I feel as if our relationship has been progressing at an admirable rate... progressing enough for me not to just assume that someone somewhere is reading this, but to hope that this is so.
Today has been a Monday, true to form. Murphy s law through and through. Anything that could go wrong DID go wrong...but I don't want to bore you with the gory details. I do need to mention, though, that I was diagnosed with alarmingly high levels of typhoid fever. To be frank, I didn't feel THAT ill. I was simply mildly sick with a stomach ache and a head ache but the pharmacist wouldn't give me any meds until he had run some tests.Even after the diagnosis I still felt pretty amazing considering the shocked expression on the lab tech's face as he tries to make me understand how 'grave' my situation was.
Dad wasn't as flippant about it as I was (His own face-to-face encounter with typhoid had confined him to bed for a week and he couldn't believe that my body was more 'bad-ass' than his when it came to illness.) and made me sit in his office while he silently observed me for any signs of oncoming shivers, sudden black-outs and bouts of nausea. There were none. But still he watched. I suppose I should feel grateful for his paternal concern but being stared at disconcerts me...so flipped through the morning paper to keep busy.
There was a moving story about how HIV positive women were forced/coerced into being sterilized simply because someone somewhere decided to play God and decide who deserved to have children and who didn't. I may not be an expert in reproductive health, but I am a firm believer in the principle of subsidiarity: those in positions of authority should recognize that individuals have a right to participate in decisions that directly affect them. Every one deserves to make their own decisions... even the least in society. The most twisted thing about it all is that these doctors took from these women the little dignity, the last bit of self-esteem that they had left. They took that which every woman holds dear: The ability to give life.
What is even sadder is that injustices such as this will continue due to our ignorance and our helplessness. Not unless we seize our lives and not let society dictate how we live. Personally, I will fight for my right to decide how my life will turn out. I will fight for the right to be wrong. True, I may make mistakes here and there: like getting my heart broken, or finding out that being an actuary has its downside... but I will be happy. In my opinion, being wrong beats having life mapped out for me, albeit perfectly. I may not achieve all that I set out to in the end but I will see to it that every turn that my life makes will reflect my hopes and desires: starting with the desire to go to Belgium for Tomorrowland before 5 years are up. Since that dream isn't realistically achievable right now, for now I will seize the day. So, Carpe Diem ! Or if you speak 'douche-bag', YOLO!
Today has been a Monday, true to form. Murphy s law through and through. Anything that could go wrong DID go wrong...but I don't want to bore you with the gory details. I do need to mention, though, that I was diagnosed with alarmingly high levels of typhoid fever. To be frank, I didn't feel THAT ill. I was simply mildly sick with a stomach ache and a head ache but the pharmacist wouldn't give me any meds until he had run some tests.Even after the diagnosis I still felt pretty amazing considering the shocked expression on the lab tech's face as he tries to make me understand how 'grave' my situation was.
There was a moving story about how HIV positive women were forced/coerced into being sterilized simply because someone somewhere decided to play God and decide who deserved to have children and who didn't. I may not be an expert in reproductive health, but I am a firm believer in the principle of subsidiarity: those in positions of authority should recognize that individuals have a right to participate in decisions that directly affect them. Every one deserves to make their own decisions... even the least in society. The most twisted thing about it all is that these doctors took from these women the little dignity, the last bit of self-esteem that they had left. They took that which every woman holds dear: The ability to give life.
What is even sadder is that injustices such as this will continue due to our ignorance and our helplessness. Not unless we seize our lives and not let society dictate how we live. Personally, I will fight for my right to decide how my life will turn out. I will fight for the right to be wrong. True, I may make mistakes here and there: like getting my heart broken, or finding out that being an actuary has its downside... but I will be happy. In my opinion, being wrong beats having life mapped out for me, albeit perfectly. I may not achieve all that I set out to in the end but I will see to it that every turn that my life makes will reflect my hopes and desires: starting with the desire to go to Belgium for Tomorrowland before 5 years are up. Since that dream isn't realistically achievable right now, for now I will seize the day. So, Carpe Diem ! Or if you speak 'douche-bag', YOLO!
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