and all are worshiping him, though some in the wrong way. I believe the same thing, there is only one God, some are worshiping him the way he desires, but all who worship a supreme being are worshiping him.

“But you cannot view Me with these eyes of yours. I am bestowing supernatural sight upon you – behold My divine Yoga.”
“Were the radiance of a thousand suns to blaze forth at one go in the sky, it might approximate the magnificence of this exalted being.”
“I am the intelligence of the intelligent.”

These descriptions of the glory, brightness, and intelligence of the Supreme being ring very true, and the same descriptions are found in other sacred texts.

“Man is composed of his faith – as his faith is, so is he”

We are what we believe we are, or at least we become so.

“I shall consider whoever studies this conversation on dharma between us as having worshiped Me by performing a Sacrifice of Knowledge.”

Lord Krishna says that he will accept the reading of this scripture as worship of him. I appreciate the fact that even an attempt to understand is counted for good.

“Just as a man casts off worn-out clothes and puts on others which are new, likewise the embodied soul, casting off old bodies, is united with other, new ones.”

“There is nothing in this world as purifying as knowledge.”

“Both renunciation of action and its selfless performance lead to salvation, but of the two, the selfless performance of action is superior to its renunciation.”

“Since wisdom is veiled by ignorance, all creatures are confused.”

“A man should not raise himself, and should not demean himself.”

“For the mind, O Krsna, is unsteady, turbulent, powerful and obstinate. Controlling it, I think, is as difficult as enveloping the wind.”

“Out of thousands of men, hardly one attempts to reach perfection.”

“A man who contemplates the objects of sense develops an attachment to them; attachment gives rise to desire, and desire results in anger. Anger gives rise to confusion, confusion to loss of memory. Loss of memory destroys intelligence and, once a man’s intelligence is destroyed, he perishes.”

MUCH MORE

When I read the text, I highlighted about 160 passages. When I typed up those that interested me the most, I typed up 62. I have included here 16. If anyone would like to see the rest of the passages that I typed up, just ask me and I’ll post them.

7/21/2012 - Per request, here are all 62 with their citations.

Arjuna:

            1:35 - “These I would not wish to kill though they have risen to kill us.”

            1:37 - “Having killed out own folk, how can we be happy?”

            1:40 - “In the annihilation of a family, its time-honored rites are destroyed, and when these rites perish, lawlessness overpowers the entire family.”

            2:5 - “It is better to live by begging in this world rather than by killing one’s revered elders.”

Lord Krishna:

            2:12 - “There was never a time when either I, or you, or these rulers of men did not exist.  Nor will there ever be a future when all of us will cease to exist.”

            2:22 - “Just as a man casts off worn-out clothes and puts on others which are new, likewise the embodied soul, casting off old bodies, is united with other, new ones.”

            2:27 - “For one that is born death is certain, and to one that dies; birth is certain  This being unavoidable, you ought not to grieve.”

            2:38 - “Regarding as a like pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat, prepare yourself for battle.  If you act thus, you shall not incur sin.”

            2:47,48 - “Do not perform action with an eye to its fruits…accepting alike success or failure.  Such equanimity is known as Yoga”

            2:62,63 - “A man who contemplates the objects of sense develops an attachment to them; attachment gives rise to desire, and desire results in anger.  Anger gives rise to confusion, confusion to loss of memory.  Loss of memory destroys intelligence and, once a man’s intelligence is destroyed, he perishes.”

            3:17 - “The wise man should not unsettle the faith of the ignorant one’s attachment to action, but should himself become a doer of deeds in the spirit of yoga, and enjoin others to do so willingly.”

            3:32“Those who fault My teaching and do not follow it, are foolish beyond redemption, thoughtless, and are utterly ruined.”

            3:41 - “Control your senses first.”

            4:8 - “I come into being from age to age to protect the good, destroy the wicked and establish righteousness.”

            4:34 - “The wise who have seen the truth will instruct you in knowledge if you show humility in reverence, inquiry and service.”

            4:38 -  “There is nothing in this world as purifying as knowledge.”

