LAFFS - DYING MAN

A man, who had been diagnose with a terminal disease was lying pensive, on his bed in the hospital. He had just been informed by the doctor that he would be dying before the end of the day. He was allowed to spend the time left with his family and a preist.

The priest was invited to pray with the dying man when the time was presumed close. After a while that the priest had been praying, he started whispering to the dying man,"denounce the devil, denounce the devil,  let him know how little you think of his evil works".

Τhe dying man kept quiet.

Τhe priest repeated his instruction, still the dying man kept quiet.

Τhe bewildered priest then asked "Why do you refuse to denounce the devil & his evil works?"

Τhe apparently confused dying man responded; "Father, you know the kind of person i am. I don't rush into things and i like to weigh all facts available before taking a decision. In this situation, all facts are not available to me; i do not know where i may be going after death, and as such, i would rather not provoke either of the two owners involved here, so that i may be welcome where ever i find myself.

HOW FAR WILL YOU GO - CONFIDENTIALITY

In recent times, I have found myself dwelling on issues of trust, its impact, and the burden of confidentiality on all those who are saddled with such responsibility. Reliability in our day to day relationships gives the stability that we require to live psychologically balanced lives.

Issue of confidentiality is a migraine that most of us live with, can stem from anywhere. It could be from formal written documents, or verbally expressed private conversations, as long as they all point to certain information being kept from many or a few, and can only be exposed only if otherwise stated.

To avoid ambivalence, a dictionary definition of the word is necessary:

1. … 'Spoken, written, acted on, etc., in strict privacy or secrecy; secret: a confidential remark.’

2. ...Indicating confidence or intimacy; imparting private matters: a confidential tone of voice. 

3. ...Having another's trust or confidence; entrusted with secrets or private affairs: a confidential secretary.

My concern at this juncture is whether there is a threshold point at which caution can be thrown to the winds and confidentiality can be breached without any implication or complication. Readers are adequately positioned to discuss this multifaceted issue on this blog, along with me.

Considerations can be given to the issue of confidentiality from various stand points, such as the moral, the legal, and the social to mention but a few.

For a better understanding, this discuss will be more in relation to professions, however, it should be understood that this issue also affect people who relate in other various ways.

Have we ever stopped to wonder which of our professionals keep secrets the most? Can it be lawyers, Doctors, Bankers/Accountants and Religious representatives?

Lawyers:

Simply put, lawyers handle matters ranging from civil to criminal cases, from company to estate affairs. It needs not be said that they are privy by the nature of their profession to various kinds of information (both positive and negative) about their clients (as they call them), and are meant to keep sealed lips over them, except when such are to used to their advantage in a law court. But how can a lawyer defend/represent a known drug baron for instance, who has been caught in his criminal trade?

 Bankers/Accountants

 The Bankers/Accountants keeps records all funds and financial transactions. We have heard recently of an unprecedented crash of the stock exchange. These are cases of companies that have erstwhile been declaring fantastic financial reports for years, now suddenly declared insolvent with their capital totally eroded.

Did the accountants involved discover the anomaly overnight?  Or have the professionals concerned simply turned a blind eye?

The next concern for me is what becomes the fate of unsuspecting shareholders who acted, based upon the reports of these professionals?  I guess the 'caveat emptor' (buyer beware) is shrouded up in one of those lengthy tiny fine prints. Am I right? And the boards of such companies have it to hide them from litigation.

The Doctor

The family doctors are meant to address all health concerns of their patients. And peradventure there are some sensitive health issues, which expectedly must be kept secret; they must not be shared with anyone else.  The secret must not be disclosed, not even for statistical purposes without the prior consent or approval of the patient in question.

I am sure you will say that is stating the obvious, and might ask the question; haven’t you read about the 'doctor/ patient confidentiality' clause?

How do you explain a culture where, once your child reaches the age of sixteen or thereabout he can sign a confidentiality agreement, wherein it is stated that he may not to be accompanied by his parents to see his doctor? Also, in the same agreement, that the doctor must not disclose any health issues of his without consent, not even when the parents are the financiers of the treatment.

 

What of a situation where the loss of a loved one, who has instructed on euthanasia for a particular status of his or her health life, is imminent? Would the doctor tell the persons involved, so that they can tidy up some loose ends or even be able to spend more quality time and have proper closure with their loved ones?

 Food for thought!

 

Religious Representative (Clergy/Imam/Buddha priest, etc):

Most religions believe that there is a higher being generally referred to as God, who rules in the affairs of mortals. Further, we are helped through persuasions and indoctrinations to following the dictates of these religions in order to be at peace and harmony with ourselves as individuals and collectively with one another as a people.

