The Miracle That (Probably) Wasn't

     Remember the story last November about the man in Europe who had been in a coma for years, and suddenly it was discovered that he was in fact conscious and could communicate? Apparently it was not true. At least the test used to show his supposed thought process has been discredited. Maybe he is still in there, and another way to determine his thoughts will be discovered.
     But what was it about the story that made so many people want to believe it? Maybe it was one of those feet-of-clay lessons for the medical establishment. Perhaps we know someone who is in a persistent vegetative state and want to believe they are as they always were. Maybe it says something about our desire to believe that there is always hope, for our own failings, our weaknesses and illnesses, our so human condition.