Ever since I learned the term "placebo" I have been fascinated with the power of this entity to "heal". In all placebo-controlled research trials, the placebo "effect" - meaning trial participants improve without "active" treatment - is approximately 30%. This is not an absolute, and the effect varies greatly across trials, but in aggregate, this is about right - that is, 1 out of 3 persons receives benefit from a chemically inert compound (such as milk sugar). There was a new blog writing about placebo's power that caught my eye, and that I refer you to: http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/culture/3806/what%E2%80%99s_the_problem_with_a_good_placebo_/.
So, what is the "power of the placebo"? More and more I'm convinced that it is the power of belief. When we believe something, it becomes fact to us and we operate our world-view from that perspective. Thus, if someone believes that sucking on horrible tasting zinc lozenges shortens his/her cold, then it probably does (or at least that person feels better for doing it). There has been enormous interest in complementary approaches to classical "Western" medicine. Americans spent enormous amounts of money on these products (herbals, homeopathy, etc). I find myself musing on the growth of complementary interventions and the decline in church attendance and persons who report that they believe in G-d.
Is there a direct relationship between these two activities - or is it just a case of "true-true but unrelated"? Hard to know, but one thing that I've observed over the past 25 years as a healthcare professional is the perspective that Western medical therapy is the only thing that "works". When traditional medicine fails to offer a cure (or even a meaningful option) well-meaning people (WMP) will search high and low for an option. Take a look at the number of persons who visit Lourdes and other sacred healing sites around the world - a member of my congregation did that in the last year of her life with cancer. She reported a significant lifting of her mood, and her perspective on how to live the remainder of her life.
Healing comes in many different forms - and spirituality certainly offers an approach that is truly complementary to all other options. The reason that Possibilities Journey, Inc, came into being is the realization that the lack of a spiritual focus and community of support is a factor in our individual and communal dis-ease (see www.possjrny.org). Our mission is to return faith communities to the role of provider of this support to all persons who are in need of compassionate understanding and friendship. It helps the journey with physical and mental illness, and has long been a mainstay in our approach to life and living.
This week, explore the role of belief in something outside yourself. Is it placebo? Maybe, but as the article and our scientific research show, the placebo effect is powerful and long lasting. Belief in something is healing.
Peace,
Dan
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
The Power of Water
I was watching "Planet Earth" on the National Geographic Channel last night. What a great program! The countless hours spent documenting life on this planet is a treasure for all times. Especially when life forms are being snuffed out at an alarming rate - and humans are crowding out what's left with their own overproduction and ego-centric behavior.
I first watched a show about fresh water. A fact that struck me was that over the course of 5 million years, the Colorado River has carved what we call the Grand Canyon. Five million years and still creating as we speak! It is a chemical maxim that given enough time, water can and will dissolve anything. Two hydrogen and one oxygen atom when combined, yield a tremendously powerful substance that is both a creative and a destructive force.
The following program on Planet Earth was about deserts - those arid places on the planet that receive water only sporadically. Water falls as rain often in the mountains many miles away and comes roaring down dry wadis (ravines) and ultimately runs out of steam and gets absorbed. The power of the water in that instance is what happens when it gets absorbed. Suddenly, seeds that have lain dormant for up to 30 years (!) spring into life and carpet the ground with new growth and flowers. Water becomes a powerful life-giving force as it stimulates fruitfulness and new growth.
Water dissolves and creates, it renews and it destroys, it can not be ultimately controlled. If we turn our focus to how water affects our health, wellness and wholeness, we see that our bodies are about 60% water (as adults) and that without water we soon die. Water is a necessary and life-giving substance for us and all living things. The Abrahamic traditions all grew out of a part of the world characterized by lack of water. Thus, it's not surprising at all the prominant role that water metaphors play in the teachings. In Christian teachings, the "Living Water", "a cup of cold water", and the "River of Life" are but three instances that indicate the power of this simple chemical compound.
As you travel this week, think about the power of water in your life - not just physical water, but spiritual water. Frozen water has resulted in my children missing school for two days, and for incredible amounts of frustration and inconvenience here in the Washington, DC, area and up the East Coast. The power of uncontrollable water - that the opportunity to consider its effect on us.
Peace,
Dan
I first watched a show about fresh water. A fact that struck me was that over the course of 5 million years, the Colorado River has carved what we call the Grand Canyon. Five million years and still creating as we speak! It is a chemical maxim that given enough time, water can and will dissolve anything. Two hydrogen and one oxygen atom when combined, yield a tremendously powerful substance that is both a creative and a destructive force.
