thanks for the replies, everybody. i hope we can keep this discussion going.
by bringing up the issue of terminology - "people living with cancer" in place of "cancer survivors" - i meant to point out that the name is a direct indication of the way of thinking. the term "survivors" implies notions of calamity and disaster. i wish for people who have one or another type of cancer to "live" not just "survive," regardless of however much time they may have for that. while "survivors" also implies notions of courage and resiliance, neither courage nor resiliance by themselves do much in terms of the material realities of living with or dying because of cancer. in fact, much like the rtv series "survivor," the term places the burden on the individual rather than on the society, so that in very concrete and material ways, people are left to their own resources to survive. there were a series of postings in a recent thread where many people talked about their struggle to pay the medical bills while dealing with illness. this is only one example.
i'm not insisting on the term "people living with cancer," but i think a change of paradigm requires a change of identity. we need to be thinking of ourselves in terms of the quality of our lives. i practice yoga, and have no doubt that yoga as an exercise in relaxation and meditatin can be very helpful to people with almost any illness. however, i don't think yoga practice fundamentally changes anything about the physical effects of dominant treatment methods nor the fact of their failure. by the same token, the intentions and skills of individual oncologists and medical professionals also change very little in the larger picture. the fact remains that if one goes to any major cancer treatment centre, top notch or otherwise, they have very limited ways of dealing with cancer, all variously involving the knife, the radiation machine or different poisons. that these methods are effective in some cases, short- or long-term, also does not change the fact that the current medical system has not yet offered a "cure." i'm convinced that things will stay the same so long as they stay the same. more research money put into this chemo drug or that, or this radiation technology or that, etc., will not necessarily lead into a "cure." meanwhile, my sister has to live against the illness while having been gravely debilitated by the various treatments. i just can't get over the profound irony in that ... so, i'm going to scroll to the top now and read rilke's quote again ...
"It is a question of experiencing everything. At present you need to live the question."
i'm living it, i guess. in a way all of us are. whether we're resigned to things, have found new meanings in them, or rebeling against them, we are living our questions hoping to find answers.
be well.
gita