            5:2 - “Both renunciation of action and its selfless performance lead to salvation, but of the two, the selfless performance of action is superior to its renunciation.”

            5:15 - “Since wisdom is veiled by ignorance, all creatures are confused.”

            5:20 - “One should not be glad on getting what is desired nor sad should the undesired occur.”

            5:22 - “Those pleasures arising out of contacts with external objects are only the origin of unhappiness, for they have a beginning and an end.”

            6:5 - “A man should not raise himself, and should not demean himself.”

            6:9 - “He whose attitude is the same towards benefactors, friends, foes, towards the neutral, impartial, or hateful ones, relatives, saints and even sinners, is said to be of special merit.”

            6:17 - “He who is moderate in food and play, disciplined in his actions, and controlled in sleep or keeping awake achieves a yoga which destroys all pain.”

            6:32 - “The yogin who looks on everything in the same way as if it were his self, be it in pleasure or in pain, is held to be a perfect yogi.”

            6:34 - “For the mind, O Krsna, is unsteady, turbulent, powerful and obstinate.  Controlling it, I think, is as difficult as enveloping the wind.”

            7:3 - “Out of thousands of men, hardly one attempts to reach perfection.”

            7:10 - “I am the intelligence of the intelligent.”

            7:16-18 - “Of four kinds are the virtuous people who worship me…

1.                  Those in distress

2.                  Those who seek knowledge

3.                  Those who seek wealth

4.                  The men of knowledge

            All of them are good, but I regard the man of knowledge as equal to Me.  For having united his mind in Me he is fixed in Me, the highest goal.”

            7:21 - “Whatever form or deity a devotee with faith may wish to worship, I make his faith unswerving.”

            8:7 - “Remember me at all times”

            8:13 - “In the one syllable ‘Aum’, the form of Brahman, the one who thinks of Me as he leaves his body attains the highest state.

           

            8:15 - “Having attained Me, these noble souls are not subjected to the transitory abode of misery, rebirth, for they have attained the highest perfection.”

            9:11 - “The foolish do not respect me in this human form, failing to know My supremely excellent form, that of the highest Lord of all creation.”

            9:23 - “Even those who become devotees of other deities and, with faith, perform sacrifices to them, they too sacrifice to Me…though not in the manner prescribed.”

            9:27 - “Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer in sacrifice, whatever your gift, whatever austerity you observe…offer all that to Me.”

            10:4,5 - “Reason, knowledge, freedom from confusion, mercy, truth, self restraint, tranquility, happiness, unhappiness, being and non-being, fear and fearlessness, non-violence, evenness of temper, contentment, austerity, charity, glory, ill-repute – the different characteristics of living creatures – are born of me.”

Arjuna:

            11:4 - “O Lord, if You hold that it is possible for me to behold it, then, O Lord of Yoga, show me Your imperishable form.”

Lord Krishna:

            11:8 - “But you cannot view Me with these eyes of yours.  I am bestowing supernatural sight upon you – behold My divine Yoga.”

Sanjaya:

            11:12 - “Were the radiance of a thousand suns to blaze forth at one go in the sky, it might approximate the magnificence of this exalted being.”

Arjuna:

            11:16 - “But I do not perceive Your end, or Your middle or beginning.”

Lord Krishna:

            11:51 - “Even were you not here, all the warriors, standing variously arrayed in the different armies, shall be no more…I myself have already killed these earlier.  Become merely the instrument.”

            12:2 - “Those who, focusing their thoughts on Me, always ardent, worship Me with the highest faiths are, in My opinion, the best among the yogins.”

            12:5 - “The Imperceptible is perceived with difficulty by those with physical bodies.”

            12:16,18,19 - “He who expects nothing, is pure and works well…he who is the same toward enemies or friends…gives equal weight to censure and praise…such a devotee is beloved of Me.”

THE THREE GUNAS

            14:5,6,7,8 - “Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas, the three gunas born of Prakrti, keep bound in the body the unchangeable being which resides in the body.”

                        Sattva holds creatures in bondage through attachment to happiness and to knowledge.

                        Rajas holds creatures in bondage through attachment to action.

