Mother Theresa and the dangers of the need to help the ill.
Mother Theresa is said to have said the following to those who came to help her with the needy and the sick. When they would say they were there to help —-that they were ready to help out—-, she would quickly point out that if the person helping did not understand that she was there to learn, she would never be able to help any of those who actually needed help and company and love. To help without understanding that one must prepare oneself to help others, may end simply in a tyrannical drive towards an imposition of my own well-being rather than the well-being of those who are actually in need. Thus, the very opposite of what critical situations require is accomplished!
Those were wise and true words; divinely inspired words. The sick are not there to be the object of your goodness; rather, they are there as the subjects of your thoughtful understanding and loving affection. Those who are ill, wish these words were the object of reflection by those caretakers who wish to understand the foundations of true caring. If they were, we ill would certainly not be seen as those in need of correction, but rather as vehicles of understanding of our complex human vulnerability. In this respect, illness could be seen as a privileged stance to the very core of the meaning and purpose of life.
