Posts made in March, 2012
“You’re Irish?” Celebrating Hidden Identities
“You’re Irish?” I introduced myself to the Irishman by my father’s family name Murphy and watched as he stared at me in seeming disbelief and confusion before uttering, “Well, it’s a good name anyway.” I recalled this incident recently as I celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with a bunch of other Irishmen. The Boston Globe carried an interesting story that day—St. Patrick’s Day Holds Mixed Emotions For Some—that introduced some other Irish who celebrated their heritage with complex feelings. There was Ryan McCollum, whom others usually think is black, and Mari Tanaka, who everyone labels as Japanese. Many of the growing population of people who claim...
Read MoreWe are not our bodies
I was shocked when I found out that Julia was only 43 years old. She was in the mid- stages of ALS when we met and was losing voluntary control of her body. The first time I sat by her bedside and talked to her I was aware of an intense feeling of fear inside myself. I wondered what it was like for her, living inside that crippled body. I kept imagining how beautiful she must have been and how tragic it was that her body was now being ravaged by such a debilitating disease. Despite her deterioration, Julia always smiled when we were together. I doubted her sincerity at first. Why wasn’t she crying? Why wasn’t she raging against her cruel fate? Instead, Julia...
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