Hi Geoff<br>Good to 'hear' your voice again! No
'thanks' necessary, anyway, I'm enjoying taking part in
this site, and its not yours alone anyway, so dont get
all propriatorial:) (sarcastically!)<br>About nature
and God... As far as I see it, we humans are all
'natural' and part of the universe's unfolding story, so
our medical advances are also part of natures plan,
including keeping people alive when they're in a coma or
very ill for long periods. But I dont think the "it's
natural" or "not natural" arguments give us an answer as
to what should be done, or what is right or wrong at
any one time.<br>It is very hard to give sweeping
statements.Ever. WHO says that the so-called vegetable might not
miraculously 'wake up' one day, or less amazingly, but
significantly, by continuing to exist, provide scientific
answers to medical problems, or other importance for
other human beings? The fact that you dont believe in
miracles, can't predict the future, or see a point in that
persons existance is not reason enough to kill
them.<br>Most importantly, I believe is addressing the
dangerous question of who can take the role of decision
maker in ending life? My knee-jerk response is: NO ONE,
that's partly why death sentenses are wrong. <br>We are
fallible beings, the killing would be prone to corruption
and misuse (like all human activities). Who sets the
bordelines? How incapable is incapable? How much pain is
'insufferable'? We cant even quantify pain exactly - its
subjective. And that's the troulbe. The whole issue is
exptremely subjective. And so it should be! Its about life
and death after all!<br><br>As Pirsig said, (roughly)
if they aren't a threat to you or society, no one
has a right to kill another, even a convicted
murderer in prison. I do understand the difference when a
chronic pain sufferer says 'please help me to die'... but
the trouble is, even the least corrupt, caring mortal
can't judge the 'correct' point of giving the killing
poison. There is no 'correct point'.<br><br>Looking from
a more cosmic angle, I think God, or truth or
beauty or Good or universality or oneness or QUALITY
(whatever you call it, but dont be fooled, we all believe
in something!) is an all-encompassing wider notion
than even nature. And though we are part of the
universe, and have glimpses of beauty, etc, we cannot ever
'know it all' as we are just small, fallible, bits of a
wider 'truth' which is allways there and outside of the
mortal or transient. <br>I dont find it useful or
meaningful to attribute a 'will' or a pre-defined 'way' to
this notion of God/QUALITY. <br>I dont see this
universal concept as attributed with answers for precise
human quandries.<br><br>I'm still thinking about your
piece Bo, where's part 2?<br><br>Sara