                        Tamas arises out of ignorance, keeping them in the bondage of neglect of duty, sloth, and sleep.

Lord Krishna:

            16:1,2,3 - “Fearlessness, purity and sweetness in temperament, perseverance in the yoga of Self-knowledge, charity, endurance, sacrifice, study of the scriptures, austerity, honesty; nonviolence, truthfulness, absence of anger, renunciation, equanimity, abstinence from malicious talk, compassion for all creatures, freedom from greed, gentleness, modesty, absence of fickleness, splendor, forgiveness, fortitude, cleanliness, absence of malice, and absence of pride - these are some of the qualities of those endowed with divine virtues”

            16:8,9,10 - “They say that the entire world is unreal, without foundation, without a Supreme Lord, created without a causal link...  Adhering to this view, these soul-less people, with small intellect and cruel deeds, spring into existence only to destroy the world.  Taking refuge in insatiable sensual desire, imbued with hypocrisy, pride, and arrogance; deluded into the wrong conclusions; they act with impure intentions.”

           

            17:3 – “Man is composed of his faith – as his faith is, so is he formed”

            17:20“It is one’s duty to give”

            17:24 - “Uttering the word ‘Aum’…always begins all rites and sacrifice, charity and penance laid down in the scriptures.”

            18:5,6 - “Sacrifice, charity, penance and action should never be abandoned. They must be performed, for sacrifice, charity, penance, and action cleanse even the wise…even these acts should be performed, detachedly and abandoning the fruit.”

THE CASTES

18:42 - Peace, self-control, self-restraint, honesty, all-forgiveness, and also simplicity, wisdom, use of own knowledge, knowledge about the Divine — such is the duty of a Brahmin, arising from his nature.

18:43 - Valor, grandeur, firmness, agility, and also inability to flee from battle, generosity, the nature of a ruler — such is the duty of a Ksatriya, arising from his nature.

18:44 - Agriculture, cattle-rearing, trade are the duties of a Vaisya, born of his own nature;

The work of a servant is the duty of a Sudra, arising from his nature

            18:47 - “In performing ones naturally ordained duty, a man does not commit sin.”

Lord Krishna:     

            18:66 - “I shall release you from all sins, have no more fear.”

            18:70 - “I shall consider whoever studies this conversation on dharma between us as having worshipped Me by performing a Sacrifice of Knowledge.”

You Don't Know Jack

This film was VERY thought provoking. My first thought was…we are doing a terrible job as health care professionals if there were 130 people who sought Dr. Kevorkian’s assistance in killing themselves. We ought to be able to help people enjoy life. We ought to do a better job alleviating pain, so people can enjoy a quality of life. I have treated many patients who have tried to kill themselves, and I will treat many more. They change. I see them get better, I see attitudes change, and I see lives improve. I know that many of Dr. Kevorkian’s patients were terminal; we don’t need to prolong life just because we can. We need to preserve QUALITY of life. We need to make what life people naturally have, better. If their life is good, and we can prolong it, we should. If their life is miserable, we should not prolong it, but make the remainder as painless and worthwhile as possible.

I have not dealt with a family member who was suffering and had to make these kinds of decisions. I don’t know what it’s like first hand, so I can’t judge those who do.

Dr. Kevorkian went to trial and prison because he wanted to. He was assisting in suicide for many years, and decided it wasn‘t enough, he wanted to make a statement. On his last patient, he picked someone that was not terminally ill, and he didn’t want to let the patient administer the lethal injection, Dr, Kevorkian wanted to do it himself. He then went on 60 Minutes, on National Television, and showed the video tape of him killing his patient. He then taunted the prosecuting attorney and dared the state to prosecute him again. Well they did, and he was convicted of second degree murder.

He made his point. Now I am stuck trying to sort it all out. Suicide is wrong, and so is suffering. I will never condone artificially ending a patient’s life. But I will work forever to help my patients get to a point where life is worth living, and they don’t desire a hastened death. When their time comes, I hope they are ready, but I hope I can make their life good enough until then, that they want to live till their natural time comes.