<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML xmlns:o = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:st1 =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"><HEAD>
<META content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" http-equiv=Content-Type>
<META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 8.00.6001.23952"></HEAD>
<BODY style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #000000; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" id=role_body
bottomMargin=7 leftMargin=7 rightMargin=7 topMargin=7><FONT id=role_document
color=#000000 size=2 face=Arial>
<DIV>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman">982 words </FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman"></FONT> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman">Generation Cyborg</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman">At age seventy-plus, she struggles into her hospital bed.
Her nurses bear most of the burden as she tries to move her body closer to the
headboard. Her relatively good leg feels only minor discomfort as it strains to
shove her backwards. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Her right leg,
stiff as a board, is a useless burden in her efforts. </FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman">Dorothy was expecting to be recovering from her knee
replacement surgery by this time. Her expectations for renewed mobility were
high. It would not have been the first body part which would have been replaced.
In fact, her artificial shoulder accepted the effort of pushing her body
backward, experiencing only a low-grade pain.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It was the kind of discomfort she
had learned a long time ago to ignore. She wondered, with dismay, why her knee
operation had turned out to be so disastrous.</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman">Shortly after she settled into her new nursing home room,
the nurses set her up for a ninety minute i.v. drip, one of a myriad of such
i.v.’s she would have to endure. Alone in her bed, she recalled hearing the
horrible news that a latent infection had invaded her new knee, almost
immediately after its installation. She felt over and over again her disbelief
that her new knee was being removed and replaced with a spacer, that would leave
her leg unbendable. Denial, rage, and acceptance all warred for prominence,
leaving her with clenched fists and teary eyes. </FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman">Stiff-legged or not, she would soon be able to take some
small steps with the help of others. She also realized that she would be getting
another new knee as soon as the extreme antibiotic regimen completely wiped out
the infection. That would take weeks, but she had been assured that she would be
able to get around her own home, with the help of her husband and visiting
nurses, until the new surgery could be performed. </FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman">A stage of utter despair had been short-lived, because
she had faith in the ultimate outcome.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Soon, she would be walking better than she had for years, and she would
be returning to her old life. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>With
luck, she’d make it for another twenty or more years before the ravages of old
age would overcome her. Other parts would wear out, but she could keep going
with new and improved replacements until that time.</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman">This scenario is playing out all over the
<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United
States</st1:place></st1:country-region> as well as in most of the rest of the
developed world. As our population grows older, our body parts wear out. But not
to worry, they can be replaced. In many ways, this is a rosy picture. Ideally,
after a period of physical therapy and healing, we can return to a full and
productive life that is not much different than it was before the part failure.
</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman">But the ideal future is not always materialized. Another
friend of mine had her knees replaced, and she did get a few years of being able
to walk at a leisurely pace for several blocks. But then she began to fall. Now
she is almost as incapacitated as she would have been if she were in a
wheelchair. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>These replacement parts
have a limited life span.</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman">These new parts are never as good as the factory new
equipment we came into this world with. There are notable exceptions. For
example, I knew of a professional martial artist who had to replace his hip
several times. Finally, he convinced the insurance company to pay for a new hip
joint made with exotic, indestructible material. He was back kicking in a
remarkably short period. But he dared not kick too high, for fear of creating a
dislocation. He also could no longer fight, because he would always be
vulnerable to a joint-destroying blow.</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman">Then there is the reality that many body parts are
irreplaceable. No one, to my knowledge, has ever received a brain replacement or
any other central nervous system parts. You can’t get new eyes or sense organs.
I know they are working on these limitations and, I suspect, will achieve a
measure of success eventually, but when is enough? All the parts in an
automobile can be replaced and everything restored. However, for most people of
average financial means, there comes a point where it just doesn’t make sense to
keep going with the time-worn, beloved, and unreliable family member.
</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman">The pun here is intended. Sooner or later, we have to say
goodbye to everyone, even our own corporeal existence. At least, this goodbye is
to our present bodies. Maybe we buy a new one in another incarnation or in some
other realm of existence. </FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman">The point here is, at least in part, replacing and
restoring our bodies does not lead to immortality, at least not with today’s
technology. We cannot escape the laws of entropy. The rule of dust unto dust
still reigns supreme. Not even the universe is immortal. The quality of life
will diminish no matter what they can do for us or to us.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>When should we cash in our chips? I
suppose that is an individual question that all of us will have to answer for
ourselves, if they allow us to decide that for ourselves.</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman">This moves us into the embattled issue of death with
dignity. I think free choice is winning the day, but how does this refurbishing
capacity affect the choice of the time-of-death problem? I have no idea. I only
point out that the question is not one we can avoid. </FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman">In the meantime, I’ll enjoy my relatively new knees.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I’ve got to get out into the garden and
do some heavy maintenance. Not sure I have the energy, though. I spent the
entire day yesterday at a workshop about the martial applications of T’ai Chi.
I’m a little tired and sore. My knees are fine, but my shoulders are pretty bad.
Arthritis, you know.</FONT></P></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>