Why Not Me?
Created | Updated Aug 18, 2012
A doctor, working in a major hospital, observes his patients' behaviour with a critical eye. He notices, over time, that the
ones professing the greatest faith, in God, all seem to have the worst possible diseases. Before these people die, they all
seem to suffer great agonies. Some physical, mental and/or emotional distress is common to all these people.
Even the ones with the most family support, seem to be in real distress and pain. When they die, the doctor finds himself listening to
the same story of how the deceased had great faith.
As an agnostic, the doctor thinks that all this reliance on faith is a waste of effort. At first. he is very cynical
about claims that they get any comfort from their beliefs. The doctor sees death too many times, to believe that it was the beginning of
anything. All his efforts are directed at preventing and/or delaying death. But death always wins eventually.
One of his patients has a lengthy illness. The doctor waits for this ptatient to say the two words he hears all the time. But this
patient just smiles when the doctor gives more bad news. All the patient says is, "It must be God's will, doctor."
And he then goes away shaken by her faith.
Finally he gets a clue to her serenity. The patient is a very old nun. She has a medical record filled with the worst possible illnesses and
painful operations. Her final prognosis is very bad. In fact, it could not be worse. She will die and there is no operation that
can save her life. Diagnosed with liver cancer, the nun faces the worst days of her life. This illness is particularly
humiliating for the sufferer, as she will lose control of her bodily functions. The pain will be almost unbearable.
Going to see the nun, the doctor finally expects to hear those two words. After dedicating her life to a religion that can do nothing to save her,
the nun's reward is going to be a painful death. So when he goes to give her the latest test results (all bad), the doctor is
surprised by a calm acceptance of her end. The nun is a no nonsense sort of woman. No saint by any means, the nun gives as good as she gets
from nurses and doctors alike. Once more she only says, "Well it must be God's will."
The doctor retorts, "Some reward you get for faithful devotion?"
The nun looks at him and the doctor feels the force of her will. Finally she says,
"My old mentor told me once, that God reserves the worse illnesses for the ones he loves the most. She would always end with the following jest,
'That's why he has so few friends.'
The nun never said another word all through the terminal phase of her illness. But the doctor could see that she was always praying.
As she got weaker and weaker, her physical stremgth failed. Then her mind began to wander. She became an emotional iceberg.
But she kept praying. The doctor came one last time. He knew from her chart that it was just a matter of minutes before death claimed another victim.
Somehow the nun knew this and looked directly into the doctor's face. In a weak and faltering voice she said,
"Never ask God why he chose you to suffer before death. The right question should be, 'Why not me?' "
With that the nun died. As the doctor watched her life end, he thought deeply on that three word question.
ones professing the greatest faith, in God, all seem to have the worst possible diseases. Before these people die, they all
seem to suffer great agonies. Some physical, mental and/or emotional distress is common to all these people.
Even the ones with the most family support, seem to be in real distress and pain. When they die, the doctor finds himself listening to
the same story of how the deceased had great faith.
As an agnostic, the doctor thinks that all this reliance on faith is a waste of effort. At first. he is very cynical
about claims that they get any comfort from their beliefs. The doctor sees death too many times, to believe that it was the beginning of
anything. All his efforts are directed at preventing and/or delaying death. But death always wins eventually.
One of his patients has a lengthy illness. The doctor waits for this ptatient to say the two words he hears all the time. But this
patient just smiles when the doctor gives more bad news. All the patient says is, "It must be God's will, doctor."
And he then goes away shaken by her faith.
Finally he gets a clue to her serenity. The patient is a very old nun. She has a medical record filled with the worst possible illnesses and
painful operations. Her final prognosis is very bad. In fact, it could not be worse. She will die and there is no operation that
can save her life. Diagnosed with liver cancer, the nun faces the worst days of her life. This illness is particularly
humiliating for the sufferer, as she will lose control of her bodily functions. The pain will be almost unbearable.
Going to see the nun, the doctor finally expects to hear those two words. After dedicating her life to a religion that can do nothing to save her,
the nun's reward is going to be a painful death. So when he goes to give her the latest test results (all bad), the doctor is
surprised by a calm acceptance of her end. The nun is a no nonsense sort of woman. No saint by any means, the nun gives as good as she gets
from nurses and doctors alike. Once more she only says, "Well it must be God's will."
The doctor retorts, "Some reward you get for faithful devotion?"
The nun looks at him and the doctor feels the force of her will. Finally she says,
"My old mentor told me once, that God reserves the worse illnesses for the ones he loves the most. She would always end with the following jest,
'That's why he has so few friends.'
The nun never said another word all through the terminal phase of her illness. But the doctor could see that she was always praying.
As she got weaker and weaker, her physical stremgth failed. Then her mind began to wander. She became an emotional iceberg.
But she kept praying. The doctor came one last time. He knew from her chart that it was just a matter of minutes before death claimed another victim.
Somehow the nun knew this and looked directly into the doctor's face. In a weak and faltering voice she said,
"Never ask God why he chose you to suffer before death. The right question should be, 'Why not me?' "
With that the nun died. As the doctor watched her life end, he thought deeply on that three word question.
