The Art of Being Sick

acutejam

The art of being sick is not the same as the art of getting well. Some cancer patients recover; some don't. But the ordeal of facing your mortality and feeling your frailty sharpens your perspective about life. You appreciate little things more ferociously. You grasp the mystical power of love. You feel the gravitational pull of faith. And you realize you have received a unique gift -- a field of vision others don't have about the power of hope and the limits of fear; a firm set of convictions about what really matters and what does not. You also feel obliged to share these insights -- the most important of which is this: There are things far worse than illness -- for instance, soullessness.

-- Tony Snow, The Jewish World Review, 2005, as reprinted in the WSJ 7/15/2008

[Just thinking Tony had an eloquent response to you folks celebrating his passing.... Let the countdown to thread-lock begin!]

angelica

acutejam wrote:

The art of being sick is not the same as the art of getting well. Some cancer patients recover; some don't. But the ordeal of facing your mortality and feeling your frailty sharpens your perspective about life. You appreciate little things more ferociously. You grasp the mystical power of love. You feel the gravitational pull of faith. And you realize you have received a unique gift -- a field of vision others don't have about the power of hope and the limits of fear; a firm set of convictions about what really matters and what does not. You also feel obliged to share these insights -- the most immportant of which is this: There are things far worse than illness -- for instance, soullessness.

-- Tony Snow, The Jewish World Review, 2005, as reprinted in the WSJ 7/15/200

Wow. That's awesome. And so very, very, very true. (very!)

Thanks for sharing.

Jeanie

acutejam wrote:

The art of being sick is not the same as the art of getting well. Some cancer patients recover; some don't. But the ordeal of facing your mortality and feeling your frailty sharpens your perspective about life. You appreciate little things more ferociously. You grasp the mystical power of love. You feel the gravitational pull of faith. And you realize you have received a unique gift -- a field of vision others don't have about the power of hope and the limits of fear; a firm set of convictions about what really matters and what does not. You also feel obliged to share these insights -- the most immportant of which is this: There are things far worse than illness -- for instance, soullessness.

-- Tony Snow, The Jewish World Review, 2005, as reprinted in the WSJ 7/15/2008

[Just thinking Tony had an eloquent response to you folks celebrating his passing.... Let the countdown to thread-lock begin!]

This is true for some but not for everyone. We're all different and how we deal with our mortality and illness is different. Some people do not have an epiphany.

mca47

I work in cancer research and I've picked up so much inspiration from our patients. It's amazing how it takes a life changing, altering, ending event to really open people eyes, ears and minds to the little things...the beautiful things in life. Those very things that we all take for granted every day.