MAY 4, 19 .. WHEN TO TELL THE TRUTH .. WHEN NOT TO

To begin with, I pondered this Rhetorical Question about Telling-The-Truth from three different points-of-view. Religious / Philosophical / Medical.

So I went on-line (on the internet) to do a little research.

“Oh good grief Captain! Good way to muddy the waters of your question!”

1. Is this a Religious question?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#Numbering

In an exhaustive treatise, Wikipedia studied eight ( 8, Got it? 8! ) Religious opinions just on the numbering of the Ten Commandments.

Do the Biblical Ten Commandments say : Thou Shalt Not Lie

No! They do not say : ‘Thou Shalt Not Lie’ in these exact, specific, words.

The generally accepted wording of the eighth / ninth of the Biblical Ten Commandments is :

“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.”

So as I read it, indirectly the Eighth / Ninth Commandment condemns lying.

This above wording does absolutely nothing to assist me in my quest here! Onward.

2. Is this a Philosophical question?

Philosophically is it up to me to decide for myself when to tell the truth and when not to? I am leaning to this point-of-view.

3. Is this a Medical question?

I am not a Medical Doctor so I have no medically, factually based, opinion on this BUT, here I am, I have arrived at the crux of my Rhetorical Question.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Seven-or-so years ago a male friend of mine was diagnosed with an internal body cavity cancer. We are not talking about skin cancer or cancer of a limb etc.

After a year-or-more of vigorous medical treatment (surgery, chemo, radiation) he was pronounced as ‘cured’ to the extent any Doctor any place can make this statement about cancer.

Then, at the five year mark, he remained cancer-free in the opinions of his medical team. Everyone was happy.

A month-or-so ago, he went to the emergency room for diagnosis of an internal issue he was experiencing having no idea of what the issue might be.

Little did he, nor his doctors know or expect, but the cancer had returned in a serious and most vicious manner. After external (x-ray, CT scan) testing, his medical team confirmed that the cancer had returned. He was optimistic that he had beat cancer seven years ago and that he could again do so. He opted to undergo chemo therapy / radiation and did so.

I told Patti that I would not have opted to do so because the chemo / radiation regimen would absolutely destroy the quality of what life he had remaining. And it did. He was sick from the chemo and had-no-quality-of-life so to speak during his final two weeks here on earth.

Then suddenly another serious internal issue arose and his medical team did exploratory surgery. His family  was told (I do NOT know IF he was told and this is the crux  of my Rhetorical Question) by his medical team (basically) there is no hope and he will pass away soon. A Roman Catholic Priest was called / and performed the ‘Last Rites’ of the Roman Catholic Church.

All the while he remained optimistic that he was going to beat this cancer as he had previously done. He (despite having received his very official and formal ‘Last Rites’) told his family NOT to travel to him because it was ‘not yet his time’ and he did not want to interrupt their lives. In his mind he was positive he would win this battle. He even said that he might not be able to return to his home and that he might have to go to an assisted care living situation ‘for awhile’.

In his mind : He had HOPE.

And within a day-or-so he was gone.

In my mind he Died Having HOPE.

If (and I will never know because being here in Russian Siberia we did not call him) the Doctors did not tell him he was terminal, I commend them. Had they told him (I believe) he would have lost HOPE and (in my opinion) this would be a terrible way to die.

IF he never asked his Doctors how serious his condition was, they never lied to him. If he did ask them (again I’ll never know) and they did not tell him ( lied to him?) I again applaud them.

Last year, from March the 24th until mid-August, I seriously wondered IF I myself would ever again travel internationally. No! I never asked any of my Doctors about it. Nor did I ask Patti about it either.

I HAD HOPE that indeed I would again travel internationally.

I DID NOT KNOW but

I HAD HOPE that again I would.

Rest In Peace Dr. S.

Love Cap!

• ← MAY 2, 19 .. A DAY IN OUR LIFE HERE IN IRKUTSK, RUSSIAN SIBERIA.
• MAY 8, 19 .. KIROV SQUARE, IRKUTSK, RUSSIAN SIBERIA. →