The following program on Planet Earth was about deserts - those arid places on the planet that receive water only sporadically. Water falls as rain often in the mountains many miles away and comes roaring down dry wadis (ravines) and ultimately runs out of steam and gets absorbed. The power of the water in that instance is what happens when it gets absorbed. Suddenly, seeds that have lain dormant for up to 30 years (!) spring into life and carpet the ground with new growth and flowers. Water becomes a powerful life-giving force as it stimulates fruitfulness and new growth.
Water dissolves and creates, it renews and it destroys, it can not be ultimately controlled. If we turn our focus to how water affects our health, wellness and wholeness, we see that our bodies are about 60% water (as adults) and that without water we soon die. Water is a necessary and life-giving substance for us and all living things. The Abrahamic traditions all grew out of a part of the world characterized by lack of water. Thus, it's not surprising at all the prominant role that water metaphors play in the teachings. In Christian teachings, the "Living Water", "a cup of cold water", and the "River of Life" are but three instances that indicate the power of this simple chemical compound.
As you travel this week, think about the power of water in your life - not just physical water, but spiritual water. Frozen water has resulted in my children missing school for two days, and for incredible amounts of frustration and inconvenience here in the Washington, DC, area and up the East Coast. The power of uncontrollable water - that the opportunity to consider its effect on us.
Peace,
Dan
Monday, January 24, 2011
Passion
Today's post is brought to you by an experience I had just yesterday with a Latino congregation of the UMC. I had been invited to deliver a sermon on health as a key factor in becoming or remaining fruitful. The scripture that I used was Jeremiah 17:5-8 and Lue 6:43-45 (the pastor added Psalm 1, Jeremiah 31 and John 15). My sermon text was focused on the importance of being "rooted" in the Word, and how important the health of the roots was to the overall health and fruitfulness of the plant.
This post is not about my sermon, however, but about my experience in a worship service that was conducted completely in another language (I had one previous expereince with this in the Czech Rebuplic a few years ago while I was on mission). Though I could not understand the words, what struck me was the passion and Spirit-centeredness of the participants (worship leaders, band and congregants). The service was Spirit filled (my father reflected on how the pastor talked and prayed without any notes) and interactive. The energy was infective and the words and reflections were heartfelt.
I was contrasting this service to the one I had attended two hours earlier in my own congregation (just 2 miles up the road). It was quiet and controlled and "reverent" - there was very little passion. This is not a judgement, just a statement of the contrast betweent the two services. My home congregation's worship is fulfilling and nourishing. I understood every word and nuance. But, I was not moved in the same way as I was by the worship of my Latino brother and sisters.
Passion is something we talk about in regards to Easter and crucifixion. That comes around once each liturgical year. The passion that I felt and participated in yesterday is a weekly occurrance. I was as fully engaged in that 100 minute service, as I was in my home church's 50-60 minutes service. I was struck by the Acts 2 quality of the Latino service and wondered (not for the last time I'm sure) about whether or not their roots are sunk more deeply into the Word, and thus sustained and nurtured in a way that my congregation can only aspire to?
So, for this piece of time, I wish you to be more passionate about your worship. May that allow you to grow you spiritual roots enough to reach that place where you are fed and watered. May that growth yield fruit that can change our world and make it healthier, more well and less broken.
Peace and blessings,
Dan
This post is not about my sermon, however, but about my experience in a worship service that was conducted completely in another language (I had one previous expereince with this in the Czech Rebuplic a few years ago while I was on mission). Though I could not understand the words, what struck me was the passion and Spirit-centeredness of the participants (worship leaders, band and congregants). The service was Spirit filled (my father reflected on how the pastor talked and prayed without any notes) and interactive. The energy was infective and the words and reflections were heartfelt.
I was contrasting this service to the one I had attended two hours earlier in my own congregation (just 2 miles up the road). It was quiet and controlled and "reverent" - there was very little passion. This is not a judgement, just a statement of the contrast betweent the two services. My home congregation's worship is fulfilling and nourishing. I understood every word and nuance. But, I was not moved in the same way as I was by the worship of my Latino brother and sisters.
Passion is something we talk about in regards to Easter and crucifixion. That comes around once each liturgical year. The passion that I felt and participated in yesterday is a weekly occurrance. I was as fully engaged in that 100 minute service, as I was in my home church's 50-60 minutes service. I was struck by the Acts 2 quality of the Latino service and wondered (not for the last time I'm sure) about whether or not their roots are sunk more deeply into the Word, and thus sustained and nurtured in a way that my congregation can only aspire to?
