"I think of compassion as the fundamental religious experience and, unless that is there, you have nothing." – Joseph Campbell, world-renowned philosopher; author,The Power of Myth
As a law student, I learned the principles and rules of western justice. As a divinity school student many years later, I learned spiritual principles that supercede the law. When I hear leaders focused more on liability than on Love, I worry for the welfare of both patients and caregivers.
When do human-made laws compete with spiritual principles?
Easy examples abound. Segregation laws were spread across the statute books of the southern United States for decades. Martin Luther King, Jr. broke these laws because he was listening to God's Love. Gandhi violated bigotry driven laws established in India by the British in order to honor the laws of true humanity. Jesus violated Roman law in favor of God's law.
Caregivers often need to break the rules to honor Love's principles.
Real life examples of this are as common as everyday life in a hospital. It may be as simple as a nurse who allows a beloved friend to violate the end of visiting hours to stay with a dying patient.
Or it may be as remarkable as this true story: A nurse I know woke up one evening writhing in pain. Her agony spread head to toe and included both chest pressure and a blinding headache. Her husband rushed her to a Nashville hospital.
As he drove up to the Emergency Room door, he slammed on the brakes and dashed in to seek help. "My wife is a nurse and she thinks she's dying. Please, come quickly."
A nurse grabbed a wheelchair and headed for the car. "Stop," a supervisor shouted, "no wheelchairs outside the door. That's the rule."
Dumbfounded, the duo of nurse and husband were frozen for a moment in the presence of the supervisor's command. Fortunately, the nurse then chose to listen to the voice of Love.
"I don't care what the rule says," the nurse said. "I'm going to go help that patient." She pushed the wheelchair out the door and brought her Love to meet the need of a person in deep pain.
It is not always easy for us to discern the role of Love in the presence of human-made laws. In fact, Love often calls us to stick to the rules. Pausing a moment to clean our hands on the way to an emergency may be wiser that ignoring such a step in the midst of our desire to serve immediately. Violating such a rule may result in more harm than healing.
Loving caregivers seem to know when to go beyond the rules to serve. A housekeeper puts down her mop to hold the hand of a screaming patient. A neonatal intensive care nurse may devote precious time to stroking the back of a dying baby who is beyond curing. In so doing, she chooses healing when curing is no longer possible.
Loving caregivers stand out from the rest by their courageous willingness to meet the needs of others. This is what lived in the heart of the Good Samaritan. This Love is available to guide us all.
-Erie Chapman
(Statue of Good Samaritan by Francois-Leon Sicard)
Journal of Sacred Work 
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