Blue-and-White in Santo Domingo

Walking back from a live screening of the Met Opera, I heard music coming from the next block.  Loud music is not unusual in Oaxaca, but as I rounded the corner, I was stopped in my tracks by a sea of Israeli flags. Then, I took in the men, women, and children, that filled the street, waving the flags while singing in harmony.  At the end of the alley, on a stage in front of Santo Domingo Church, a youthful group motivated the enthusiastic crowd with Christian Rock.  The surreal situation soon began to make sense.  This Christian congregation was celebrating Israel's Independence Day.  I lingered for a while, clapped my hands in rhythm, then continued to a delicious Oaxacan dinner.

This is not the oddest Christian Congregation in Oaxaca.  The Messianic Jews adhere to all the rules of the Torah as strictly as any Orthodox Jew.  Some of them even speak Hebrew.

Amour, directed by Michael Haneke

The movie "Amour" was recently presented as part of the Oaxaca International Film Festival.  In the movie, Anne and George are aging gracefully together.  We can observe the quiet love and respect they share.  Suddenly, Anne suffers a stroke.  Her condition continuously deteriorates until she can not take care of herself, nor communicate with her family.  George tends to all of his invalid wife's needs.  He does so with love and tenderness.  Only rarely does he display resentment towards this hard and thankless job.  Anne cannot express herself, yet we can share her suffering.  Although she has some brief quasi-lucid moments, at other times it is clear that she would rather end her life.  Eventually, George complies by smothering her under a pillow.   The story is sad, yet it is told in a factual and non-emotional manner.  I was impressed by the way the couple, and eventually George alone, face their situation with calm acceptance, without resorting to self pity, and without soliciting the pity of others.  The acting is excellent, and Haneke, in his usual dark style, displays meticulous mastery of the movie-making art.

The movie prompted me to review my attitudes towards life.  I realized that I am not afraid of death, nor do I crave a long life.  I exercise daily and eat well in order to stay active far into old age, hoping that when the inevitable decline arrives, it will be short and steep.  If that declining path is lined with extreme discomfort,  I believe I can make a calm choice whether to follow it to its natural end, or not.  Most important, I think that Dignity is a higher value than Life.  Dignity, to me, is being aware, being able to communicate this awareness, and having some control over my environment.  I should take steps now, that would help my loved ones, if these criteria are not met, to make the same hard decision as George.