So, for this piece of time, I wish you to be more passionate about your worship. May that allow you to grow you spiritual roots enough to reach that place where you are fed and watered. May that growth yield fruit that can change our world and make it healthier, more well and less broken.
Peace and blessings,
Dan
Thursday, January 20, 2011
The Power of How...
Today's post is a reflection on a Weavings journal article by Bonnie Thurston entitled, "The Wrong Question: A Reflection on the Book of Job" (see www.weavings.org). In it the author posits that G-d never answers Job's "why?" questions, but rather leaves the reader open to "how?". This got me thinking and reflecting on my own life and the growing importance and power of "how?".
My professional life over most of the last 25 years has been spent trying (sometimes desperately) to mend persons who were critically ill and injured - the sickest of the sick. I used to think that the most important question that I could ask was "why?". Such as, "Why did this occur?"; "Why are we seeing these physiologic parameters and dysfunctions?"; "Why isn't our plan working and what can we do next?". Scientifically, "why" is a powerful question and often leads us to make diagnoses and clinical plans. It helped us to solve the clinical dilemmas that faced us every day in the intensive care unit (ICU).
However, as my spiritual side developed, I found that "why" was less and less helpful to those who I was caring for - and to those around me providing care. Like Job, we most often didn't have answers to the "why" questions from the patient's support network. We don't know why "bad" things happen to "good" people - or why "good" things happen to "bad" people. What I began to discover was that my secular scientific training and expertise provided no answers to these much larger philosophical/theological/existential questions. Though people (including myself) were asking "why?" they really were searching for "how?"!
"How?" becomes a powerful word when it is employed in questions like: "How do I begin to make sense of what I've been told?"; "How do I make the next step?"; How do I learn to live with this diagnosis?"; "How can I really live in the time remaining to me?"; "How is G-d available to me now in this situation?". "Why?" leads us into dead ends with no answers, "how" opens us up to the possibility of moving forward - to life without answers, but a life with the promise of each new day. The word "how" leads us out of ourselves and out into the world to do what we can with what we have been given. "How" can be a healing question, returning us to community and to supportive care.
"Why" is still important to me as a healthcare professional and life-long learner, but it has become secondary to "how" as my spiritual self develops and I become more comfortable with not needing to "know" all the "why's" of life. I pray that "how" can help you find peace and wholeness. Let us know "how" Possibilities Journey, Inc (www.possjrny.org) can help you with your "how's".
Peace,
Dan
My professional life over most of the last 25 years has been spent trying (sometimes desperately) to mend persons who were critically ill and injured - the sickest of the sick. I used to think that the most important question that I could ask was "why?". Such as, "Why did this occur?"; "Why are we seeing these physiologic parameters and dysfunctions?"; "Why isn't our plan working and what can we do next?". Scientifically, "why" is a powerful question and often leads us to make diagnoses and clinical plans. It helped us to solve the clinical dilemmas that faced us every day in the intensive care unit (ICU).
However, as my spiritual side developed, I found that "why" was less and less helpful to those who I was caring for - and to those around me providing care. Like Job, we most often didn't have answers to the "why" questions from the patient's support network. We don't know why "bad" things happen to "good" people - or why "good" things happen to "bad" people. What I began to discover was that my secular scientific training and expertise provided no answers to these much larger philosophical/theological/existential questions. Though people (including myself) were asking "why?" they really were searching for "how?"!
"How?" becomes a powerful word when it is employed in questions like: "How do I begin to make sense of what I've been told?"; "How do I make the next step?"; How do I learn to live with this diagnosis?"; "How can I really live in the time remaining to me?"; "How is G-d available to me now in this situation?". "Why?" leads us into dead ends with no answers, "how" opens us up to the possibility of moving forward - to life without answers, but a life with the promise of each new day. The word "how" leads us out of ourselves and out into the world to do what we can with what we have been given. "How" can be a healing question, returning us to community and to supportive care.
"Why" is still important to me as a healthcare professional and life-long learner, but it has become secondary to "how" as my spiritual self develops and I become more comfortable with not needing to "know" all the "why's" of life. I pray that "how" can help you find peace and wholeness. Let us know "how" Possibilities Journey, Inc (www.possjrny.org) can help you with your "how's".
Peace,
Dan
Monday, January 17, 2011
Spiritual Fruits and HW2
Today's post is brought to you by some musings that I'm doing for a sermon this coming Sunday. The focal point is how can we produce spiritual fruits if we are not healthy, well and/or whole? The answer is...we can't.
