Mover Mike

I wish to amplify my remarks to my friend Fraser in response to his moving post The Other Side of the Coin He recently purchased a gold coin without asking what was engraved on the reverse side. He used the other side of the coin as a metaphor for passing to the other side, as in death. Some on one side of the Teri Shiavo debate might believe that when you die it's a Peggy Lee song, "Is that all there is?" Fraser on the other hand, with others like him in the Teri Shiavo debate, believes there will be a rejoining with God and those who suffered in this life will be made whole in heaven. I don't disagree with Fraser, but my comments focused on these few lines rather than the larger issue:

Quite some time back I listen to Dr. John Lienhard’s radio show, “The Engines of Our Ingenuity”, when he was explaining about how these inscriptions on our coinage is a reflection of our culture. His five minute dialogue was very informative and the message has stayed with me over the years.

I commented:

Thanks for the kind remarks Fraser. That's not all there is! On the back is a large eagle landing in a nest. It looks like it is providing building materials for the nest that another eagle is sharing with him. I assume one eagle (flying) is male and the nest builder is female. If they are going to have babies they must be of the opposite sex, since I don't know of any birds that are practicing bio-technology. On one side of the coin is "e pluribas unum" which I believe means from many, one. Probably some anti-multiculturest thought that one up. Certainly not PC. On the right side is: "In God we Trust". Seems entirely appropriate! At the top are the words United States of America. On the bottom are these words "1 oz. Fine Gold $50 Dollars. The coins have a weight to them, unlike the coins of today and they have a great metallic click, when you drop one on the other. This a $50 Gold Coin. One ounce of Gold today is $425.90. The Gold hasn't changed in hundreds of years, but the USD has. I believe it will take $1500 to $5000 USD to buy a Gold in the future. Mover Mike

Yes, this struggle for Teri Shiavo is between those who value life and those who see it as accidental. It is a struggle between views about how to live a life, for today, tomorrow, or for a life in heaven. However, as old age approaches and our bodies begin to wear out, we begin to face the prospect of our death. I am prepared to face the known ways to die. It's the unknown side of the coin that scares me. The slipping into some un-death, kept alive because science can.