“The most serious of the evils that afflict the world these days are youth unemployment and the loneliness of the old. The old need care and companionship; the young need work and hope but have neither one nor the other, and the problem is they don’t even look for them any more. They have been
the loneliness of the old … Read More »
… based on the strength of a present reality. “Engendering hope is important, because it helps the patient to confront the uncertain future.” Kylma et. al. summarize hope engendering interventions … affirmation of patient’s worth, working with the patient, considering the patient in a holistic sense, nurse’s reflection in action. Affirmation of the patient’s worth
hope … certainty in the future … Read More »
Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul And sings the tune—without the words, And never stops at all, And sweetest in the gale is heard; And sore must be the storm That could abash the little bird That kept so many warm. I’ve heard it in the chilliest land, And on
hope … the thing with feathers … Read More »
Coulehan discusses hope, especially in the context of hospice and palliative care… “Studies of terminally ill patients have demonstrated clusters of personal and situational factors associated with enhancement or suppression of hope at the end of life. Enhancing factors included interpersonal connectedness, attainable goals, spiritual beliefs and practices, personal attributes of determination, courage, and serenity,
hope … a song without words … Read More »
… the Mystery … or I myself … ? As Hutter explains, magnanimity – natural hope – protects us from despair because it “anticipates a final and meaningful integration of all my experiences in a worthy narrative … even if I will not be its final narrator.” Those who pursue physician assisted suicide/euthanasia (and their
who will be the final narrator of my life … ? Read More »
Discussing the many psychological and spiritual maladies of our times, John Waters suggests the root problem may lie in our failure to recognize our utter dependence … “The desire to impose order on the universe and to become unsettled at our inevitable failure to do so may be ultimately a symptom of the expression in
autonomy … control … unhinged? Read More »
… we swim in a culture of autonomy … independence … But is this what we are in our deepest selves? Lynch discusses … from his book Images of Hope: Imagination as Healer of the Hopeless. It is the secret fear of most people that they cannot have both dependence and independence, just as it
… an interview with Thea Bowman, “a Franciscan Sister who became a huge inspiration to black Catholic communities, and to wider circles for her joy and gratitude, her nobility of spirit, and her very real spirituality.” “When I first found out I had cancer, I didn’t know if I should pray for healing or life
let me live until I die … Read More »
“The desire of man even during a disease is the desire for a meaning for which life is worth living. If the physiological cure is the most immediate manifestation of this need, it is also true that the physiological cure alone is not enough, because man, although unconsciously, asks for more. He asks for something
desire … hope … infinite humanity Read More »
