Chapter 8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Chapter 8 - Essay Example The author here is asserting that, from the time we enter this world, none of us has the guarantee of leading a life free from suffering. Suffering and pain do not discriminate between the rich and the poor, the powerful and the common man, young and old, or male and female. However, Kushner also gives hope to his readers by stating that at least we can have faith in a higher power that provides us with the strength and courage we require to bear the numerous challenges and obstacles that life is constantly throwing at us. In my career as a nurse, I constantly encounter patients suffering from various incurable diseases or devastating injuries, which make many of them, lose the motivation to continue pushing on with their lives. Many of them slide into depression, and just as many develop suicidal tendencies. Empowerment and support provision are two essential nursing concepts which enable nurses to provide patients with the desire to persevere through their challenges, and to acquire the urge to live a normal life once again. A nurse is the most accessible healthcare professional that patients can access in a healthcare setting which has the capacity to cater to terminally ill patients. Therefore, the nurse has to be someone that terminally ill patients can obtain inspiration from when they have lost hope of recovering. Many patients belong to a mainstream religion, which could be Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, or other little known religions. Thus, when afflicted with incurable diseases or those that are difficult to cure, they tend to turn to their religious beliefs in search of faith healing. A nurse can do a lot to relieve them from their suffering by reinforcing their religious beliefs and assuring them that suffering does not choose its victims but rather, it is God’s will and purpose. As Kushner asserts, the various ways through which God works are beyond human understanding, but through faith, we believe that all of it is