Page 179 - Nursing: The Philosophy and Science of Caring

a d m i ni s t er ing s acr e d n u r s in g ac t s
lack of Caritas awareness, caring incompetence, absence of Caring
Literacy, if you will, illiteracy of caring, all contributed to a careless,
destructive, and thoughtless act toward another. Offering food or a
drink to another, patient or otherwise, is a sacred act; it is a reciprocal
act of giving and receiving, helping another meet a most basic nurtur-
ing human need—a human need that is basic to the nurse as well as
the patient.
In this Caritas Nursing Framework, the human need for food and
fluid is considered an essential part of human survival. Food/drink is
symbolic; it is sacred, in that food comes from the sacred circle of life
and sustains the life-energy source for human living, growing, thriv-
ing, and evolving. It emphasizes the interdependence of all aspects of
life; the interrelationship of animal, vegetable, human food source,
and chain of life-death, mirroring the universal law of impermanence
and the oneness of All.
“Feeding” another person and helping another meet his or her basic
need for nurturance, for food and fluid, requires a Caritas Consciousness
of how to be in-relation, in-right-relation with self and other, present,
in-the-moment, conscious, alert, aware of how to be with another. It
requires an understanding, a reflective wisdom, Caritas Consciousness,
if you will, about how to “give something to another in such a way
that that person is able to receive it.”
The result is the experience of nurturing, which is nourishing and
reciprocal for both persons. It is through giving that we receive. The
food and fluid need is associated with trust, love, warmth, and security
in human relationships. Conscious and unconscious past experiences,
symbolic and real meanings are associated with this basic need.
When working with another, it is necessary to have an apprecia-
tion of what eating and food mean to the person. The cultural sig-
nificance of habits, familiarity of certain tastes, smells, and so on,
are laden with emotions that are embodied, pre-conscious, and often
unconscious.
When we are conscious of how to give to another, to minister in
a loving, caring, kind way—whether formally feeding a patient unable
to eat by him- or herself, giving a glass of water, or assisting one with
the best dietary practices and meals—it becomes a mutual process.

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