As you would have others do unto you.

Almost three weeks ago I flew out to go visit my father who was very ill. For some time he had been going through the process of failing health and this trip was sadly the last time I would see him. He passed away the day after I flew down. While I don’t mean to make this post depressing and sad, I do just want to make a quick appreciation for the time I had with him throughout my life, even the times when I wasn’t directly there, I knew he was there for me.

My father was not a wealthy man, and in the time he had gotten sick he relied on Medicaid to help with the necessary hospital, exams and all the other things that came along with it. It was because of this program that he was able to get the needed treatments and care he needed, and while in the end he still succumbed to the illness, the ability to get what was needed was there. To me this is a viable and fundamental necessity of a country, a community, and society. To say to those who are elderly, or who are less fortunate to say, don’t worry we’ll get that for you is what I think is one of the most important aspects of what a society should be like.  It is my belief and a core value that I hold close to me that we help those who stand in need, even to providing necessary healthcare. While for me it was out of love for my father I am glad he received the care he did, for others I don’t know, it may not be the father/son type of love, but more out of respect for humanity and human dignity. I believe when we fail to recognize and carry this respect we fail to understand and carry with us respect for human dignity in the most vulnerable moments of life.