tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5224155080292545006.post1407568804141670097..comments2024-03-27T19:58:20.029-04:00Comments on PhilosFX: Joseph's HouseDBDoanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07015225243245790940noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5224155080292545006.post-73873937439652427962010-11-08T14:05:20.453-05:002010-11-08T14:05:20.453-05:00The story of Joseph's House is that even the d...The story of Joseph's House is that even the down-and-out who may have lived their entire lives without love or hope, deserve to be treated with dignity, respect, and love in their last moments. More's the pity that so many humans must wait until their deathbed to be welcomed to humanity, and that in our society there is only room for only 6 at a time in Joseph's House.DBDoanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07015225243245790940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5224155080292545006.post-41873224345404658762010-11-07T23:30:13.814-05:002010-11-07T23:30:13.814-05:00I have a very hard time accepting that people die ...I have a very hard time accepting that people die alone and forgotten - on the street or elsewhere. It troubles me deeply that those who need help/support the most are those most deserted by our government (state and federal), too - and that the bare-bones programs that are left cannot meet the needs. <br /><br />Yet I just read an article in the NY Times about the millions being spent to encourage people to eat MORE CHEESE (not healthy in large amounts!) by an arm of the USDA called Dairy Management - while OTHER US Offices are trying to get people to eat healthier (and spending tens of millions at that, too...) <br /><br />Why is it that those MOST in need - with the most difficult access to services - are those whose most basic needs are not met? This isn't just a D.C. problem; I see it in Chicago, here in NYC where I am this week, in Detroit. And it's not just in major metro areas, either. It is also not just the disadvantaged, either, who are afflicted: those up a notch or two economically or otherwise also suffer this disease and often cannot obtain the care and support, especially in the terminal stages, they need, deserve, and should have in order to die with dignity. <br /><br />It's heartbreaking that only 6 individuals can be accommodated at Joseph's House at any one time. Amazing we can give to Ronald McDonald Houses for families dealing with childhood diseases/cancers all over the country, but for HIV/AIDS hospices? Not so much. We could speculate for 100 yrs on why that is - but the bottom line would still remain: HIV/AIDS sufferers may well be convinced they will die alone, unheard and forgotten because THEY SEE IT HAPPEN ALL THE TIME.<br /><br />(I also have huge issues, aside from AIDS/HIV, about anyone in the USA unable to obtain the medical services, care and attention needed. That's a huge justice issue in my mind, too. That, however, is another issue.) <br /><br />And since right now, I'm about 500 feet from the UN headquarters...I ask why HIV/AIDS programs are not in place domestically when such programs are being advocated so strongly every day for "the rest of the world". How crazy does that make us here? Sure, we're having economic troubles now - but we are not in Chad's or Uganda's or South Africa's or Sierra Leone's circumstances... <br /><br />I am sure I sound as frustrated as I feel. I wish I could solve all these challenges, but I can't. And that leads to even more frustration, of course!Little Tankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14390381581390531869noreply@blogger.com