It is no secret that some people belonging to the catholic sect of the Christendom confide in the priests of their wrong doings ranging from trivial to heinous crimes, from the past or at present. Do the priests owe the public the moral right to disclose when the safety of the public and common good is at stake?

In Africa, marabous and Imams are often consulted for charms for personal protection and to become invincible. The individuals who seek these charms are often men of doubtful character.

Would the marabous disclose to law enforcement agents, what their suspicions are to the detriment of their source of income sometimes or just hold their peace.

The situation is the same in informal relationships such as friendship and marriage. People in relationships have somehow invested trust in others who have been regarded close and would offer relevant protection to information about them.  How far would you go to keep a secret and still be able to keep your sanity?

The dilemma of when to keep quiet or when not to, is such a deep one that cuts across almost all professional lines. What does one do when he gets to such crossroads? Are there strategies that may be adopted, which are classified under trade secrets for these professionals that are generally employed in such situations, to cope with the dilemmas?

Please share with me your take on the above.

STRANGE WORLD OF ART - PATRICIA PICCININI

Undivided -2005

 Patricia Piccinini, a female artist was born in 1965, of Australian origin. Her work is grouped under the genre biopank.

Her extensively internationally acclaimed works have been described as  hyper-realistic in nature because her sculptures look highly believable though non existent.

Undivided -(back)

They are mostly modifications of the forms of living organisms with bio technology for human purpose. Her work has explored issues such as children, their innocence, trust and vulnerability, creation and birth etc..

Her work 'Body guard' (2004) may have been motivated as a result of very strong opinion that developments in genetics, genomic and reproductive technologies should serve as solutions to our environmental problems, such as animal extinction for instance. This creation is like a keepsake for the endangered Golden Helmeted Honey-eater of Australia

The bodyguard -2004

 

In one of her speeches, she expressed that she sometimes felt revulsion and and fascination at the same time for some of her works too.  To me, that makes her human and simply just another artist. They (artists) are widely allowed to be eccentric.

Nest 2006

She is very endowed in the use of silicone, human hair, leather, fibre glass, etc..

This types of art bring to the fore, thought on ethical issues attached to developments in genes and hybridization, especially noting human errors and abuse which may occur. 

To lay credence to this, another work of hers named 'The Young family-2002-3'  shows dog body with  human face, and with the toes looking long just like fingers. Another 'The Long awaited -2008' showed the face with fused legs making it appear fish like without fins but fused toes. One cant help but notice hints of influence of surrealism, which feature elements of surprise and juxtaposition.

The Young Family 2002-3

The human imagination has no limitations or should it?

LAFFS - RISI

A very pretty woman, wife, and mother went on a deserved holiday for two weeks. Upon arrival in her home, she fainted.

She was very depressed when she woke up in the hospital and looked very stunned.

The doctor was called in, and she was asked, what possible cause could be adduced for her fainting.

All she could do initially was sigh deeply, shake her head while looking at her husband and  point in the direction of  a distraught maid.

Then she, now to be referred to as 'Madam' began what could best be described a cross examination with the maid called Risi.

Madam: What did i say when i met you on my arrival in the house?

Risi:   You said 'how are you?' ma,

Madam:  And your response was?

Risi:  I said ' very fine ma, we could not wait for you to be back.'

Madam:  Then i asked  you 'hope you did not run out of any food stuff?'

Risi: Yes ma and i answered you ' no ma'

Madam: OK. When i asked for my husband , what did you say?

Risi:  I said,  ' thank God you are now here. Daddy really missed you so much,  in fact mummy , do not say i told you o, daddy has been sleeping around.'

The woman turned to the doctor, and in anguish confessed that, that was the last she knew.

With a sigh of relief, the husband moved closer to her  and explained what he felt the maid meant by him sleeping around.  He narrated that while she was away, he missed her to pieces and could not bare to sleep on the bed they both shared alone.

At first, he slept on the couch in their room for a few days, then laid on the rug next, before going on the lounger in the sitting room. Finally, he slept the last three days in the guest room.

The maid agreed totally because that was what she summarised.

Afters

Who is sicker,the maid, the wife or the husband?

STRANGE WORLD OF ART - LADY OF THE LAKE

 This is the picture of 'Die Badende' (The Bather) by Oliver Voss, a German artist and owner of an advert agency. Names like 'Badenixe' (Bathing Beauty), Riesen-Nixe (Grand Mermaid)  "Lady Of The Lake"have been given to the sculpture which is four metre high above the waters at Alster Lake, Hamburg in Germany.  

The exceptionally well made up face is very endearing and captivatingly creepy. This sculpture has to be described as sultry, very sexy and beautiful female. One cannot help but wonder at what gave the inspiration for this project. It was like a mermaid relaxing in the waters. Inviting!

