Friday, September 19, 2014

Hope I die before I get old

Remember Democrats fussing when Sarah Palin accused Obamacare of including "death panels."
Now read the words of Obamacare architect Ezekiel Emanuel.
Sounds like he'd like parents to get the bucket more quickly.
Our living too long places real emotional weights on our progeny.
Unless there has been terrible abuse, no child wants his or her parents to die. It is a huge loss at any age. It creates a tremendous, unfillable hole. But parents also cast a big shadow for most children. Whether estranged, disengaged, or deeply loving, they set expectations, render judgments, impose their opinions, interfere, and are generally a looming presence for even adult children. This can be wonderful. It can be annoying. It can be destructive. But it is inescapable as long as the parent is alive. Examples abound in life and literature: Lear, the quintessential Jewish mother, the Tiger Mom. And while children can never fully escape this weight even after a parent dies, there is much less pressure to conform to parental expectations and demands after they are gone.
Thanks for your input, but enough enjoy living that they will keep doing it.

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