Truth be Known…

The astute observer of my blog entries will notice that the previous article has been edited and the attribution of the piece removed.

A dear friend, who was quicker on the uptake than I was, alerted me to the fact that, on checking with Snopes (https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/the-paradox-of-our-time/) the piece I attributed to George Carlin was, in fact, disclaimed by him and not attributable to any number of other purported authors whose names were associated with authoring it.

Snopes says:

        “The true author of the piece isn’t George Carlin, Jeff Dickson, or the Dalai Lama, nor is he anonymous. Credit belongs to Dr. Bob Moorehead, former pastor of Seattle’s Overlake Christian Church (who retired in 1998 after 29 years in that post). This essay appeared under the title “The Paradox of Our Age” in Words Aptly Spoken, Dr. Moorehead’s 1995 collection of prayers, homilies, and monologues used in his sermons and radio broadcasts”

I stand corrected, and am a little peeved with myself that I failed the ‘test’ of reprinting something without verifying its veracity. It is a good lesson for all of us who receive the forwards from well-intentioned family/friends/acquaintances to check them out before sending them on — or posting them to your blog!

We are maybe a little too quick to accept that what we receive is truth when, in fact, it borders on fiction.

How much of what is seen online, in the news headlines, or through other media, is really what it represents itself to be? And, how much of what we read can we rely on, without questioning it? A good lesson in caution to not believe everything we read…from any source, without checking it out.

A lesson learned.

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endourlifewell

As a former Hospital Chaplain who journeyed with the aging, ill and dying for nearly 5 years, the introduction of Medical Aid in Dying in Canada caused me grave concern. In the years since its legalization, I think MAiD has adversely affected the delivery of compassionate, caring healthcare and has had an extremely negative impact on us as a caring society. I believe we are living on the edge of seeing death-dealing as the answer to being a caring culture of hope that nurtures every person from their conception to their final, natural breath, because we no longer acknowledge, or put our faith in our having been created in the '...image and likeness...' of the Living God, Creator of all mankind. Our lives are being impacted by political decisions and legislation -- we cannot be oblivious to what is happening at that level, in this regard. We need to be ready for what comes next! The creeping culture of death will, in the end, consume us, and lead to more death, rather than our living in life sustaining hope and love for one another. Martin Niemöller (1892–1984), famously commenting on the rise of Nazism and the development of the death camps, penned a short ditty that includes these words: "First they came for (others)... and I did not speak out...because I wasn't one of them, Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."

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