An aside - Born Equal

At the moment of birth and that first cry we are all equal, just a helpless bundle but with a tenacity for life. Then our genes, environment and situation kicks in and we progress rapidly in different directions depending on degrees of poverty or priviledge, protection or exposure we endure. After the nursery phase we increasingly take bolder steps that mark out our own individual route through life. Some times we make bad decision that will scar our future well-being, mostly we get it about alright and comparatively we do more or less as well as the next person. A sort of normality. Just fine for society, no extremes, no over-promotion of any one position, just a nice cosy muddle within the middle band of acceptability.

Question is what should Societies response be to those who despite being alerted to the dangers, despite all the good information about the risk choose to ignore the recommendations and carry on systematically pursuing a dangerous high risk path, be it extreme sports, binge drinking, a first pregnancy at 50 or just grazing on high fat, sugar and salt comfort foods?

It is not right that individuals should be prevented from taking what are seen as high risk routes, who knows with hindsight they might even be seen as forging and a new and successful role model . They must have the right to choose, good or even bad, for themselves. No one else is better placed to make judgements on their life than they are. And to take the consequences if it goes wrong. It is not for Society to gather up the broken bones and divert scarce resources to mend a failed and doomed enterprise. Whether it is the all to predictable consequences risks for child and mother from a late pregancy, a life of smoking, drinking or eating to excess or just jumping off a tower block. Yet Society has an over-riding non-judgemental duty of compassion, care and concerns for all of its citizens.

Here I would like to introduce the idea of degrees. The care and most of all the resources we lavish on a young adult caught in misfortune does not necessarily have to be the same degree of resource or perhaps even care we lavish on an elderly person who has had a fall. There is a difference of degree. Why should a smoker or obese person claim full rights to resources and care when they encounter the very outcome predicted. They have a responsibilty for their own life and have to accept the consequences of choices they took. It is not for others around them to sacrifice and forego to buffer them from the consequences of the decisions they freely took.

So degrees, degrees of resource and degrees of care. Bottom line, no matter what each and every individual in our Society has to be taken in and looked after to provide a minimal comfort and shelter. Maybe not a grand single room hotel shelter in a hospital, maybe not a team of highly qualified technicians to monitor, supplement and promote health, maybe not the costly operation but shelter, pain management, minimal hygiene, basic food and yes the care due to any person in need.

Those who have not put their lives needlessly at risk, not ignored the counsel and caution about a hazardous life style then they continue to enjoy the full benefit of all the skills and resources society can offer. Once a life quality outturn assessment has been made. These must not be remote bureaucratic procedures but hands-on by those charged with the daily care and treatment and having full knowledge of past history. There seems to me to be ample scope of an on-going dialogue which leads up to judgements that the point has passed when full resources are no longer appropriate. We cannot escape the consequences of our own decisions, rage as we may against the injustice and unfairness, in the end society always judges us and we know we can be found wanting.
What is not sustainable is full-blown technology and panoply of associated support for all equally without distinction. Better to know and have the chance to work within stated limitations than be an end process of covert judgements beyond reasoning with.