In Belgium you can ask to be euthanized if you’re mentally ill and want to escape it. A forty-four-year-old woman named Ann G. suffered from anorexia nervosa. Psychiatrist Dr. Walter Vandereycken—an internationally renowned expert on anorexia and a sexologist—treated her. He also had sex with her. After Vandereycken was not punished, another psychiatrist euthanized Ann…
The rabbit trance
September 27, 2013
That’s Tim’s elegant phrase for the state of passivity we entered when confronted with a situation we knew was wrong. Tim’s “rabbit trance” refers to the helpless fear of a rabbit. The other rabbit trance—tonic immobility—is a phenomenon well known to pet owners. You put the rabbit on its back, and it freezes. It’s an…
On Forgiveness versus Revenge
September 21, 2013
I love the movie Murphy’s War, even though I hate the premise. Peter O’Toole plays Murphy, the only survivor of a British naval ship that a German U-boat sinks in the Orinoco River, probably in Venezuela. Murphy is the sole survivor because the Germans deliberately, methodically, and calmly kill all the sailors who go into…
Mystery is important
September 18, 2013
The possibility of life after death has been on my mind since I was six years old, when I first understood what death was, and I realized that someday I’d die. There were periods in which I couldn’t bear to think about it because I couldn’t accept either the possibility of eternal life or the…
On the “Worst Obituary Ever”
September 12, 2013
Marianne Theresa Johnson-Reddick died at the age of seventy-eight. One of her daughters authored the following obituary: Marianne Theresa Johnson-Reddick born Jan 4, 1935 and died alone on Aug. 30, 2013. She is survived by her 6 of 8 children whom she spent her lifetime torturing in every way possible. While she neglected and abused…
The Bird Stole Fruit
September 11, 2013
Twelve years ago I lived in Tim’s house. At about 7:30 on the morning of September 11, 2001, I suddenly heard, “Tom! Tom!” As a child I often heard my name called perfectly clearly, in a voice that was neither male nor female. I still remember the timbre. I’d go find Mom and ask her…
Classic Self-Negation
September 10, 2013
I love when people blow their own foolishness right out of the sky. Self-negation, as opposed to Stephen Jay’s Self Avoiding Random Walk. Stephen is the only super-technical player whose chops never distract from the song. Anyway, read the short article, titled “Richard Dawkins defends ‘mild pedophilia,’ says it does not cause ‘lasting harm.’” Just…
The darkest nights approach
September 6, 2013
The darkest nights of my life approach. We can’t do anything to stop them. What will be, will be. I stopped going to church when I was eighteen. I’ve since made my peace with Catholicism. People like to say that they’re “recovering Catholics.” It’s supposed to be funny, but I’ve experienced too much pain myself…