The opinions of the dying

As a nurse, I look after a lot of terminally ill patients.
It's remarkable how imminent death focuses your attention.
They stop watching the news. They don't know anyone in Iraq, and they don't care what's happening over there, or over here, or to anyone they don't know.
They stop watching television, mostly. They watch the Olympics, and the occasional favorite movie, but they won't watch series. Soaps are out - they no longer care who Erica is sleeping with, and suspect they'll die before the pair break up. American Idol is also out - same reason.
They no longer care about politics. The next election may as well be in the next century, as far as they're concerned, and as far as the glacial speed of legislation is concerned, well, the status quo will last longer than they will.
They no longer care about money. If it runs out, what? Throw a dying woman out into the cold?

They do care about family, friends, favorite staff members, and visitors. They give out gifts just to see someone smile.
Most are VERY religious. Not Pat Robertson religious - they couldn't care less what gays do or who has an abortion - but they care about their relationship to God, and whether they have lived up to their responsibilities to Him.
That's how they put it - their RESPONSIBILITIES to Him. You don't hear much about responsibilities from people who expect to be alive next month. But when you're dying, you think about it.

Maybe if we all thought about it more, we would have a slightly better world to live in.