h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

In these days when people are awfully thoughtless about blurting what their first stupid thought is out loud, thanks for discussing parts of life that people blessed with good health never think about. The whole thing about CANCER is so fraught. What do you say to people who are waging war with themselves? What can you say to encourage them and give them some energy for the fight? There is a human being in there, they are not only disease and don't want to be considered a victim.

That's such a common and complex issue with anyone suffering a long term health problem. The more complex the problem is, the more you have to work on treating it, and the more the person drowns under the weight of the baggage. I really don't know what the answer is to that.

Well it sort of goes to being mindful of your conversation no matter to whom you're speaking to. Just don't blab anything if it is a stranger or an acquaintance. If it's to a friend ---check what their mental state is before addressing it. Try to be supportive and yet not intrusive. Not an easy thing to do, without the spirit but there it is. Unfortunately atheiests can't help at all here.

This is true, although the dilemma I face, and was talking about, really, is the business of responding to someone you are very close to,one way or another. If you are caring for someone who's illness requires a great deal of time and attention, it's difficult not to make their life ABOUT their illness, when so much of giving them a life involves addressing their illness. I don't know that faith in that circumstance helps. If the sufferer has faith then it probably does, but if they lack faith then, sometimes at least, it REALLY doesn't.

Maybe it less a matter of 'faith' in the sense of having a theory about what you can't see, than faith in each other? Just a thought on my part.