In the movie Invictus, Mandela said: "You criticize without understanding, you seek only to address your own personal fear, that is selfish thinking & insensitive, it does not serve the nation."
With that, it's like a bolt of lightning, how many times have I done that unconsciously, without much of a thought? Many!
We criticize injustice, governments, authorities, anything that doesn't please us, including diseases like Aids, Alzheimer, Parkinson's and even Cancer. Yes, cancer which we all have no control over.
For those who had been reading my reviews recently, you have heard the bad news.
Ok, this is it, the last in a series of inspirational moments. It’s the end of a decade & the beginning of a new year, hence, been having lots of time reflecting. Now that readers are getting a little tired of it, not to mention I’m running out of things to write, this shall be my last yapping about nothing and everything ;-)
What should I write on to close the ordeal of finding out a friend was diagnosed with cancer upon my return from a trip to Canada? Cancer?! Oh, I’ve had my brush with cancer the last decade. My uncles (2 of them) died from it. My client. And now, my close friend. How does one take this kind of news in stride? Well, not so well, I’m afraid. I’m living on hopes right now. We all are, those of us who know her. She’s still far from recovered, just discharged from hospital after a surgery, now, time for chemotherapy. I think the shock will come later when we see how she responds to chemotherapy. In actual fact, I haven’t seen or been around anyone undergoing that and in this case, I will be here to see. The surgery ought to have been a big shock but it wasn’t because it was a success and we don’t get to see the wounds in real. Chemotherapy is another story altogether.
The new year began on a sunny day & for all our sakes, I hope it also means the beginning of a hopeful and promising decade.
By right, I’m not qualified to write this review since it’s not a personal account. No one will like cancer (no one of the right mind) for the pains it brings to the sufferer and family. It’s mostly deadly and there’s just not much to gain from having it. Still, it’s something we have to live with, until some major medical discovery is found to counteract this deadly disease. In all sense of the word, cancer is toxic and undesirable.
How do we find the good in something bad then? Many years ago, I read about Dr. Robert H. Schuller book Tough Times Never Last but Tough People Do. Back then, I thought it was easy for him to write and say the words, but then how about people who has to live with the facts of life? With losses? With betrayals? With loss of trust? He’s the minister of Crystal Cathedral. He has to have faith. That I can understand. How does one extend that faith to someone who might not fully have it or may not have it at all? That’s something I haven’t quite understand or think it is possible. As what I wrote in my faith review, it’s a personal thing. As with religion, as with trust. Can we extend faith beyond ourselves?
Martin Luther King showed it can. Dalai Lama thinks he can. As for me, as a friend, I have to believe it can be done. Believe, trust, hope, faith… call it whatever, it is a force when united will bring incredible energy, energy to heal, energy to recover and to conquer.
No, this is not a review about cancer as a medical condition. It is about finding out and dealing with it. It is about learning how to cope and live with it. You will be able to find lots of information about any matters if you look hard enough and with the help of Google and Wikipedia, one has the world information at his/her fingertips. I will not add more information about cancer per se. I am only reviewing it from a friend’s perspective. I know it is not enough, but that’s all I’ve so it will have to do. Before Farrah Fawcett died last year, she did a documentary (Farrah's Story) about surviving and living with cancer. Unfortunately, she didn't survived it. But, she showed us that living with cancer does not have to be a disease itself. One can live with dignity and courage. I saw that documentary online and back then I was totally touched by her courage. She was a living example of faith and of not giving up.
Yes, anyone may be down with cancer or any other terminal disease, but it is in living our daily lives that we find dignity, not in giving up, not in giving in.
