Responsibility | The Human Resources Blog

Responsibility Is Freedom

I have a question: What is freedom?

This has been a splinter in my brain for a while, something I’m pondering quite a bit as I flesh out the ideas for my “author” projects. You may not like the answer I keep coming back to.

Ready for it?

Responsibility.

Wait! Don’t go! I bet some of you are thinking “I have so many responsibilities, I have no freedom.” That may or may not be true. Perhaps you only think you have some of the obligations you actually do.

I find it interesting to see the synonyms on my favorite online (or on iPhone, in this case) thesaurus. Albatross. Constraint. Liability. Instead of giving the word that kind of weight, take a look at it from another perspective…

Responsibility allows you to know what is and is not your job, what you can and cannot control. It is what I’ve heard called–and often repeat as gospel–your sphere of influence. In the scope of things, your actions have a finite range. Though the effect will be infinite in its ripples, directly you are only able to affect what is nearby…your thoughts and beliefs, then finally the actions arising from them.

To be free is to know that range, to understand the boundaries (which I will contend are likely further than you’ve gone) and run right out to the edge, fulfilling all your potential in that space.

Being all you can is simply a matter of knowing what you have to do. As a parent, you must raise a child that can contribute to society. As a leader, you are charged with helping others perform to their capability for a common goal.

There is power and liberation in knowing your responsibilities. How great is it to say “THIS is what I do, this is what you do?”

What do you think?

“…to thine own self be true…”

Everyone can use good advice from a parent or mentor. As has become my custom recently, I will be sharing a favorite quote with you today. This is from Hamlet, Act I, Scene 3 in which Lord Polonius offers some last-minute guidance to his son Laertes before the young man leaves for France.

One of the longest thoughts in my collection, it is as true today as when William Shakespeare first wrote it around 400 years ago. There are echoes of it in Teddy Roosevelt’s “Walk softly and carry a big stick,” as well as Thomas Fuller’s “Good clothes open all doors.”

And these few precepts in thy memory
See thou character. Give thy thoughts no tongue,
Nor any unproportioned thought his act.
Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar.
Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,
Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel;
But do not dull thy palm with entertainment
Of each new-hatch’d, unfledged comrade. Beware
Of entrance to a quarrel, but being in,
Bear’t that the opposed may beware of thee.
Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice;
Take each man’s censure, but reserve thy judgment.
Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,
But not express’d in fancy; rich, not gaudy;
For the apparel oft proclaims the man,
And they in France of the best rank and station
Are of a most select and generous chief in that.
Neither a borrower nor a lender be;
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
This above all: to thine ownself be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.

Ignorance Is Dangerous

I was talking with a man a few weeks ago and he said something I hear fairly regularly: “What I don’t know can’t hurt me.”

To be honest, I’ve never really had that phrase affect me until that bowlegged man walked away. Something about the ignorance of the statement filled me with disbelief. How does that make sense?

Let’s look at it from another perspective: Imagine you are watching a game at a large family gathering. Dad’s in his customary chair and rooting on the home team with all the vigor you’d expect. As your team goes ahead late in the game, everyone leaps from their seat and erupts with near-deafening excitement, Dad included.

He sits back down, catching his breath. As the clock winds down, the celebration ensues. The joy of a true fan is overwhelming and Dad gets to his feet again, slightly sweaty and shaking his head with relief. Hugs are being exchanged and conversation moves to the next playoff match-up.

Dad starts to head for the kitchen, stumbles slightly and falls face-first into the couch…clutching his chest. Everyone knows what’s happening and eventually hears the diagnosis from the emergency room doctor: “Massive heart attack.”

Dad’s on the table for an emergency coronary bypass. He didn’t know he had two partially blocked arteries and another that was fully blocked. That couldn’t hurt him, huh?

Obviously, this is an extreme example. My point is that we can lose out on a lot by claiming a lack of knowledge as our excuse. Are you squirming in your seat from lower back pain? Are you having headaches every day? Are you being passed over for promotions at work because of a lack of training?

If you don’t know why, then it’s not really a problem, right?

Sunday Sermon 4/19/2009

I often find myself mesmerized by the simplest of things. Trees. Blades of grass. Clouds. These things are all made up of the same stuff we are, chemically speaking. Sure, it’s all arranged differently to produce the forms we see, but the molecules are exactly alike.

I marvel at the intricacy of everything, the way cells stack together to produce something bigger. It’s logical and complex, yet so simple. There is only one way for it to work and each tiny piece has its part to play, as designed.

