There's No
Caring in ObamaCare
By
Robin of Berkeley
AmericanThinker.com
I saw the most poignant
scene the other day. It was in one of those small, old-time markets that are
handy for quick stops.
An elderly woman close to 90 was pushing a cart down
the narrow aisles. Her white hair was immaculately coiffed, and she was
dressed in her finest garb.
The woman's regal appearance was capped by the
biggest, sweetest smile. She just radiated joy. This trip to the grocery
must have been the highlight of her week.
Behind her was an attractive
20-something-year-old, also decked out, but in a business suit. She was
trying in vain to get past the snail-like senior citizen.
What I beheld in that young woman's face chilled
me. Her expression went beyond frustration and into pure, unadulterated
contempt. The old woman was like a gnat getting in her way.
In a dramatic act of shopping-cart rage, the young
woman groaned, turned her cart around, and bashed into the metal shelving.
She sped off, practically mowing down anyone in her way. Mercifully, the old
woman never saw a thing.
The incident broke my heart. For one, it's
distressing to see an elder disrespected. But there was another reason: I
could relate to that old woman. While age-wise, I'm sandwiched between the
two of them, my life bears more of a resemblance to the frail one.
Readers ask me all the time why I don't move out
of Berkeley. If the Bay Area is so pernicious, why not flee to a red state,
or at least to the saner suburbs?
Here's the reason why: I live with a chronic
health condition that significantly restricts my life.
Some days I look relatively normal, though I
always move about gingerly. Other times, when my illness flares, I use a
cane and take cabs to get around.
Out in public, I often receive the same death
stares as the elderly woman. I've been given the middle finger more than
once as I creep across the street.
For those of living with illness, the prospect of
health care being rationed is alarming. While most conservatives oppose
ObamaCare on principle, for the ailing and old, the issue is a matter of
life and death.
Part of the reason is obvious: Our survival
depends decent health care. SEIU workers holding the key to our survival is
a horrifying thought.
But there's another imperative: the medically
vulnerable need to feel needed. Believing that your life still means
something is as vital as life-saving medicine.
It's easy to become despondent when you're ailing
or old. Not surprisingly, the elderly have high rates of suicide. Feeling
worthless and like a burden to others can lead to drastic action.
How many of society's frail would take their own
lives in a socialist health system? After they were subjected to the "death
talk," how many would forgo treatment or even accept medical euthanasia?
Countless numbers would give up. The message from
society would be clear: Your life doesn't matter.
Depriving people of dignity is as egregious as
restricting treatments. The vulnerable (and, ultimately, isn't that all of
us?) need people to care. This means not only loved ones, but doctors and
lawmakers. We need a culture that is pro-life.
As a lifelong liberal, I always assumed that
pro-life meant the government controlling women's bodies. But I finally
understand the concept. Pro-life means viewing every life as sacred, as a
gift from God...and understanding that human beings have no business playing
the Messiah.
But to be a leftist is to live in delusion. It's
to misunderstand the place of human beings in the nature of existence.
Humans are here to marvel at the world's wonders, not to redesign the world
itself.
Perhaps the biggest delusion is denying that
everyone, leftists included, will someday be vulnerable and need the
kindness of strangers. Old age one day will swallow that pretty twenty-year-old's
youth. She will be transformed into that old woman, the one with the
ebullient smile and the spirit of God. That is, of course, if she is lucky.
I remember a conversation I once had with one of
those cab drivers that I beckon for help when driving is too difficult. Raj
an Indian man who has lived in this country for twenty-five years, is my
favorite.
I once asked him if he'll ever return to India.
This is what he said:
I'll be retiring to India. Most Indians do. It's
better to be old in India. We don't have the welfare system you do. The
state doesn't take care of our old people. We take care of each other.
Raj's words reminded me of an evocative story I once
heard at a spiritual retreat:
God was taking a man on a tour of heaven and hell.
In one room, people were sitting around a large, round table that had
delectable dishes at its center. Each person was provided with an
elongated spoon that was attached to the table.
Since it was
physically impossible to get the spoon into one's mouth, they were each
starving to death, crying out and moaning in agony. God said, "This is
hell."
In the next room was the
exact same setting. People were sitting around a table overflowing with
delicious food. But in this room, the people were plump and happy. They
were dipping the spoon into the food and then putting it into another's
mouth.
God explained, "This is heaven. In this room, they
feed each other."
A frequent AT contributor, Robin is a recovering
liberal and a psychotherapist in Berkeley.
Home | Articles | BLOG | Quotes | Photo Gallery | Favorites | Stupid Frogs Game | Store | Feedback | Search | Subscribe | About Us