I was shocked at the sight of the sculpture, scared but strangely very drawn to it. It is usual to expect a female looking figure out of water to be a mermaid, except that in this case, the knees were peeping out and the knees were human.

This gigantic structure is 67ft long and weighs 2 tons. The reclining lady who could pass for been nude id actually a 3D reality advert for a beauty products' company, called Soap and Glory.  The lady is to promote bathing as an art.

The concept will no doubt could bring endless tourists to the lake, thereby generating fabulous revenue for Germany.

Art and advert. Would you not agree this is simply thinking out of the box?

LAFFS - SHE WHO LAUGHS LAST

There were eight very ugly ladies in a car, going for some funny blind date. Probably due to the blind nature the journey, they met with an accident. Unfortunately, they all died.

After death, they got to heaven, where the angel death discovered he killed them all in error. As a result the error, each must be compensated with a wish.

The first girl made a wish to be beautiful, and it came true. the next six quickly made the same wish upon beholding their beautiful friend, and it came true for them all.

The last girl immediately started laughing hysterically and the angel of death became angry, because there was nothing obviously funny. The angel asked her impatiently, to make her wish, and she sheepishly made a wish that all the girls become ugly again.

And it came true for her too!

LAFFS - BAD SHARP DEAN

One night, four university students were drinking till very late in the night and didn't study for the test already scheduled for the next day at school.

In the morning with terrible hang over, they came together and thought of a plan. First they made themselves look as dirty as can be. They actually look weird and believable with the grease and dirt.

Next they went up to the dean of the faculty and told him that they had gone for a wedding last night and that on their way back, their tyre bursted and they had to push the car all the way back to school. As a result, they were not in any condition to do any test.


The dean thought for a little while, and decided to let them go for that day but should return after three days for the same test. The boys were elated, thanked him and left happily.


On the third day, they appeared before the dean for the test. The dean explained to the boys that due to the special condition of the test, they would need to seat very far away from one another. To that instruction, the students agreed gladly as they had prepared very well in the last three days.


The test had 5 questions for 100 marks, and the instruction was 'All questions are compulsory, and any inconsistency on the answer to any of the questions by any of the four students will result in all the candidates scoring zero.'

Question 1 
What is your full name?  (2 marks)

Question 2 
What is the name of the bride and the groom of the wedding you attended?  (30 marks)

Question 3 
what is the brand of the car with which you went to the wedding? (20 marks)

Question 4 
Which of the tyres got bursted?  (28 marks) 

Question 5 
Who was driving the car on that day? (20 marks)

Afters: 
Is the dean fair or not?
What do you think their scores will be? 
What can their next plan be?

Sharing is Building

Share with me how you have helped humanity in recent time.

Do you know that many other individuals may learn from you and get motivated into helping mankind?

That singular act of your  willingness to share, can motivate scores of people at the least, and more to looking for a way to being useful to mankind.

Exposure for you, your organisation and your idea may come. Funding could follow.

Many will benefit, I assure you.

Please share your experience.

Labelling: Armed Robbery Suspects

I read in the local news that two boys, whose ages are between the age 20years and 22years  were involved in armed robbery. They were arrested with arms  and dangerous weapons.

In addition they had masks in the vehicle at the point of arrest. They took valuables and cash from their main victim, and on another occasion, they took a laptop from their victim. They would probably sell the whole stuff taken from the escapades. But for how much? Hazarding a guess, i would simply come up with the answer - peanuts.

The suspects are both in the university and one would assume that they would have been given adequate allowances to cover their expenses.  Most especially being that they are children of public office holders. 

Public office holders are of  direct relevance here because, most these noveau riche,  have a tendency of flaunting their newly acquired wealth. Many times, children of  such politicians use cars that could never be affordable to them, even if they had the best jobs and have worked for years.

What could then be responsible for the dastard acts these two boys got involved in? Could it be greed, could it adventure turned sour, could it even be a reaction to a broken family.

I got to know  that the young men  neither live with their fathers or mothers, as the true situation is that the biological parents are separated and the fathers live with different women  as it catches their fancy.

The boys have started living large and would surely want to keep up the image amongst their peers.  It may also be as a result of a funny practice among members  of some cults in our higher institutions. They carry out daring things, sometimes very harmful, to show off to their peers, that they are untouchable.

What ever may be the reasons behind the nefarious acts, they can not be justified. The tag or label the boys have acquired will reside with them and their families for a very long time, probably a lifetime. Quite unfortunate, i would say.

Why do children of the rich steal? I cant seem to fathom it

What do you think?