Lightning Raids on the Status Quo

Sometimes I have this idea that all of us are sorted into two groups: Those that are here to protect the status quo and those that are here to raid it and change it. Most of the population, of course, is in the first category. Otherwise, there would be no such thing as the status quo. If you read the Journal regularly, you know I’m one of those in the small assembly known as change agents.
We’re often not a well-liked group. We make the majority uncomfortable. "Why rock the boat?" The majority moans. The reason for boat-rocking, of course, is that change agents think the boat is sailing the wrong way and, for that matter, that the wood on the boat is rotten.
By definition, if you’re pushing for change, you’re always up against the resistance of the majority. But frankly, change agents can’t help themselves. By nature, they are destined to seek out a better pathway…

For more than thirty years, the mission of American healthcare has been in trouble. Too many hospital CEOs have become obsessed with the mission of money. The goal of true loving care has been relegated to the sidelines.
What do you think? Do you believe hospitals and charities are treating patients with the kind of loving care sick people should receive? If so, why do so many patients feel like third-class citizens as soon as they don a patient gown?
I’ve been speaking about this (and writing about it) for decades to audiences that include some very sympathetic people who nod their heads in agreement and then usually do very little to make change. Clearly, I have underestimated the enormous inertia that weighs down the current system. The only thing that really seems to awaken the energy of most CEOs are packaged programs to "crank up" patient satisfaction with various "tools." Sometimes these programs sound more like tricks then love-based strategies.
But perhaps all of this is the way of the world. We carry out our roles as best we can. And from out of the tension that exists among different types of approaches, we may always hope that Love will triumph. Meanwhile, too many patients are waiting in vain for the loving care they deserve.

-Erie Chapman

Published by

swiftlyunabashed93c6d9b23b

Categories: Meditations

Tags: love status quo change erie chapman

6 responses to “Lightning Raids on the Status Quo”

Karen York

June 27, 2007 at 8:42 am

We are thankful for change agents like you who put forth a message and a charge to make life better for our most vulnerable. Frustration lies right below the surface when trying to move an entire culture from one place to the next. It feels like dragging an iceberg with a tug boat. Yet, we continue along the way. Sometimes making huge progress, sometimes seemingly standing still. Yet always, with patient centered care at the heart of who we are. Thank you for your continued dedication and wise counsel.

LikeLike

Reply
Edwin Loftin

June 27, 2007 at 9:28 am

I remember stories of change from my Grandfather who died in 2001 athe the age of 104. One of the most impactful for me was the story of how farming changed in his life and his personal resistance to that change. The first change he was actually excited about and saw the advantage. That being from a horse/mule drawn plow to that of a steel wheeled tractor. The second change he fought and even resisted after. That was from the steel wheeled to rubber tire tractor. When asked why the resistence to the second he would say that the first change was enough for one lifetime, then we would laugh and talk about his first airplane ride at the age of 100.
This story, to me, reflects healthcare, where many (CEOs, staff and the public) have seen change and “don’t see the need for more.”
It must be our mission as those who attract lightning bolts to stir the abosulte need for loving care to be the mission of healthcare. For as our society and cultures evolve our history of families and commitment to mankind must be the golden thread that ties our journey together.

LikeLike

Reply
Sim Yoon

June 27, 2007 at 9:36 am

Your meditations are always so uplifting. This particular one made me think about change in general and how receptive I am to it. I love your last paragraph about how we may always hope that Love will triumph…..
Thank you for sharing your wisdom.
Sim

LikeLike

Reply
liz Wessel

June 27, 2007 at 9:37 am

I would love to see CEO’s to engage in this dialogue today. I think it would be great if each person reading this Journal challenged themselves by asking their CEO, or another leader within their healthcare facility, to respond to your question, “How do we give patient’s the loving care they deserve?”
Like Karen, I am grateful for your efforts and the opportunity the Journal offers to begin each day keeping Loving Care in the forefront of my mind, my heart, my actions.
Gentle persistence is my strategy, just as a continuous drop of water changes the shape of the rock. A small drop, introducing the Touch Card, then integrating it into general orientation. A small drop, offering a blessing of the hands with a commissioning ceremony to uphold our values as part of general orientation. A small drop, beginning a meditation class for caregivers. Over time these little drops are changing our culture and impacting how we care for our patients. The change must come from within each person, their are no quick fixes.

LikeLike

Reply
Diana Gallaher

June 27, 2007 at 9:37 am

Gandhi says that we must become the change we want to see in the world. From what I have observed , Erie not only speaks and writes about loving care, he has lead hospitals to become that place of loving care. Loving care takes constant discipline and cultivation – we are never “done.” I’m thankful that Erie and all of you who participate in this movement can’t help but strive to “seek out a better pathway.”

LikeLike

Reply
Jan Keeling

June 27, 2007 at 2:52 pm

I hope you don’t get discouraged, Erie. What you are doing has to make a difference.

LikeLike

Reply