I’m only human
“I’m only human.” It’s a phrase we all use sometimes to explain unwanted behaviours and/or consequences. Friedrich Nietzsche would say, ‘Human, all too human’, while I wonder why we simply do the things we do without some foresight, afterthought, or a memory spark that could have shown us how to avoid running into trouble. My failures or dodgy flaws? I can be as silly as a young pup, crashing into you or the furniture as I go, have a memory the size of an ant, or simply be as tired as old, worn wallpaper. More than once I ran into myself at lightning speed like atom particles do in the Large Hadron Collider in CERN, and as a result, ended up in hospital in need of IV steroid treatment to…
The right to die (updated)
"In the end, the truly sad thing is courts denying people the right to live their own life and deal with death when someone is so obviously tormented. Sanctity of life is a personal matter, what you or I see in this is not up to a court to decide. Not now, not ever."
2014 Budget plea to the Irish government
"A heart transplant is easy enough these days, but brain transplants belong in the world of fantasy. Because of that, urgent reconfiguration of existing services should be done."
The right to die
Suicide law in Ireland has been a hot topic recently. Marie Fleming, a multiple sclerosis patient in the later stages of the illness, is seeking the right to commit suicide with the help of her long-term partner Tom Curran. She does not want her partner receiving criminal charges for assisting her in her dying wish, and went before the President of the High Court, Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns in Dublin. Attempted suicide is no longer a criminal offense in Ireland since it was decriminalised in 1993. While self-harm is not seen as a form of attempted suicide, assisted suicide and euthanasia are still illegal under Irish law. This, however, was challenged at the High Court in December 2012.
Disability is never cured with one pill alone
So it seems I’m on the warpath. It also appears that if you want to change things, you have to work very hard to get it done. And hope your adversaries are willing to at least listen for one second to what you have to say. Is it worth it? Not if your voice is cut off before the first vowel leaves your lips. It is worth it, however, if or when your input is evaluated and rationalized as such that your opponent understands quite clearly what you mean. It’s true that we live in a society where politicians say all and citizens very little. The why and the wherefore of their actions often need to be repeatedly discussed on TV, in newspapers and in the salons of hairdressers, tea…
Irish: A Manner of Speaking
Once again I am finding myself in WordPress-Blog-space. It’s a happy space if you ask me. Slowly I am learning about blogging and about writing and I am finding my own voice. When I received the WordPress Weekly Writing Challenge email about slang and phrases that are unique to where bloggers live, I need not have looked or thought too hard about what I was going to write about: “For this week’s writing challenge, showcase your slang. It can be a display of regional pride, a contemplation on new words you’ve heard, but still don’t quiet understand, or a practice in dialogue that mimics our regular speaking patterns. Need a few ideas to get you going? Pick a word or phrase that is unique to where you live or your…
Very Inspiring Blogger Award
Yesterday I found out that I received a ‘Very Inspiring Blogger Award’ on a blog post of early February (MS: a social disconnect) and the award comes from ExperiencedTutors on WordPress.com. Needless to say it was quite a pleasant surprise because as a blogger I actually wondered if anyone found it interesting enough what I was writing. I suppose doubting yourself is a trait a lot of people who write have, and I am certainly no stranger to feeling that way. Either way, the blogger who gave the award always has very good posts and I find the ExperiencedTutors blog to be a very interesting, because as I grow older, I realize how important learning and studying is, and their blog speaks to me because the bloggers contributing to it…