Marissa Boyer
HUMA 1100
MW 5:30-6:45 ePortfolio Assignment
The scenario that I chose to evaluate is the one based on keeping a human being’s life support or terminating it. I have watched many movies where the decision to sustain or end someone’s life has gone both ways, however perhaps the most saddening aspect of this conclusion is that whichever way you choose, you will lose. Either way you will still be losing a loved one whether mentally or physically. I chose this particular scenario because I knew it would be a difficult decision to make and I wanted to see if by taking this humanities course if I had actually gained the important skill of decision making. In order to see if the class was beneficial I will be taking reading examples from each unit and applying them to the issue at hand.
Both the parents and the spouse of the comatose person are exercising something that the article, Why Engage in Political Thinking, brings up, that is “A thinking person is extremely vulnerable.”
The nakedness of personal thoughts is out in the open. The parents present the issue that their child will resume a full recovery and all will be well, whereas the spouse believes they will not recover and they would have wanted to keep living this way. Both beliefs are understandable, however you can’t just choose the one you believe in most, you also have to take into account the evidence and context.
We discussed the Declaration of Independence in Unit two. As I began to read over it again I noticed that it is relevant and applies to the issue quite nicely. The main purpose of the declaration was to declare independence from England for the thirteen colonies in order to ensure freedom. They also stated that the colonies ought to be free and independent states-absolved from all allegiance to the
British Crown. Hidden among these beautiful words is a metaphor that reveals a solution to the scenario. The metaphor is that once the parent’s child married their spouse the parents lost all jurisdictions over their child, or rather they could no longer control their child’s decision, and their child had officially grown up.

The Apology written by Plato brings up idea that Socrates was considered the “Gadfly of
Athens.” Although it would seem that the world would be better without those who challenge authority, but in fact without rule breakers we as a society would never gain new insights, therefore never progressing. As I stated at the beginning whatever the choice for this scenario, the family will still lose.
However what I take away from Socrates message is that authority was meant to be challenged if you disagree with it, therefore the spouse should have the right to question and even deny the parent’s wishes.
For my art assignment I discussed a water fountain and how it pertained to freedom and responsibility. Just as the fountain had the freedom to shoot up at different times, the Spouse of the person in the coma should have the freedom to “shoot up” also and overall become free from their burdens. As of right now during this situation the spouse is the head of the family and it is their duty, their responsibility to decide what is best for their family.
Humanities helped me learn that death is not always a negative thing; it at times can bring relief and perhaps can even create the start of progression. The parents of the child need to learn that death is just a part of life, it will happen to everyone, some sooner than others, but by keeping their child alive they may be sustaining the life of their child but they are terminating the progression of their child’s family. The sooner they accept what has happened the sooner they can begin the healing process. They need to ask themselves the question, is keeping the life of one person really worth the destruction of a whole family? Because that’s what it would do, by ignoring the spouse’s wishes and keeping their child alive they would be preventing the acceptance and progression of a family, resulting in much pain and grievance. Giving up their child wouldn’t be easy like the Mother’s in Brazil think it to be, (Death without
Weeping), they won’t be able to pretend that they’re ignorant about their baby dying; however they will be able to move on.

This scenario relates a lot to Bhagavad Gita, in the story a warrior learns that the enemy he is about to fight has many of his family members in it, he then has to decide whether he will fight them or not. He eventually decides to put his own feelings and desires aside for the greater good by taking his army to battle, essentially he becomes selfless. This is a great lesson that the parents need to understand, even though by taking their son off life support they will be losing him, they need to realize that it is for the benefit of the greater good. They should acknowledge and support their child’s spouse even if it means losing a loved one. Choosing to succumb to the spouse’s wishes would be a path of not only selflessness, but one of honor.
As the judge of this disagreement and by using historical articles to help back and emphasize my decision, I decide to lean towards the argument of the spouse. This is because the parent’s lost a say for their child once he/she was married, he/she is no longer a constant in their life, and they may voice their opinions but overall the decision belongs to the spouse as they are given the responsibility to decide what may or what may not be best for them and their family. Therefore the spouse may terminate life support if that is what he/she deems to be best for their family and their future.
Reflection:
Humanities has taught me a lot, one of the most important things that I learned is how to critical think correctly, that sounds silly but its true critical thinking involves a process in which you break down an article piece by piece in order to come across some sort of conclusion or answer. You can’t just write down whatever you’re feeling, that’s nice but it won’t lead you to any results. My favorite unit to discuss in this class was freedom & responsibility; I loved learning about people that rebelled against authority or people that just wanted to get their opinion out there. Perhaps the most valuable thing that I learned that will help me with future interactions and decisions came from our first reading. I wrote down the following quote, “We are often happy to look without thinking.” This quote is so true, sad, but

completely honest. I know that I can apply this to any future problem or idea that I come across; if I want to find an answer I better know that nothing will be uncovered, no mystery unraveled, without some serious thinking.