Submitted by: Mike Spindell, guest blogger
Sometimes an idea hits me leading to an epiphany. Epiphanies for me usually take the shape of the realization that a 
belief I’ve held for a long time, is actually more important in the scheme of things than I had previously thought about. This happened with me some few years ago when the opposition to gay marriage defeated a voter initiative. I had been a believer in the need for equality for Gay men and women since I was a teenager. After all the bullies who were beating me up kept calling me a “fag, or “queer” and while I wasn’t, I got insight into what it must be like to be homosexual. In life you have the choice of identifying with the bully, or those who are bullied. I’ve always chosen the latter. So as a young adult I cried tears of joy when “Stonewall” happened and the police found that Gays would no longer be easy targets. Working for NYC’s Human Rights Administration and then living in Manhattan gave me the privilege of meeting and befriending Gay people of both sexes. When AIDS hit the scene I had many friends die and I worked to help the Division of Aids Services as a Budget Director. Yet while I always completely supported LGBT rights, for a while I believed the focus on Gay Marriage, shouldn’t be in the forefront of the movement. The argument over Proposition 8 in California http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposition_8 gave me an epiphany that led me to see that not only was the right to marriage an essential part of ensuring the Constitutional Rights of Gay people, but it was the key element. Being unable to assist in the health care choices of long term partners, in some cases even being barred from the funerals, or participating in ones’ partners Health Plan are important Constitutional issues and the essence of the battle.
Last night my wife and I saw and were very moved by Stephen Spielberg’s “Lincoln”. There was a scene in it during a congressional debate where one congressman said in effect “If we grant Blacks freedom, then we’ll have to give them the right to vote……and if we give them the right to vote we will have to give women the right to vote. In truth it was another six decades before this country bestowed upon its’ women the basic Constitutional Right of voting as my wife pointed out to me. Later in the evening we watched the Bill Maher Show and during the discussion reference was made to the frequency of abuse and murder of women throughout the world and suddenly my epiphany. While I’ve always supported women’s rights, it is so easy in a world where so many wrong things occur daily to not place the abuse and murder of women particularly at the top of an agenda decrying unjust war, drone attacks, racism, economic disparity and torture, to name a few. As it became clear to me last night, the murder, rape, bondage and the degradation of women is part and parcel of all these issues of evil and not merely one aspect of them. Considering that women comprise at least half of humanity, the mistreatment of women worldwide is actually the most important issue humanity faces. We must solve this before we can even hope to solve any other great issue. Because I’m not really a great thinker, many of my “epiphanies” are ones that are obvious to many. However, when they do occur I am willing to reconsider the hierarchy of my beliefs. Unlike my other guest blogs I will not tire you with the evidence of what to me is self-evident. Do you agree, or do you have other world problem solving priorities?
My, my!
We’ve left the gals behind to recount our medical adventures. I guess all that “news cycle” stuff isn’t just babble.
Idealist
I hope everything goes exceptionally well with the procedure. You’re certainly strong enough to handle whatever challenges you.
Malisha,
Power is fleeting.
ID, My thoughts and prayers are w/ you. If you’re an atheist then I’ll pray your docs do their best even though you’re a pain in the ass!!
Reblogged this on amandatheatheist.
ID707
A life spent looking at your dirty toenails and comparing with others’ is a misspent life.
A good reason to wear socks and look to the sunny side :o) Thanks.
Good luck ID with your procedure!
Power concedes nothing.
Make that: Power concedes NOTHING.
I reaally wanted Mrs. Stein for President. Does that count for anything?
Oh well. Maybe next time then.
Thanks MikeS. It is you that is a comfort when I think of your trials, when my exposure is much less than yours was.
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When they sent me to the coronary ward for suspected heart attack**, and then I detected that my heart was fixed at 70 ppm, then I knew that my pacemaker had taken over.
