The future of Ethical Musings
As Ethical Musings' followers and subscribers probably know, I have not
posted an Ethical Musing since the beginning of September. And from the middle
of July, my posts on Ethical Musings consisted of sermons and two articles
written for the Episcopal Café.
The paucity and nature of my Ethical Musings' posts point to physical
problems that I began to experience in the spring and that culminated in a
diagnosis of multiple myeloma in September. Multiple myeloma is a relatively
rare form of cancer that attacks the blood and for which no cure exists. Chemotherapy
can usually achieve a relatively positive short- and mid-term outlook (6 years or
more of enjoying a reasonable quality of life), but multiple myeloma is fatal.
Multiple myeloma is difficult to diagnose. In my case, pain caused by a
collapsed vertebra and cracked ribs, along with several other symptoms
(hypercalcemia, poor kidney functioning, and anemia), ultimately pointed to the
correct diagnosis after some missteps.
After consulting with some Ethical Musings readers, colleagues, and
friends, I've decided to resume writing the Ethical Musings blog with some
changes. First, I doubt that the blog will appear with consistent frequency, so
encourage those interested in reading my posts to subscribe or follow Ethical
Musings in one of the several ways identified on the blog page.
Second, having multiple myeloma has somewhat altered my worldview. That
is, although the diagnosis has not caused me to change my basic theological and
ethical beliefs, my diagnosis has rearranged subjects that interest me. Cancer
and healthcare, unsurprisingly, have moved up; military ethics has become less
of a focus.
Third, posts will probably be shorter and contributions from others
will be more important. Cancer and chemo combine to leave me with less energy;
chemo and sometimes the cancer's effects have diminished my capacity for
thought. Consequently, reader comments are even more welcome and essential than
when I began writing Ethical Musings.
Finally, I anticipate Ethical Musings continuing to evolve in ways that
are unpredictable yet hopefully meaningful. The number of followers and
subscribers has continued to grow slowly; the number of visitors per page is up
significantly, though I do not know how many of these visitors spend much time
on each page or whether the page's content has any influence on a visitor's
thoughts or life.
I am sorry that I lack
the emotional and physical energy to notify all of my friends who are part of
the Ethical Musings' community of my medical condition. Moving ahead with Ethical
Musings, however, seems like a constructive step forward.
Comments
I will keep you in my prayers, as I do so many others I know who have cancer. May blessings be yours.
John in Houston