Jamie’s Corner, Chapter Two

Welcome to the second edition of Jamie’s Corner, the place where young and old meet to learn from each other.

Aging with Dignity’s main office has been in Tallahassee, FL since our founding in 1996. As Hurricane Helene approached our home office last week, it looked like Tallahassee would bear the brunt of destruction. Thankfully, that didn’t happen. Our folks and office were unharmed. But sadly, countless families in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and elsewhere suffered tragic loss. Our prayers are with them.

In the midst of the storm’s devastation, however, bloom myriad examples of heroism like the man who hiked 11 miles over landslides to make sure his parents were okay, or the kayaker who rescued stranded neighbors from their roofs. Life’s darkest moments are filled with heroes. One common trait of heroes is their recognition of the innate dignity in each person. Why else would someone risk his or her own life to save that of another? From the nihilistic, utilitarian perspective increasingly common in our culture, it’s absurd to risk your life to save another. And yet, human beings are wired to help others in danger, as well as to pine for life.  

Two weeks ago, some coworkers and I went to a screening of “Better Off Dead,” a film by British actor and activist Liz Carr, that cautions against the legalization of physician-assisted suicide through the stories of those holding tight to fragile life. As I looked around the room at many of the folks present with disabilities, I thought of how some in society see them as diminished in value due to their disability. Sure enough, in the discussion panel that followed, several shared uncomfortable stories on how it was routine to hear comments from strangers like “I’d rather be dead [than have your disability].” But these brave folks clearly didn’t get the memo! They were full of life, joy, and purpose, total counterfactuals to the narrative that human dignity depends on ableist preconceptions.

The past couple weeks have given me a lot to think about. It shouldn’t take a storm like Helene and a poignant documentary to remind me of the heroes in our midst, not just those rescuing the afflicted, but the ones in wheelchairs or with unseen burdens living quietly among us. 

See you in a couple weeks,

Jamie