Sandy Max Green

If I am Meno, I suppose I should ask: Can you tell me, O Sandy Max Green, whether virtue is acquired by teaching or by practice; or if neither by teaching nor practice, then whether it comes to man by nature, or in what other way? I wonder, though, what part do you play in this dialog? Socrates? The Slave Boy? Anytus? The underlying presence of Gorgias? Or some other unmentioned character? That is neither here nor there, of course; for, I will assume you are Socrates, O Midwife to Wisdom, O Glorious Lover of Sophia who knows he knows nothing. Learn me right good, Teacher, I beg you. But, enough sarcasm... I do actually have a real question. What is the difference between the idea that “compassion is most simply the state of being in which you ‘feel’ (to some degree or another) what another is feeling...” (your words) and compassion is “... a state of suffering with---a true gut response to someone else’s plight” (my words)? I see no difference, except your definition is limiting (i.e., to some degree or another) and mine is more ideal, an attempt to get closer to the heart of compassion. But, perhaps you see a more fundamental difference. Furthermore, I do not quite understand where you arrived at the notion that I “have an idea in [my] mind, that the only way to be compassionate, is to ‘like’ people and play nice all the time and to think nice happy thoughts about them...” I said nothing about being nice to people or liking people. That has nothing to do with compassion. What I said was that one’s words and deeds have little or nothing to do with compassion. It’s about suffering with another, and that entails the gamut of human emotion. Moreover, honest compassion---a true suffering with---would negate any of your own personal feelings because you would be empathizing completely with another. There would be no room for Sandy-frustration-over-the-ignorance-of-patients, only the swirling confused mass of another’s emotion. By the way, which part of your Blog would you like me to re-read? Is it the November 20, 2005, entry in which you say: “Was in the ED till two last night. People come to the ed for the dumbest things. Like, ‘My legs have been hurting for 6 years and I thought tonight at 1 in the morning would be a good time to finally get it addressed....’ Soo dumb...I know you think your problem is the end of the world But I am not going to solve you back ache at one in the morning in the ED. Sorry, life does not work that way. We also get studies for the DUMBEST STUFF! ED docs do not really know how to practice medicine. The do studies for anything. Screw actually taking care of the pt and not wasting money scan the fucker!” Or is it the November 8, 2004 , entry in which you say: “I cannot tell you how sad I am when I see a massivly obease person sit down next to me in a resturant and then eats 1,000's of cals. I want to scream, 'You are killing yourself!'” These passages reflect judgments made by you, and I stipulate that compassion cannot exist simutaneously in a heart clouded by such judgment. Of course, you could claim that in the moment the events inspiring those posts occurred, you weren’t judging, but rather suffering with, and it is only later, upon reflection, when the judgments invade your heart. That would mean you could experience compassion, at least briefly, which would be great, making you an enlightened being. But, for some reason, I suspect that is not the case. Perhaps, it is simply the passion with which you write--so much frustration, so much anger, so much bile...which makes me think that you are confusing passion with compassion, emotion with a sense of suffering with. But, alas, neither one of us knows the other (perhaps), so such a statement is pure speculation on my part. Oh, by the way, I was wondering if by the Declaration of Geneva, you were referring to the document which states: “I will give to my teachers the respect and gratitude, which is their due” (even you have to admit the irony of that statement juxtaposed against “ED docs do not really know how to practice medicine”). Perhaps, I come across as arrogant, self-righteous, and a Jackass, but that is because, this mystery Meno is reflecting your posts. But, the mask may fall someday, and perhaps Meno will morph into someone new... P.S.---Despite your initial anger and frustration, you have to admit that setting “sail on a many-paragraphed adventure rocking on the seas of your own heartlessness...” is some pretty damn good electronic drivel. Posted by: Meno at December 2, 2005 11:03 PM

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