The other day, a thought struck me and I have to share it. We come from two half-cells and end up being trillions and trillions. The genetic material passed on from parents creates a new, unique being never to be repeated again. You are absolutely a once-in-history event.

Think of the magnitude of that last sentence. Sounds like a pretty big responsibility, huh? Seize the opportunity and make your mark. You have a role here, “don’t squander one bit of this marvelous life God has given us.” (II Corinthians 6:1, Message)

Exercise Patience

I have a sore big toe on my right foot which prevented me from working out this morning. Like a cup of coffee for others, stumbling out of bed and heading to the Y is the jolt I need to get my day going. In truth, as I write this, I am feeling a bit disoriented and groggy–the stuff I usually blast away with “God’s Workout”.

We are designed to cover ground, somewhere between five and ten miles per day, according to the book Brain Rules by John Medina, PhD. Modern life is often the opposite, consisting mainly of sitting through eight-hour workdays and during time at home. The Centers for Disease Control found in 2007 that less than 15% of Americans engaged in moderate physical activity for the recommended 30 minutes five times per week (increase it to 50 minutes if you want to lose weight).

As with anything else, you must make time for it. It may be difficult at first, making a change always takes a period of adjustment. Your body will adapt to produce optimal results and you’ll live better, I promise.

Pay attention to your body, eat real food and avoid sports drinks. What do you have to lose (besides a few pounds)?

Does Your Doctor Care About You?

How well does your doctor know you? How well do you know your doctor? Pauline Chen, MD over at the New York Times Health Blog discusses the nature of doctor-patient “connectedness” and the role it has in the delivery of care.

The nature of the business side of medicine–seeing more patients in less time–has shifted the emphasis away from the development of a true, mutual knowledge between the suffering and the individual entrusted to care for them. The depth of the relationship has been shown to increase the likelihood patients receive preventive screening tests (which you may be able to get free, though there might be ethical questions). It seems stronger bonds allow the physician to read between the lines of the patient’s actions.

One of the authors of the study, Dr. Steven J. Atlas, noted “for the last 25 years that relationship has been deteriorating. By focusing on new treatments, new technology and instant access, we have undermined the patient’s ability to have a longstanding relationship with a doctor, to have a doctor who knows him or her as a human being.”

It seems the dynamic works best when both parties are genuinely engaged, comprehending the other’s family situations and job stresses. It may not be enough to ask if your doctor cares about you. Do you care about your doctor?

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Sunday Sermon, 3/22/2009

Despite what you may feel–or what advertisers might want you to believe–you have a magnificent body. It is, without a doubt, the most amazing creation in the history of…ever. My sense of wonder about its inner workings and the intricacy of the design has led me to believe I work with God every day.

Thus, I have sat down this morning to type out the first of many “Sunday Sermons” to share my perspective on the spiritual connection I gain from my education and practice. As a sort of introduction, I decided to begin with a famous verse:

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Genesis 1:27, KJV

I like to put it another way: “The Artist is in the art.” La Gioconda is more than a painting, it is some of Leonardo da Vinci. The Sistine Chapel reflects Michelangelo as a man. In the same way, you are a reflection of God and, regardless of how disconnected you feel, I believe He will always be a part of you.

Edwin Leap, MD is an emergency room doctor that often writes about the life of a faithful person as a healer, including a comment yesterday that “we need for physicians to recognize the transcendence of their callings and their gifts.” I agree, and extend that to the rest of the population, as well. I am certain quality of life would improve–and healthcare spending would decrease–if people remembered they were given something designed by God Himself and treated their bodies reverently instead of trashing every last inch believing someone will miraculously buy them time later.

A human being is capable of many things, feats of strength and agility and endurance that boggle the mind. Somewhere, deep down, you’re aware of whether or not you’re living to your full potential. Chances are, you’re not. (I’m not there yet, but doing better each day!) Take the first step, believe you can…and start today.

I know you’re capable of great things. Do you?

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True Health Care Reform

President Obama speaks at the White House forum on health care reform earlier this month.

Only the economy is talked about more nowadays than health care reform. As positive signs about our financial infrastructure being on the uptick begin to appear, fixing this nation’s “broken” insurance system will shift further to the forefront. Here’s the thing: providing universal coverage (in any form) is not the entire answer.

