At 6 am this morning, I jolted out of bed in reaction to the pressure of teeth clenched on my thumb. OOOuuucccchhh! Having felt her mouth wrap around my finger seconds earlier, I was unsurprised at Jerry’s bite but shocked at the sense of pain that the mouse had managed to inflict. A symptom of the problem; for the sixth or seventh time that night, Jerry had asked for help in sitting upright and I, Tom, slightly ignored. Not exactly sure whether that was conscious or a subconscious decision, my eyes grew heavy, body relaxed and I dosed off. Much like the disciples who fell asleep as Jesus prayed on Mount Olive just a few hours before he was arrested and sentenced to death on the cross. Jesus, warned, “Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!" (Mathew 26:41). By body gave way and I fell asleep but my conscious or spirit assured me that it was more than ok to ignore Jerry’s request. Not only does the upright posture exert pressure on the lungs and liver thereby inflicting pain but it also suffocates her trachea, exemplifying the taken for granitite task of breathing. But following that bite, I had no choice but to submit to Mother’s demand, even if I did not quite agree. Submission and independence, two sides of the same coin. When, why and how often do we submit to the demands of others? Most often, when it serves our own interest best. My thumb was hurting and so gave in. How does submission to a higher power alleviate a patient's pain and suffering? How is Deist, Theist or an Atheist comforted in times of pain and suffering?
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