Comments on: Men, mortality, stewardship, love

By: David Sims JD PhD » Stewarding Mortality

David Sims JD PhD » Stewarding Mortality — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:28:55 +0000

[…] [1] Hugo Schwyzer, PhD, http://hugoschwyzer.net/2008/01/02/men-mortality-stewardship-love/. […]

By: Go Vegan For The Ones Who Love You | Vegan Soapbox

Go Vegan For The Ones Who Love You | Vegan Soapbox — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 12:28:19 +0000

[…] Hugo Schwyzer wrote about the passing of his father-in-law: “My wife’s grief is palpable. In a sense, it’s almost harder to bear than my own grief over losing my Daddy in 2006. Watching the person you love most in the world go through pain is harder than going through it yourself, particularly when your own experience tells you how sharp that hurt is. But her grief — and that of her family — is cautionary to me as well. The choices I make have an impact on others. Whether I buckle my seatbelt matters. How I eat and drink matters. How I take care of my body matters.” “I’ve written about this before, particularly from an animal rights perspective. But not only is it important to me that my lifestyle choices be as “cruelty-free” as possible — hence my veganism — it is also my moral obligation to do everything I can to make decisions that will maximize my longevity. I have people in my life who love me and depend upon me. And while I do not expect to live forever, when I do things that might shorten my life I treat my loved ones with callous disregard.” […]

By: Olde Frothingblog » Blog Archive » Quote of the Day

Olde Frothingblog » Blog Archive » Quote of the Day — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 16:35:38 +0000

[…] -Hugo Schwyzer, in a post about the death of his father-in-law. […]

By: Jessica

Jessica — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 20:02:13 +0000

I wanted to express my sympathy for you, your wife and of course all of her family–especially your 22 year old sister-in-law. My own mom died less than a year ago , when I was still 20 (in my mom’s side of the family, it’s the women who die early–she had just turned 51 a week before). It can be very hard to lose a parent at such an age, especially when you have siblings who are significantly older and whose grief therefore takes a substantively different form.

I hope that the love in your and your wife’s family is enough to carry everyone through this darkest time. My thoughts are with you.

By: For Those Who Love You : Elaine Vigneault

For Those Who Love You : Elaine Vigneault — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 00:13:18 +0000

By: Mermade

Mermade — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 19:47:42 +0000

God is sovereign, but we are stewards. Stewardship doesn’t mean controlling everything; it means acting ethically, responsibly, and with a reverence for all life —including our own.

Yes, indeed. You wrote a little while ago about your suicide attempt. I sometimes think about how you told me that God really touched you when you needed Him most. You told me that you prayed the classic prayer something along the lines of, “Are you there, God? It’s me, Hugo. Because if you aren’t there, I’m fucked” when you were in the hospital. My life would certainly be a lot different had I not taken your classes, been introduced to feminism and a new way of seeing Christianity, as would a lot of your other student’s and blog reader’s lives and perspectives. I like how Forrest Gump put it, “Do you believe that miracles happen everyday? Some people don’t think so but THEY DO!” One of my favorite Bible verses is Psalm 139: 9-10. Even in our darkest times, when we dwell in the deepest part of the sea, God is still with us.

(Sorry that this went a little off-topic).

By: Sneha

Sneha — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 19:40:14 +0000

thank you for writing this, hugo. my coach often says, “we cannot extend the days the lord gives us, but we can surely cut them short.” i sent some excerpts of this post on to loved ones who need a gentle yet firm reminder.

By: Hugo Schwyzer

Hugo Schwyzer — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 19:21:07 +0000

Indeed, nobody knows the time or hour. And of course, Mermade, we can’t live in a fearful bubble. I’m not going to NOT travel, not run in the mountains, not drive. On the other hand, I’m going to wear my seatbelt, drive defensively, run responsibly, eat right.

God is sovereign, but we are stewards. Stewardship doesn’t mean controlling everything; it means acting ethically, responsibly, and with a reverence for all life — including our own.

By: Mermade

Mermade — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 19:16:01 +0000

I am so sorry for your wife’s loss. You guys are in my thoughts and prayers. In my own family, all of my mother’s aunts have outlived their husbands, sometimes by 20+ years. I worry about the health of my parents. My dad is a serious diabetic, as is my mother. Both are on tons of medication for various ailments, like deep depression and high blood pressure. When my grandfather died a couple months ago, I found myself wishing that they would work out or eat better or do SOMETHING to ensure that they might live longer. But you can’t force anyone to do anything, especially your parents.

On a related note, a girl from my high school’s 2006 class was killed in a car accident about a month ago. I was shocked for many reasons. I knew her in high school, as she was on the swim team and peer listening like I was. And also, because she was killed at around 1:00 a.m. on a Saturday night while driving through a certain intersection in my city. The person who killed her was speed racing and trying to escape the cops, so she ran a red light and hit her at 80 mph. Ironically, I too drove through that same intersection around that same time almost every Saturday night back when I was with my now - ex boyfriend to get home. In a word, it could have been me. Nobody knows the time nor the hour…