Discourse - Ethical Challenges of the 21st Century: Attending to Relations

Authors

  • Vangie Bergum

Abstract

A woman had a dream. In this dream she dreamt that Life stood before her and in her hands Life held two gifts _ in the one Love, in the other Freedom. Life asked the woman to choose. After a long deliberation, the woman finally chose Freedom. "And Life said, 'Thou hast well chosen. If you hadst said, 'Love', I would have given thee that thou didst ask for; and I would have gone from thee, and returned to thee no more." But "now, the day will come when I shall return. In that day I shall bear both gifts in one hand" (Schreiner, 1890, pp. 99-100). Does Schreiner mean that with Freedom as the choice, Love is possible as well, while with Love only, there is a danger of losing Freedom? I am intrigued with such a proposal and tend to think that in health-care and nursing ethics, as in Life, we need both of Life's gifts. We need both freedom and love. We need the individual freedom to make decisions and choices for ourselves, and we need love and compassion for others within a community.

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Published

2016-04-14

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Section

Articles