X rated

 There was a lot of conversation this past week regarding xenotransplantation on NPR. Now the science is very interesting, but I’m more interested in the the ethical side of things. While I believe the transplant of a brain from animal to human would certainly be beneficial to most humans, it doesn’t appear to be a procedure that will happen anytime soon. First, a little background is in order. Recently, a genetically modified pig kidney was transplanted into a brain dead human. I’m not certain that this does not describe most humans, but I think it referred to medical brain death. This was apparently a major step forward, in that the organ itself was not rejected by the recipients body. This finding paves the way for future clinical trials. At another hospital recently, a genetically modified pig heart was transplanted into a human recipient. The surgeon involved was very excited to see the new pig heart beating in the open chest of the recipient. When asked about the ethics, his response struck me as somewhat noble, but haughty. He seemed to say that he would gladly.sacrifice the life of the pig in order to save the life of the human. His response caused in me a great deal of genuine concern. While I have had only a modicum of quality time with pigs (the porcine variety), I remain firmly convinced that pigs are much more intelligent than most humans, and I think any human who has read Charlotte’s Web would agree with me. In fact, I think most people who have only seen the animated adaptation of the book would agree with me as well. The point is that I’m not certain that the medical needs of humans exceed the living needs of pigs, even cloned pigs.

This leads me to a brief discussion of xenotes, sometimes spelled ‘cenotes’. Xenotes are actually very deep sinkholes filled with water, created by the collapse of limestone bedrock. Despite my recent introduction to rappelling, I doubt that i would attempt the descent into a xenote, though many have. Most are very deep, and I’m pretty sure the fall would kill me. Many of the brave who have descended into these sinkholes, have discovered myriads of skeletal remains, apparently the sacrificial remnants of the Aztecs, or the Toltec, or some other long gone civilization. The point is…I don't want any xenotes filled with the sacrificial remains of pigs. You may ask yourself…How can fallen angel justify this viewpoint? So, I’ll just tell you! Kidney disease is not necessarily created by the drinking habits of cretinous humans. It is more often the result of diabetes, which occurs in many species. Still, I’m certain that this might be lessened if insulin didn’t bear an almost mind numbing cost per dose. Heart disease is most often created by excessive and damaging behaviors of humans. The prevalence of both diseases is amplified by the stupid, excessive behaviors of humans. So, I just don’t believe that the need for transplants, worsened by ignoring the warning signs, justify taking the life of pigs to save the lives of people who exacerbated their own disease. It is only human haughtiness that believes human life is more dear than pig life. That being said, if someone I care deeply about was faced with a pig organ being his/her only option, I would gladly stick the pig myself!

Many other X words spring to mind in order to lengthen this post…xenophobia, for instance…maybe even xylophone…but these would only stir my need to rant even longer. So, I will leave you with one final thought. Hats off to the doctors who removed that unvaccinated guy from the heart transplant list! His choice left death as his only option, and while I feel great sadness for those he will leave behind, I think he would have been better off with a xenograft of a brain!

The Path in the Light

 There has been a lone, solitary fruit fly living in the mens room at work for what seems like months. I have no knowledge of whether fruit flies reproduce asexually, or if they live more than a day, so I am uncertain if it was indeed the same creature. Nonetheless, I am certain the fruit fly itself would be happier in an alternate location (go ahead, accuse me of anthropomorphism).

I have, this very morning, been pondering the lives of pigeons. I am fairly confident that the term “birdbrain” emanated from the observation of pigeons, but I am considering, this very morning, that perhaps I am being unfair to pigeons. Still, it would appear, that pigeons simply go where the wind takes them; that one roost is as good as any other; that any bed for the night is as good as any other. I am suggesting that pigeons have no need for ‘place’. I mean, it is not apparent that pigeons give a damn where they shit! ( I have never seen a baby pigeon, to the best of my knowledge, but is well within the realm of possibility, that due to the fact that infancy in pigeondom is so brief, that they live their lives in a constant state of toddlerhood!)

For those of you that have known me awhile, you are certainly aware that I once considered ‘place’, or the feeling of permanence attached to place, as the most essential component of human happiness. I must now confess, that due to my most recent observations of fruit flies and pigeons, that I must, once again reconsider that long held belief.

‘Place’ can certainly provide refuge from the deluge of stress provided by daily life, and it also provides a serenity afforded by nature in general. Still, unless you are my exact opposite, and choose a solitary life, ‘place’ cannot be enough. Those of you still alive that have read my blog already know my feelings about the evils of city life; a stockpot of roiling strangerhood, brewing an atmosphere of fear and loathing. Still, as I sit here searching for a word to describe what I am about to describe, I am left with knowing that there is only one choice…entangled enlightenment! We are all surrounded by light, though for many, it is simply too dim to make a difference. I suspect that those humans whose light shines dimly, do so by choice…the choice of being miserable, fearful, or simply stunted. I admit it is the easiest choice to accept miserable, fearful or stunted, given the current state of the world…of humanity. It strikes me that throughout the planet, there are throngs of people, perhaps a majority, who would gladly give up freedom to an autocrat, a tsar or a Trump to absolve them of the burden of choice, but I am happy to say that I am not one of them!

So, what do I mean by entangled enlightenment you ask. I can only answer by describing how I wish to live my life. I choose to entangle with people who increase the magnitude of my light when I bathe in theirs. I have been very lucky in that those sorts of humans are drawn to me, perhaps, because I brighten their sphere…I engage with strangers, I smile, I laugh…I AM happy. While I cannot say that I am always open to the possibilities, I can say that I am more often than not.

The truth is that the possibility of EE surrounds us all. I know this because I find myself entangled frequently. I found the young girl from Lebanon, the cashier at a local gas station, who drew me in with her effervescent friendliness; the young Latina woman at the coffee shop that actually wants to know how I am; my roommate, who is a bit cantankerous, but is always seeking brighter light; a woman in France who I have never met, whose light reaches me from across an ocean; my friend in the North End who simply sparkles me. There are a myriad of others…some come, some gone…but they still have a place in my heart, where the brightest light resides.

We all have a light that we can allow to shine, if we so choose. Choosing darkness, with its resplendent fearfulness, is the easier choice, apparently. I choose to be happy, to smile and laugh, and to entangle with those who welcome it. There will always be places that feel mostly right, but the brightest ones work best. Fare the well!