During the last campaign for the Democratic nomination, I heard a soundbyte on ABC News that struck me as awfully profound:

“We will emphasize prevention so we have a health care system instead of a disease-care system.”
–Then-candidate Barack Obama, on February 19th, 2008 at a rally in Houston, Texas

I found the statement very interesting. Regardless of your political viewpoint, the wording here is very important. There is a drastic difference between “health care” (essentially concerned with peak function) and “disease-care” (based more on reacting to situations). Due to the nature of the interventions, the latter is typically more expensive than the former because it is more likely to require more complex management.

Since a chiropractic career is geared toward providing strategies to keep people in tip-top shape to avoid problems, I want to know what constitutes “prevention.” Is it standardized screenings? Is it mandatory vaccinations? Is it providing a sort of “health nanny” to follow each of us around?

The spending problem is about more than costly procedures, defensive practices or vast number of baby boomers reaching Medicare age in the next few years. Kevin Pho, MD frequently makes cogent points regarding those challenges. However, one cannot ignore the fattening of America and poor lifestyle choices as a culprit.

Do I have ideas? Sure. How about…
–Reducing the cost of fresh fruits and vegetables
–Place an additional “health care tax” on processed foods (I’m looking at you, high fructose corn syrup)
–Offer discounts on insurance based on exercise program participation

Granted, some of these changes are drastic and would be difficult to implement. There are many special interests that would lobby against anything that remotely indicates their product is unfit for consumption. Remember this simple rule: food should go bad. If it takes months or years for something to expire, you may want to consider how long it will stay in your body.

Oh, and insurance is highly unlikely to pay for most preventive measures. If you think about it, the simplest solutions (eating right, exercising, etc.) are always going to be your responsibility anyway and–because your deductible and co-pays are increasing anyway–it’s likely you’ll be paying out of pocket for most of your regular health care. Once again, it comes down to personal responsibility in the end. That’s where true reform will always begin, with one person making a change…then getting a friend to…who gets three friends to…and so on.

What kind of changes do you think should be made?

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What’s Your Emergency?

Imagine your house is on fire. You and your family are trapped in an a back bedroom, frantic as smoke pours in and breathing becomes more difficult. Relief passes over you as the firetruck arrives, then you hear the loud crack of a megaphone:

“Uh, does your place have an elevator?”

“No!”

“Can you climb down from the window?”

“No! Help us!”

“Well, the ladder’s really heavy and it’s hard for us to climb stairs. Give us a minute to figure something out.”

It seems an alarming trend has arisen amongst recruits to the fire and ambulance services in Massachusetts. From 2004-07, more than 75% of new attendees were overweight or obese according to the calculated BMIs of those passing minimum service requirements.

Of course, it’s no secret that BMI is an imperfect tool, as it is easily skewed by more muscular body types. However, that argument has been brushed aside in this case, as many of the individuals also had indications of cardiovascular problems present in the general population.

We already know that obesity has increased in this country and related problems such as diabetes are rising at a startling rate, cutting lives short and increasing health spending exponentially.

The bottom line? Being below standard with respect to fitness endangers both the victim and the first responder. What’s the solution?

You Did It!

A patient told me of some fantastic results from her first adjustment the other day. To paraphrase, “Usually when I get up out of a chair it takes me a little bit to get upright. Not since you adjusted me. I’ve been asking myself, ‘Did Dr. Ike do this?’”

Nope, I didn’t.

I had no problem telling her so. In fact, one of the things that I find most wonderful about chiropractic care is that I have very little to do with a patient’s recovery. My job description is basically as follows:

1. Listen to the patient and do tests to be certain chiropractic care could help.
2. Make appropriate recommendations to produce the best results.
3. Adjust.
4. Observe results and make corrections where necessary.

Everything else comes about by way of the patient. The woman that’s finally able to sleep in bed again. The elderly man smiling because he no longer has shooting pain in his arm. The kid who suffers less asthma attacks. Each end result in every case, regardless of how simple or unbelievable, is a function of that individual’s built-in ability to heal.

Of course, you know this truth already. You’ve seen it your whole life, even though you may not have been looking for it. Heart attacks are best avoided with diet and exercise. Antibiotics are only effective if the immune system utilizes the manufactured material. A transplant surgery is successful after the recipient’s body accepts the donated organ, regardless of the skill of the operating team.

I am unable to think of any procedure in all of health care that is independent of the patient’s body. You are that important to what happens. You are magnificent. What else can you do?

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