The one who I related it to the next morning was the doc leading the coronary artery dye xray team: He at the finish confirmed that my arteries were as clear as for 9 years ago, and said he thought that I was right about the pacemaker.
Two pacemaker docs and two cardiologists waited with a pacemaker machine when I returned to the ward.
**The clinic doc when I said that I suspected a failing heart, said no, your lungs are clear. One of many mistakes.
I got a bypass and a metal aorta valve, when I needed and had signaled for AV block, a dóc had detected an AV-1 some years prior. I got the bypass, and then forced the issue on the AV block. Turned out to be AV3. Should/would have died if I had not forced the issue in two vital steps.
Trust your docs. I don’t but am forced to now. It is the wall or fall.
And women, which is the thread here, should trust the med system even less than men should.
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I seize your outstretched hand, MikeS. Sailing along on this little planet.
It is trust your doc or bust with anxiety.
ID707,
Since I wrote this blog I guess I’m forgiven if I go OT for a bit. I had an ICD, which is similar to a Pacemaker except it only kicks in when you go into ventricular tachycardia (VTAC). I had an episode of VTAC in my Electro- Cardiologists office. They “interrogated” the machine and it showed that it was only to kick in when my heart rate reached 180 beats per minute. I was at 178 bpm’s and I pleaded to the Cardiologist to recalibrate it and thus give me the shock (like the “paddles”) you see on TV and take me out of the life threatening VTAC. He refused and called 911. They arrived in five minutes, put me on a gurney and then into the ambulance. They then administered the Amiodoral which brought me out of VTAC. I realized that my SOB Electro Cardiologist wanted to get me out of his office quickly to lower his liability. I never saw him again because from there on in I was in the good hands of the University of Miami/Jackson Transplant Team and so I’m alive today to retell the story. Hang in there I’m sure you’ll do fine and the ablation can be a blessing.
Mike
As for humor, David.
Life is too serious to take it seriously.
And then there is comfort in feeding the worms, looking on the Bright Side of Life (Monty Pyton), and the joy of being hugged for no good reason than you ARE.
A life spent looking at your dirty toenails and comparing with others’ is a misspent life
Epiphany—forgetting about the Magi and the the celebration thereof:
A sudden realization about the nature or meaning of something. An epiphany can often come about due to some experience that may trigger the sudden realization.
Read more: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/epiphany.html#ixzz2KWO6qf00
NNI= not necessary information
or
TMI= too much information
Tony C.
“Trust” is an emotional state, not a rational state.
I have never seen it put that way before. I agree it is not rational to trust everyone. /….. in any state,….especially Kansas :o)
PS. I needed to add humor …. the stark reality of people purposefully and advantageously courting trust falsely for personal gain from the degradation and belittlement of others depresses me. …..
But then I look for wonder and joy on the wonder and joy side of life, that is always there too. I try not to walk nor swim in the mud of deception, it adds a heavy weight to the finite human soul. At least to mine.
I ain’t Mr Clean, but I do find soap and water refreshing, and sometimes one can smell it on other people.
True and Worthy Trust is Joy, be it rational or not.
PS life, liberty, your loved ones or property.
Sometime we have no choice.
Sometimes you fight and to no avail, like when the docs trust your wife in spite of they know she is dying, and she wishes to hold the truth from herself as long as possible.
So generally, I have been more so than perhaps you are.
David Blauw,
So true. I spent years correcting the med profession including full-fledged cardiologists. March 21 I am scheduled for a heart “ablation” and scared to death. Trusting doctors is not easy for me. But trusting people in general was even harder to achieve. I still fight for it, as it feels so good.
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TonyC,
Respect your viewpoint, but if we did not have trust then we would be less than our domestic pets and our goats, cows, and sheep, etc.
So we would not have a society were it not for trust. The sad part is we ARE betrayed often if not even always by society (or its psychopaths). I trust people here, as far as they seem to motivate it. We’ll see how that develops.
Yes, it hurts to be betrayed, but living at odds with the world (even for good reason) is a tough row to hoe.
