LIFE AND DEATH
R
emember the movie Billy Jack starring Tom Laughlin?
The film and its sequels have long since decamped
to cable, but Tom Laughlin is still very much around. In
addition to his movie work, he's a lecturer and author and a
Jungian-schooled psychologist whose specialty is working
with people who have been diagnosed with cancer. Tom
Laughlin teaches and leads workshops; here's a paraphrase of
something I heard him say:
The moment a person learns he's got terminal cancer, a
profound shift takes place in his psyche. At one stroke in the
doctor's office he becomes aware of what really matters to
him. Things that sixty seconds earlier had seemed all-
important suddenly appear meaningless, while people and
concerns that he had till then dismissed at once take on
supreme importance.
Maybe, he realizes, working this weekend on that big deal
at the office isn't all that vital. Maybe it's more important to
fly cross-country for his grandson's graduation. Maybe it
isn't so crucial that he have the last word in the fight with his
wife. Maybe instead he should tell her how much she means
to him and how deeply he has always loved her.132 THE WAR OF ART