Inside a Circle of Quiet

If I can commit to memory parasites and grace, I think I'll be okay. I've got Steel Magnolias in the background and I've heard my future. Weezer is asked why she grows tomatoes since she doesn't like them and her response is "I'm an old southern woman. That's what we do. We wear funny hats and ugly clothes and grow vegetables in the dirt." I feel like anyone who doesn't understand southern culture should watch this movie and all will become understood... sort of. Sometimes I'm not exactly sure I'm southern, but I was told repeatedly by my ex boyfriend that I had a cute southern accent. I didn't believe him then, nor do I now, but perhaps there is a sliver of truth in it.

Yesterday my ethics professor was discussing the idea of genetic screening. I'm wary of this idea... I think it would be far too easily abused. Too many people would use it to only select children without any disease genes at all, and while that sounds great on the surface it holds a thousand problems. 1) First, not all diseases are genetically linked, 2) Secondly, not all genetically linked diseases manifest themselves during life (i.e. just because you have the gene for it doesn't mean you absolutely have the disease) and 3) you're saying that because this person will one day suffer some sort of trauma or be a complication in some way, they shouldn't be allowed to live. This also splits into two problems... a) every one on the face of the planet has to endure suffering, and our illnesses are often the least of these pains with the leaps and bounds made by medical science (I KNOW since both of my parents have survived cancer) and b) people who have serious illnesses still contribute enormously to our society. They often give us gifts that healthy people can not offer because they can not understand the pain and grief of having their own body turn against them. On top of all this, the insurance companies... well, I'm concerned about the abuses that genetic screening might allow for. Is it really ethical to charge someone so much more for insurance because they have the possibility of a disease which can just as easily be induced by environmental factors? I don't think so. It's all so complicated and i just feel like we need to stay away from it. Ah, medical rant complete.

Oh Edward, dear Edward, where are you? Jen Kling, I blame you for allowing me to fall in love with a fictional character.

"The more that I learn of what I can and ought to do, the more I feel inadequet... but taking on the example of Jesus, I see my error. Jesus did not feed all the poor, only a few. He did not heal all the lepers, or give sight to all the blind, or drive out all the unclean spirits. That helps me. If I felt that I had to conquer all the ills of the world I'd likely sit back and do nothing at all, out of hopelessness. But if my job is to feed one stranger, to ease one pain, to help one hurting child... I can realize my sucess." - M. L'Engle