The idea is one that needs a metaphor - in this case, the roots of a plant. Roots are very important, they get water and food to the rest of the plant, they hold the plant in place and are the key to the plants ability to mature. In fact, there's no way for a plant to bear fruit if the roots are not functioning appropriately. Roots will grow hundreds of feet in order to tap into needed ground water, and they will help plants go dormant when no water is available - in the case of acacia trees, for up to a decade.
Spiritual roots are very important as well - in fact, they do the same things as botnical roots. They are the means for people to access the "living water" and the energy needed to grow and bear "fruit". Tending the roots through spending time with spiritual literature and discernment/prayer is key to continued growth and maturing. Without this kind of nurturing, the roots wither and the plant "dies". The interesting thing is that, just like acacia's, people can go "dormant" for a long time, but when they partake of "living water' they are brought back to life and bloom and bear fruit. They also keep us "grounded", even in the worst of times.
So, our health, wellness and wholeness (HW2) has a lot to do with the viability of our spiritual roots. Tend them well and they will lead you to fruitfulness.
Peace and blessings,
Dan
The idea is one that needs a metaphor - in this case, the roots of a plant. Roots are very important, they get water and food to the rest of the plant, they hold the plant in place and are the key to the plants ability to mature. In fact, there's no way for a plant to bear fruit if the roots are not functioning appropriately. Roots will grow hundreds of feet in order to tap into needed ground water, and they will help plants go dormant when no water is available - in the case of acacia trees, for up to a decade.
Spiritual roots are very important as well - in fact, they do the same things as botnical roots. They are the means for people to access the "living water" and the energy needed to grow and bear "fruit". Tending the roots through spending time with spiritual literature and discernment/prayer is key to continued growth and maturing. Without this kind of nurturing, the roots wither and the plant "dies". The interesting thing is that, just like acacia's, people can go "dormant" for a long time, but when they partake of "living water' they are brought back to life and bloom and bear fruit. They also keep us "grounded", even in the worst of times.
So, our health, wellness and wholeness (HW2) has a lot to do with the viability of our spiritual roots. Tend them well and they will lead you to fruitfulness.
Peace and blessings,
Dan
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Looking back...
Since it's the turn of the year, and we've barely broken in this new one, I've been spending some time reflecting on 2010. Not surprising in that last year was the first one for the new charity I run (Possibilities Journey, Inc - www.possjrny.org) but also it's a good spiritual exercise to review where I've been before moving forward. Think of it like an annual "physical" for your soul.
The marriage of health, wellness and wholeness (HW2) is predicated on one's ability to move peaceably between the world and the spiritual realm. We are taught to "be of the world but not in the world" and that takes a lot of reflection and self-correction. It's been oft stated that those who don't learn history are destined to repeat it, and I've found that this is true spiritually as well. It is quite easy to find oneself in a spiritual "rut" doing the same things mindlessly over-and-over (almost obsessive-compulsively). If we ignore or deny our spiritual selves, we leave a hole where our concept of G-d would be. If the hole stays empty, we feel ill at ease and we try to fill it with worldly distractions.
John Wesley's question of "how is it with your soul?" is a valid one and very instructive here at the change of year. He conducted recommitment services on new year's eve in order to have folks spend time in reflection and thoughtful reconsideration of the role of spirituality in their lives. We've gotten far away from this, not only in the Methodist church, but in the church universal. Is it any wonder that we have such malaise and see major decreases in attendance in all of the "mainline" denominations? Is it any wonder that we have so many unanswered social ills and injustices, once the purview of the church?
So, take a moment (or a few moments) over the next weeks to consider the role of spirituality in your pursuit of health and wellness. Look back over the last bit of time and consider whence you've come and where you're headed. Notice the key persons or events in your life that have shaped you and brought you to this place - notice the G-d narrative in all of it. After all of that, consider where it is that you might be being led.
Peace and blessings,
Dan
The marriage of health, wellness and wholeness (HW2) is predicated on one's ability to move peaceably between the world and the spiritual realm. We are taught to "be of the world but not in the world" and that takes a lot of reflection and self-correction. It's been oft stated that those who don't learn history are destined to repeat it, and I've found that this is true spiritually as well. It is quite easy to find oneself in a spiritual "rut" doing the same things mindlessly over-and-over (almost obsessive-compulsively). If we ignore or deny our spiritual selves, we leave a hole where our concept of G-d would be. If the hole stays empty, we feel ill at ease and we try to fill it with worldly distractions.
