Contrasts

I swear there's a deluge outside! So here I am stuck inside a popular mall in a popular food chain having coffee with something to munch and a reading material. So there I was minding my own business when my attention was caught by a group composed of 2 guys and a lady talking bout relationships. I'm not really keen on eavesdropping no matter how near conversing persons are. Like hey, is it my business? However there was something about what one of the guys said that made me stop my reading. He told the girl that you should never change because your partner tells you that you should change. That the decision to change yourself - to become a better person I suppose - should be a matter of personal conviction. He even cited himself as an example. He quit smoking because he was concerned with his health not because his girlfriend was goading him to stop smoking. You know for a while I admired the guy. For someone young that was pretty insightful until he proudly told his friends how he got his girlfriend preggy, how they got rid of the baby with the thought that it was only 2 months old, and how they jumped with joy when they succeeded. Gawd what a bunch of - pardon my french - a**holes. The reason? She has a bright future ahead of her and the baby would ruin that future. Oh yeah? I don't think they are exactly naive to the consequences of their actions.

In contrast to that, I was deeply saddened when one of my couple friends lost their baby. I know some persons told them they could have another one if they liked which for me was a clumsy way of expressing your condolences. No good parent ever wants to experience burying there kid ok. So ok I saw him at the mall one time and he couldn't contain himself. He proudly related to me the good news, their plans and all the good stuff. I felt his happiness and I was happy for them too not knowing that four days later I was to attend their baby's funeral. It wasn't even miscarriage, the baby got choked by his own umbilical cord. When she tearfully related the lengths that she went through when she was induced to go into labor, I almost couldn't hold back my own tears.

I used to have an officemate who was at the time we met married for 3 years and still childless. We asked him if they had considered the help of science to conceive. According to him they got tired trying, they got tired of the tests they both went through. No they didn't give up they didn't want to undergo tests and drink medicines anymore.

Remembering these things made me sad. It always does make me sad that while some go to great lengths to bring life some just as easily destroy life.