quote:Originally posted by Kwea: Also, she didn't spend any money on herself on medical care, the Vatican ordered her to accept care that they paid for, and as a nun she was bound to obey their order. It wasn't her choice, IIRC.
That sounds a lot more reasonable and also vaguely familiar (might it have been news at the time?)
Thanks for accepting my apology Posts: 3846 | Registered: Apr 2004
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quote: How many people have you found on the street, dying alone and abandoned and offered to hold their hand for the end, Glenn?
Well, there was the drug addict, the prostitute, the young couple hitchhiking to California to find a job, the woman being abused by her (boyfriend, husband? I never found out) in the alleyway.
I also gave up my good paying technical career because I felt I could do more good by being a teacher.
Should I go on? Do you want my righteous resume? People asked me for help and I gave it to them.
As for the "allegations" coming out after her death, that's already been covered. The charges are well documented, but people would rather make her a saint than hear about who she really was.
There are literally thousands of people who subject themselves to poverty in order to help people that need it. My cousin served as an "accompanier" in Guatemala, to prevent retaliation against witnesses to a massacre. Jimmy Carter helped wipe out the Guinea worm in Africa, and Bill Clinton is spearheading Tsunami relief and sleeping on the floor of the airplane. My sister in law is currently working in Africa trying to prevent the spread of aids while promoting good nutritional practice and breastfeeding.
All these people are judged against the "Mother Teresa standard."
And still I ask the question: What did she actually accomplish?
Posts: 3735 | Registered: Mar 2002
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This question has been answered repeatedly. Giving comfort to the dying, especially when society has spat upon them for all their lives, is that nothing, Glenn?
I think it's something, certainly something. The more I learn about Mother Teresa, the more I begin to think that perhaps her vision of God's will was warped somewhat, if some of the allegations made about her here are true. It appears as though she certainly could've accomplished more. I begin to think that can fairly be said of her, and truthfully if you think about it, it can be said of anyone.
Posts: 17164 | Registered: Jun 2001
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posted
Can she live up to the cult of celebrity surrounding her – no. Should she have to? I don’t think so. I’m with Kwea that the biggest “wrong” was committed by misrepresenting her work to potential donors. And I think that has more to do with our tendency to build pedestals than with anything she actively sought.
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
Rakeesh, good on ya' for saying short and sweet what I said long and bitter.
Good on you Glenn, for those acts of mercy you list, and better on you for the ones you didn't. My point is, that she made a life's work, day in day out, out of doing things like that in an evironment that was hostile to her actions for decades. That she could have done more is certainly demonstrable, but you make it sound as if she couldn't have done less.
Posts: 3846 | Registered: Apr 2004
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posted
"That she could have done more is certainly demonstrable, but you make it sound as if she couldn't have done less."
Fair enough.
If you'll notice, my input in this discussion has never been to support Penn and Teller. Regardless of their "legalese" argument for using foul language I don't think it's justified. But calling her a saint is equally inappropriate.
Posts: 3735 | Registered: Mar 2002
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