On Death and Dying

Writing on the Terri Schiavo case (4/4/05):
It has been an insane time, and it is not over, huh? By the same token this is also, very ironically, the time of the Pope's passing. Could there be any more contrast between the public responses to the End of Life of Terri Schiavo and that of our very special Pope? These large questions of life and death engender very strong feelings in the gut of so many people from many parts of the planet. That is because we are all mortal; we all peek over the abyss as we watch others standing ( or lying, actually) at that edge of their lives. Would it be too much to ask if those who are sure they have THE RIGHT ANSWERS (and want to impose it on the rest of us mortals) just let those close to the dying do the best they can with it? The Cardinals do the best they can, the Shindlers did the best they could, and so did Terri's husband. Think about and contrast the ways the crowds in Vatican square and in Florida have handled their strong feelings. Learn from the visuals.
Writing on the selection of Pope John Paul II's successor (4/6/05):
Two recently noted deaths, that are riveting the world press focus, are those of Terri Shiavo and Pope John Paul II. Much attention is being focused on the next steps to be taken by those having decision power around these two souls. Each set of decision makers have to somehow gain control over the process. The Pope will have a successor and Terri Shiavo's ashes will be taken care of. And there are many near-death persons whose families have to make decisions for the ill person about awesome next steps. The saga of Terri Shiavo has left a sad legacy of spiritual and technological choices. And the College of Cardinals are meeting in Rome to make all the plans, while thousands and thousands of the faithful file past his red-clad body.
Next steps necessary for the Cardinals voting in the next few weeks are very well covered in this New York Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/04/international/europe/04challenges.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5088&en=c9c60ce39a263b10&ex=1270267200&partner=rssnyt
More to come, I'll bet. . .