John Wesley's question of "how is it with your soul?" is a valid one and very instructive here at the change of year. He conducted recommitment services on new year's eve in order to have folks spend time in reflection and thoughtful reconsideration of the role of spirituality in their lives. We've gotten far away from this, not only in the Methodist church, but in the church universal. Is it any wonder that we have such malaise and see major decreases in attendance in all of the "mainline" denominations? Is it any wonder that we have so many unanswered social ills and injustices, once the purview of the church?
So, take a moment (or a few moments) over the next weeks to consider the role of spirituality in your pursuit of health and wellness. Look back over the last bit of time and consider whence you've come and where you're headed. Notice the key persons or events in your life that have shaped you and brought you to this place - notice the G-d narrative in all of it. After all of that, consider where it is that you might be being led.
Peace and blessings,
Dan
Monday, January 10, 2011
Remove the log in your own eye first...
Today's post is a reflection on an old saying, attributed to Jesus' teaching of his disciples. It takes place in an interaction with a large group who were acting like typical humans. The full saying is, "Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?" (Matt 7:3)
So, what about the "log" in our eyes, and what role does it play in our health, wellness and wholeness (HW2)? In my experience, I have exquisite visual acuity when looking and evaluating others lives and HW2 issues. It may be that my vision has been sharpened from almost 25 years of clinical practice evaluating people's health needs, but this is a convenient excuse. When I note the HW2 needs in someone elae, and give them my best advice, I don't need to address my own issues (nor do I need to change my behaviors). I can feel superior and move on in my day knowing that I have done my best for someone else. I can move along without ever having been in relationship with another, nor exploring how their situation reflects my own.
Our health care system (or episodic intervention portal) is much the same way, in that it treats people without a relationship. Health insurance reform (so called "Obama care") is the same way in that it says that irrespective of the need for Tort reform legislation, payment reform, and creation of a system that promotes health and really "cares" for people, all we need to do is have health insurance for all. Truly "speck" versus "log" mentality and one of the main reasons that it has struggled so to get implemented (in my opinion). Partisan politics and lack of insight into the problem have doomed this important, but iterative process to become mired in the muck.
What can we learn from this biblical statement? A truth that was already old before it was recorded in the canon sheds light on the human condition. As with many of the memorable wisdom sayings, it cuts right to the chase and leaves no room for doubt about what is being communicated. We must take responsibility for our own HW2. I must change the way that I go about my relationship with food so that I do not consume more than I need to be healthy. I need to counteract the constant messaging that I need and deserve more than this. I need to get out and walk and find balance between my work and home lives. I need time for prayer and relaxation and time to build meaningful relationships. Gandhi said, "You need to beocme the change you want to see in the world." This is the path to HW2 and the removal of our visual logs.
This week as you go about your lives, look for those "log" moments and find the wisdom to remove yours first. In this way, we will all move closer to HW2.
Peace in 2011,
Dan
So, what about the "log" in our eyes, and what role does it play in our health, wellness and wholeness (HW2)? In my experience, I have exquisite visual acuity when looking and evaluating others lives and HW2 issues. It may be that my vision has been sharpened from almost 25 years of clinical practice evaluating people's health needs, but this is a convenient excuse. When I note the HW2 needs in someone elae, and give them my best advice, I don't need to address my own issues (nor do I need to change my behaviors). I can feel superior and move on in my day knowing that I have done my best for someone else. I can move along without ever having been in relationship with another, nor exploring how their situation reflects my own.
Our health care system (or episodic intervention portal) is much the same way, in that it treats people without a relationship. Health insurance reform (so called "Obama care") is the same way in that it says that irrespective of the need for Tort reform legislation, payment reform, and creation of a system that promotes health and really "cares" for people, all we need to do is have health insurance for all. Truly "speck" versus "log" mentality and one of the main reasons that it has struggled so to get implemented (in my opinion). Partisan politics and lack of insight into the problem have doomed this important, but iterative process to become mired in the muck.
What can we learn from this biblical statement? A truth that was already old before it was recorded in the canon sheds light on the human condition. As with many of the memorable wisdom sayings, it cuts right to the chase and leaves no room for doubt about what is being communicated. We must take responsibility for our own HW2. I must change the way that I go about my relationship with food so that I do not consume more than I need to be healthy. I need to counteract the constant messaging that I need and deserve more than this. I need to get out and walk and find balance between my work and home lives. I need time for prayer and relaxation and time to build meaningful relationships. Gandhi said, "You need to beocme the change you want to see in the world." This is the path to HW2 and the removal of our visual logs.