“So true. I spent years correcting the med profession including full-fledged cardiologists. March 21 I am scheduled for a heart “ablation” and scared to death.”
ID707,
I truly know what you mean in your first sentence. From experience to I know that facing something like a heart “ablation” is scary, but the procedure seems effective from what I’ve read. Every procedure I’ve gone through has raised fear in me, as it should in any intelligent person. Hang in there I hope all goes well.
David Blauw: I think the trust of strangers is a very foolish thing, if you have anything at stake (like your life, liberty, loved ones or property).
“Trust” is an emotional state, not a rational state, and like all emotional states it has the potential to contribute to disastrous outcomes and losses.
The human population may be only 1% psychopaths, but by the time you have met about 300 people, you have a 95% chance of having met at least one full bore psychopath (and several borderline cases). Those odds are not good for people living a normal life in a town of more than a few thousand people, especially an urban life in a town of a few hundred thousand or more.
Do not presume the psychopaths are in jail, most are not that stupid. I believe they do seek authority and power, but that is for the opposite reason you cite: They are able to achieve authority and power because people DO trust them, when they should not. Trusting in others is far less feared than craved; trust is like love, people want to trust others, they do not like to think about others betraying them, or lying to them, or stealing their money.
Mike S,
Excellent article…. If you’ll check the Utah territory’s history…. You’ll see everyone had the right to vote… Until being a part of the union…. This included white women as well…. What is not really understood…. Is that with the 13,14 and 15 amendment…. Everyone had the right to vote….except…. White women…. See Susan B Anthony and her defiance of the US Scts order to pay a 100 dollar fine… For voting in I believe Seneca Fall, NY….
Usually there is so much to digest before you really understand things the way they are…. Most people make judgments based on incomplete information…. To wit…
Relinquishing power peacefully and graciously is a rare event in human history. Giving up absolute power, or absolute control must be so frightening to Authority it is probably the underlayment of all reasons not to.
To share authority is to trust others not to abuse authority. It requires simply to trust.
Simply to trust, well there is a Galactic sized monkey wrench.
Do accumulators of power and authority achieve their status from trust?
I think not
. The head of the hands that hold the reins most often wear a crown of
deceit, manipulation, strategery, and unabashed ego. Such heads that seek power, do not trust. They simply do not trust.
Are there any college courses that teach how to trust everybody.
I can see the 1st assignment …. Class I expect you all to leave your wallets or purse, full of cash and credit cards, on a street corner this evening. In the morning go by pick it up and bring it to class for discussion.
I imagine there is never a 2nd assignment.
I am vulnerable to trust …or lack of it. I believe we all are.
When men can not trust themselves to view a moderately clothed women, when men insist women cover themselves so there appearance does not pollute mens mind. I would say this is a statement that some men are weak A-holes and they are frightened to death to trust a woman.
Thank goodness (or idiocy) These weak morons are able to cloak themselves in religious righteousness. Where trust is feared, scoundrels seek authority and power.
I interrupt this rambling….. to ….eh…interrupt this rambling. Plus my pancakes are done.!!!
OS,
Excuse me for speaking without reading/understanding.
My condolences. We both had wonderful wives. Inspirations still.
Back again after realizing just now that I had not read ALL the comments.
From the response content, one of MikeS’s best. But like OS I fall into the trap of ranking. Women are our eggs and Mother Earth our caretaker.
Can’t add any more to what Malisha, Rachel and others have said.
My point remains unmoved. Culture (among such factors as religion count) can warp the finest of plants, even women will bow, be plaited in contorted forms, or be broken. Hence Mother Teresa.
Particularly liked that where man are educated, then women suffer least.
Guess we in the USA are not educated, at least a religious majority lack it.
PS Just so we remember South America is part of the West, is it not. But women are equally endangered there as in parts of the ME.
And there, anyone who sticks up their heads is endangered. Just like in the USA.