Strangers at 6 degrees

It is official, the world is a global village. We are all closer to each other. How close? 6 degrees maximum exactly. That is what studies on SMS have shown.

A degree is the unit that equals a direct relationship between two persons. For example, the distance between two friends is one degree. The friend of my friend is two degrees away from me and so on.

Well, experts claim that the maximum distance between two strangers in the world today is six degrees. That roughly would mean that if a Kalahari bushman meets a stranger from Laponia, he should be able to know someone, who knows someone, who knows someone… and this six times, who knows the stranger.

Should we believe the experts, I find it quite strange that strangers are not so strange. The Church believes that all persons should live like a family and it seems that we are very much irremediably heading for that.

Of course that is only half the job. Family members are only one degree close to each other but some are miles away in terms of acceptance and understanding. Still, to become aware that the whole human family is shortening her ties to six degrees means that the Spirit is working, even through SMS.

How much does a kidney cost?

Should we allow people to die for a principle? This is how the issue of Organ Trade is more likely to crawl into people’s conscience. What is heavier in the ethical scale, organ trade or human lives?

The Church has stubbornly maintained that “the human person” should be at the centre of all ethical decisions. Doesn’t this imply that the morality of organ trade depends on how many human persons may benefit from it?

Some think that legalizing the organ trade will resolve the problem of the shortage of kidneys and save the lives of kidney patients waiting for a transplant. An ethical and controlled kidney market will also wipe out the unethical black market that already exists.

Others disagree. They think the poor, (who are more likely to be the sellers), will be exploited by the rich, (who are more likely to be the buyers). The organ trade will also increase the demand for kidneys, since those who sell their kidneys will be more likely to need a kidney themselves, when, in their old age, their only kidney may start to fail. Furthermore, organ trade will discourage possible donors to donate when they see that others are getting paid for what they would give freely.