This week as you go about your lives, look for those "log" moments and find the wisdom to remove yours first. In this way, we will all move closer to HW2.
Peace in 2011,
Dan
Monday, January 3, 2011
Recapturing Trust
Happy New Year to one and to all! I didn't get my post in last Thursday - just too much to do on vacation. But now it's back to the same old grind - just a new year. A year full of potential and only 2+ days old. Possibilities Journey, Inc, (www.possjrny.org) celebrated its one year incorporation anniversary on December 17th - hard to believe that it has been that long. One day at a time soon adds up to 365 it seems. ;-)
Today's post is all about trust - or lack thereof, which leads to a decrease in our individual and communal health, wellness and wholeness (HW2). The secular world tells us over and over that we need to stand up for ourselves and be independent. The aura of invincibility comes from being stronger, faster, smarter and more wealthy than anyone else (or at least our closest competitors). The problem with this information, however, is that reality comes crashing in and shows us quite clearly that as individuals, we are as broken as anyone else (including our neighbors).
This disconnect between what the world wants us to believe and reality creates disonance and confusion. We are afloat withou a paddle (sometimes without a boat, too) and we don't know what or whom to trust. Thus, we become fearful, negative, and confrontational - and we go running from one narrative to another trying to find out what is true - and who(m) we can trust.
Health care is suffering from this lack of trust as well. Less and less time spent with practitioners, more and more mis-information readily available to people who at times can't interpret it correctly, and a culture of "hurry" all lead us to the brink of a collapse in our individual and communal HW2. Yet, recapturing trust is what we really need to do in order to fix what is most broken in our systems. Our world of constant distractions and hurry keeps us from feeling like we have time to spend with anyone - least of all our health advisory team. Our distracted natures also keep us from actively listening and considering what is being said on our behalf, so we don't even make use of the good information and direction that we are presented with.
Rebuilding or recapturing trust is a job that takes work - work from all parties involved. Elected officials need to seek real input from constituents; health lobbyists need to consider the broader HW2 picture; all have to admit that "business as usual" has not worked, costs too much, and has quality that is sub-optimal; and individuals need to take more responsibility for their HW2. Once dialogue begins, then the trust building can start. Until dialogue begins, we will be saddled with the same, lame system that we have built over the last 60+ years.
So, new year...how about new dialogue? Dialogue that is inclusive, positive, transformational, bold, healing, risky, constructive, active and trustworthy. In other words, dialogue that redeems. In this way, we will begin to build a better world.
Peace,
Dan
Today's post is all about trust - or lack thereof, which leads to a decrease in our individual and communal health, wellness and wholeness (HW2). The secular world tells us over and over that we need to stand up for ourselves and be independent. The aura of invincibility comes from being stronger, faster, smarter and more wealthy than anyone else (or at least our closest competitors). The problem with this information, however, is that reality comes crashing in and shows us quite clearly that as individuals, we are as broken as anyone else (including our neighbors).
This disconnect between what the world wants us to believe and reality creates disonance and confusion. We are afloat withou a paddle (sometimes without a boat, too) and we don't know what or whom to trust. Thus, we become fearful, negative, and confrontational - and we go running from one narrative to another trying to find out what is true - and who(m) we can trust.
Health care is suffering from this lack of trust as well. Less and less time spent with practitioners, more and more mis-information readily available to people who at times can't interpret it correctly, and a culture of "hurry" all lead us to the brink of a collapse in our individual and communal HW2. Yet, recapturing trust is what we really need to do in order to fix what is most broken in our systems. Our world of constant distractions and hurry keeps us from feeling like we have time to spend with anyone - least of all our health advisory team. Our distracted natures also keep us from actively listening and considering what is being said on our behalf, so we don't even make use of the good information and direction that we are presented with.
Rebuilding or recapturing trust is a job that takes work - work from all parties involved. Elected officials need to seek real input from constituents; health lobbyists need to consider the broader HW2 picture; all have to admit that "business as usual" has not worked, costs too much, and has quality that is sub-optimal; and individuals need to take more responsibility for their HW2. Once dialogue begins, then the trust building can start. Until dialogue begins, we will be saddled with the same, lame system that we have built over the last 60+ years.
So, new year...how about new dialogue? Dialogue that is inclusive, positive, transformational, bold, healing, risky, constructive, active and trustworthy. In other words, dialogue that redeems. In this way, we will begin to build a better world.
Peace,
Dan
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
