Reward For Pain
Ages ago I was discussing the difference between Dutch and Indonesian health law with this Indonesian lawyer/PhD candidate. We touched upon euthanasia which is legal in the Netherlands but not in Indonesia, even though in reality 'euthanasia' is happening in Indonesia.
When I suggested that we need to include euthanasia in our Indonesian health law, he didnt agree citing that it's against the religious norm to do euthanasia. When he acknowledged that some sort of euthanasia is happening in Indonesia, I told him that's why we need the law so that both patients and medical workers are protected by law. The guy then cited that actually according to his religion, Islam, when one suffers in this life, one will be rewarded in the after life, and it includes suffering of sickness and pain.
The other day, after 'introducing' Hypermobility Syndrome to a couple of doctors, one of the doctors asked if I also have pain since the book that I showed them is "Hypermobility, Fibromyalgia and Chronic pain" edited by Prof. Grahame. I said yes. He said, 'Dont worry you will be rewarded later.'
Seriously, no one can give 100% assurance and proof that there will after life, let alone that there will be good reward for all the pain we suffer in this life. I know for 100% that pain in this lifetime sucks.
3 comments:
Chronic pain is a burden nobody deserves. If there is no cure in ergo- or physiotherapy and medical drugs, perhaps meditation can bring some relief (this morning I heard an radio-interview with an author - Hannes Meinkema- who told the only way to live with her chronic pain was meditation). It reminded me you also were/are involved with mediation.
Giving illness and suffering "sense" by making it part of a kind of divine bookkeeping (after having suffered a lot of pain one has saved enough credits to have earned oneself a good time in heaven), does not appeal to me. If I were a believer I guess I would call it blasphemous.
Religion is in the realm of metaphysics. About which we don't know any scientific fact by definition. Though we can know for a fact faith (often) is at odds with human logic.
Now if someone says
"according to (my)religion, ... when one suffers in this life, one will be rewarded in the after life..", he or she is beyond me.
He ( or she) is not just expressing a hypothesis as a notable reality, he is also using extremely shaky, well actually highly unlikely, or rather next to impossible premisses.
Worse: his conviction presents not what religion sometimes can be ( comfort to the distressed), no it is cruel and merciless to victims, as well as an insult to life as such.
Although the lawyer and the doctor are referring to religious belief about life after life, in my opinion they were just trying make you relax and ease the pain.
@colson, harry, I know the doctor was trying to lift up my spirit but honestly it doesnt work, it actually a turn off for me. To me it's a good example how doctor's belief plays a huge role in treating their patients in Indonesia.
On the other hand, I just wished them luck, and hopefully they never have to experience half of what I've experienced. They dont know any better. It gives me more reason to advocate about HMS in Indonesia. At least he said he was happy to learn a new thing from a patient. His reaction was much better than that oral surgeon I met the other day who was more focus on Psychosomatic.
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