Our cause must be to return Love to the face of healthcare.
In the movie "August," derived from the famous play Uncle Vanya by the immortal Anton Chekov (left – also a physician) the central character says at one point, "An idle life can never be a good life." Do you agree? After all, in the Journal, we often talk about the wisdom of being versus doing. But it is difficult for any caregiver to sit idle when the needs of others are apparent.
The "cause" of every caregiver is clear enough if you watch the way Love meets need in the Sacred Encounter. But how would others describe you in terms of your cause in life…
I had the occasion to gain some insight into the answer to this
question during an empathy exercise conducted by Cathy Self with our
staff. We were each asked to imagine ourselves into the heart of the
person next to us. How would we feel if we were actually that person? In particular, how would we feel about our role at home and at work? How would we reflect upon our past? And what dreams would we have?
I recommend you try this exercise, asking each person to write down their observations in each of these four categories. If you are not in a position to do this in a group, try it on your own by picking someone you know. You are likely to be fascinated by the outcome. It’s always surprising to know how we are viewed by others as compared with how we think we are viewed.
People of my personality type are doomed to be champions of something. It is our calling. And it often makes us unwelcome among those who prefer the status quo.
As we traveled around the circle, I was gratified to learn that the person on our staff assigned to "be me" said that she felt my dream was to change the face of healthcare.
It’s a grand goal. But, whether it’s achieved or not, the deeper question is always why change should occur and in what way.
Because of the nearly $150,000,000 held in trust by our foundation, we actually have the opportunity to impact the face of health care. This is most likely to matter if we can do more than just add incrementally to the bank accounts of charities and hospitals.
What if we could spread the expression of compassion across the face of healthcare? What if we could help to strengthen her hands with the power of genuine caring? What if we could return to her heart the full hope of Love?
With rare and special expressions, most hospitals and doctor’s offices have turned their backs on compassion and tilted their faces towards efficiency and money. Can they be moved to change? The true caregiver never enters the field of healthcare with money as the primary goal. So our Healing Trust is charged with doing more than funding grants.
In order to change the face of healthcare, we will all need to dedicate our work lives and our hearts to a high priority. The goal of healthcare must be healing, not fixing. Can this change truly come to be? As Chekhov himself once wrote, "You must trust and believe in people or life becomes unbearable." Each time we approach each other with this trust and belief, the face of Love must surely smile.
Questions: Do you think the face of healthcare needs changing? In what ways?
-Erie Chapman
Journal of Sacred Work 
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