I expect to pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow-creature, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.
Stephen Grellet
As human beings with advanced knowledge, several vital tasks are incumbent upon us in order to take care of our planet. For example, we have to sustain each species that walks the earth and ensure that they continue to exist. While it is not given to everyone to go about being botanists and veterinarians, all of us, regardless of circumstances, are called to be caretakers. We have to take care of one another because losing a species could have serious ecological consequences. Biblically, we were all tasked with this function. And in a practical sense, only humans can really assume this responsibility.
The power to serve as a caretaker is a gift. Our intelligence and ability to become stewards not only rest in our ability to communicate. Our higher order skills – the ability to manipulate the environment – are seen in our upright posture (to see the horizon unlike other animals), our opposable thumb in our hands (to handle tools), and the larger brain in proportion to body size (to process information) may not be enough for us to protect ourselves, but they make us more creative in seizing opportunities. We may not be the strongest, fastest, or largest animals, but we certainly have the greatest capacity for adaptation and intellectual growth. Humans, to a certain extent, may be helpless in the face of certain calamities, but we can certainly predict them better and do something before or after these calamities occur. We populated the earth because of wisdom, grit, and resilience.
As it has been our duty to care for all living creatures, there is even more impetus for us to take care of our own. Other animals have these same caring instincts. When someone gets sick or disabled, those who are capable will search for ways to find a cure. Parents protect their families from harm and facilitate growth and development. When parents age, the roles are reversed, but at times we forget that nature takes its toll. In our desire to heal and restore, we forget to care and look inwardly to meet our needs. This is where we must draw the line and enable reason to prevail.
Social beings have this need to be accepted and respected by peers. There is, unfortunately, no medal to be gained by letting nature take its course. This makes Hospice Care quite difficult to accept for such an intelligent organism tasked to be the caretaker of nature. It takes a special breed of people with enough experience to see through nature’s limitations and say where enough is enough. This does not equate with a lack of love or nurturing or an easy surrender. If immortality were to become the norm, there is no question that the practice of hospice care would become obsolete. If we had spare parts available to replace aging ones, the concept of surrender would be deemed taboo.
There has been a great effort to find ways to keep our bodies running indefinitely. Science has made tremendous strides toward human research on artificial intelligence, artificial organs, transplant technologies, and anti-aging mechanisms. Our life expectancy is increasing, and the quality of life envisioned at the age of 60 has made retirement somewhat of a golden age. Add to that social media postings of 80-year-olds playing a good round of golf and attending to their grandchildren, and we see how the pressure mounts among us to keep our bodies alive. Extremes in life expectancies are not the norm and cannot be realized in all cases.
Individuals will continually search for ways to live longer. It is a noble endeavor. But more importantly, each must add meaning to those years by being stewards of health and well-being. We will only pass by once. Let us make the most out of it, no matter how long or short it may turn out to be.