Deathbed Conservatism
a slow, agonizing defeat...
Dear reader,
I have had the unfortunate experience of witnessing the agonizing final moments of a handful of individuals who were on their last breaths. Before those final moments however, there were often several days or weeks, sometimes as much as months which lead up to that final moment. This pales in comparison to my mother who is a retired retirement home nurse who witnessed this on a constant basis. She became very good at preparing for and dealing with the practical side of these moments, and took great pride in her professionalism, courtesy, and compassion for these people, their families, and their friends.
Of course in this day and age many turn a blind eye to death, and never know what to expect at the end, often leading to chaotic outcomes, resentment, fear, and worst of all, regret. This of course lead me to think of political comparisons, and I see that what was once called conservatism has now entered the stages of agonal breathing. I used this website as reference.
But let’s look at the signs which lead up to that point, and later, to death. The first is that talking and physical activity decrease significantly. Your loved one may sleep for long periods of time and resist movement of any kind. Is there any better descriptor of conservatism which has failed to conserve anything, even itself? If it’s defense is said to be anything at all, it is the defense of societal retreat. It is the abandonment of issues. It is in the least, the opposite of movement, stagnation, frozen stiff, not by resolve, but perhaps fear.
A further sign is a reduced interest in eating and drinking , or they stop altogether. This is normal and expected as your loved one’s physical systems slow down. Problems with swallowing can cause choking or coughing with any attempt to ingest medication, food or fluids. In the dying, food isn’t really a priority, it isn’t something that the body systems which are shutting down can even contemplate really, and at a certain point the systems are on such end stages that the need for food is greatly reduced.
When it comes to the political this food is energy, ideas, creativity, gumption, and leading the next generation towards truth. But this is dead to the conservative movement. While the Liberals establish well-paying jobs for their proteges, Conservatives (of all stripes) do nothing. It is as if they are already dead. If we were only to speak of this subject alone it would prove well-enough that Conservatism is rather doomed. Without investment in the next generations, such torches will not be passed on, while our enemies pave the paths of their inheritors with gold stolen from your coffers.
Sadly, this leads to further complications as constipation becomes more evident as your loved one’s appetite for food and fluid lessens. A loss of bladder control and functioning also may occur. For where is the direction? Where is the gumption? Where is the legacy? What is set forth to carry the will forward for the next generations? Does it rain down from the sky like mana from on high? Come on now. You must leave the legacy for it to be adopted and preserved. If you leave nothing then there will be nothing. Your enemies will run roughshod and in effect inherit your good works, perhaps only to destroy them. This is a pathetic viewpoint and needs to be addressed. Who have you raised to carry your legacy forward? Why are they not ready? How many of us as well as our enemies will have to suffer due to such cowardice? In the fight between the truth and the darkness, who shall hold the knowledge of the light?
The similarities don’t end there either, for your loved one’s body temperature may drop by a degree or more. Other people may develop a mild fever; their torso and face may appear flushed and feel warmer. Not to sound cruel, but what is more cruel than leaving nothing for those who follow you upon your exit from stage right? Of course I am not addressing nor ever was addressing any particular you, but rather that philosophical you which resided over the powers in our society which once culminated in the minds of men concerned for truth and justice, the true philosophs, versus the incorrigible sophists. For there is a reality we face which is beyond words, beyond the muttered lies of men? May you be blessed on your redeeming day with a warm comforting blanket, for you have cultivated your successors capable of seeing you in your final moments of need. But for those of you who haven’t, that cruel coldness of a society which cares not for you except abstractly, will pay you back doubly what you have invested.
—-Near the end of life, vital signs such as blood pressure and heart rate may fluctuate or gradually decrease.—-
We will and continually do witness an ever declining conservation and ever-acceleration towards Liberal extremism. What better examples do we have but collapsing birth rates? Extreme Individualism and atomization? No collective connections? Bonds broken like dry spaghetti in the spag bol of life? We are in convulsions. There is yet so far no way out! There are no current real solutions! Everyone and their mother is coping! Sing from the highest hills that all of this is COPE!
It is not like our SKIN is even getting thicker to help with the cope, skin may become purplish, pale, gray, or blotchy, especially on the knees, feet, buttocks, ears and hands. This is often a sign that death will occur within days or hours. Although pressure wounds can develop at any stage of a terminal illness, open wounds may appear rapidly at the end of life as the skin, like other organs, begins to stop functioning. Our skin becomes thinner, our wounds fester and no longer heal and begin to devour us. We in effect, bear witness to our own dissolve. We would cry out but have no energy to scream, we would cry tears of regret but we are parched beyond salvation. All that lays before us is that one path we all resent but will at some point come to terms with. Despair is all which remains of hope.
We then enter that world of pain. Pain may increase as [the] [disease] progresses, chronic conditions such as arthritis or stiff/inflamed joints worsen, or pressure injuries to the skin increase. The situation can only accelerate. Weeks ago we had all the time in the world, months ago doom seemed distant, and years ago unfathomable. Yet here we are, continually advancing towards the end state at an ever accelerating pace. It is not really a question of what could have been done, because that time is over, now we must contemplate another wholly different plan. Death may be inevitable, but legacy always has a chance. What can be done, even now?
When death is near, breathing changes to a new pattern. Instead of a normal rate and rhythm, you may notice several rapid breaths followed by a period of no breathing, called “apnea.” Eventually, apnea increases from just a few seconds to longer periods with no breathing. This is the agonal stage, the stage of essentially no return. The end is hours or, mere moments away. It feels like the pro-Civilizational aspect of conservatism is in this stage. Pundits and gatekeepers, trying to stop new ideas from spreading, from taking hold, still setting standards for a sinking ship, banging new holes in the hull as others in despair try to repair the damage long-done. They scuttle themselves as we try to save them from themselves, and for what? Vanity? Jealousy? Cowardice? Treason? How do we stop them? Can they be stopped?
Consider these final, final stages:
Your loved one may hear the wind blowing but think the sound is someone crying; they may see a lamp in the corner of the room but believe it’s a person standing there. (We must blame the Liberals for our failures!)
The person may report hearing, seeing, or feeling things that others cannot perceive. (Nazis are gonna get me!)
The person may be fearful that others are trying to harm them or believe they can accomplish impossible things. (Commies! DRUMPF! etc.)
Your loved one may tell you they will die soon or say they soon will be able to see God, another religious figure, or beloved family members and friends who have preceded them in death. They may talk about taking a trip or activities related to travel, such as packing a suitcase or getting on a plane. (Why take action? Just pray!)
Before death, many people become completely unresponsive. In this deeply unconscious or coma-like state, they cannot be roused, will not open their eyes, and are unable to communicate or respond to touch. (I am become death! Despair not for me, but for those who live!)
The similarities between mainstream conservatism and the processes of natural death are shocking. Is there a solution? Does a doctor prescribe medicine to the dead? What remains but legacy? Can it be salvaged, or must we begin from square one, and what will that look like? How much energy shall we put into reviving the corpse?
Sincerely yours,
N.D. Wallace-Swan
Excellent analogy.
Great to see you writing again.