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Soul sacrifice
EDITORIAL
Soul Sacrifice Every time the deadline for this column approaches, I get a little anxious because the immediate sense of emptiness pervades, even though I always seem to have a lot on my mind. It is sometimes difficult to put to words those thoughts which carom around my head. The chaos that surrounds medical practice prevents the consolidation of those issues. Yet whenever a controversial issue becomes the topic of conversation, I would bet that most of you have an immediate reaction that just wants to jump off of your tongue. We all seem to be capable of expounding verbally on an issue which we mayor may not know anything about. But just wait a minute .... What if our opinion was controversial or even unpopular? What if there was no exogenous pressure and we could just blurt out what we think? Why the cerebral filter? Just think how the dilemma is amplified when you may even have to print what you think? Others could use the printed piece ad infinitum whenever a politically hot topic emerged yet again. What if we could really print the opinion that the decline in enrollment in podiatric medical schools was not a crisis but a blessing? Of course no one would ever think such a thing! What if we could print the opinion that we waste far too much of our free time, energy, and resources over the issue of nail codes? Since it is such an integral part of our existence, it would be another preposterous idea. Or how about printing the opinion that there should only be one certifying board in foot and ankle surgery - that not all of us are or should be surgeons? What an arrogant notion, with so many able to learn the discipline in I or even 2 years. What if we could memorialize the opinion that we should be able to choose which organizations we join, instead of the forced multitiered approach? How could anyone foster such a concept, with the level of representation we get at each level? What if one could expound
John M. Schuberth, DPM
upon the notion that there are too many educational meetings? What, with all that new knowledge to disseminate? And after all, how would all of those sponsoring organizations make any money? These two preposterous concepts are linked by the fact that those defectors would be banned from educating others at all those meetings. There are a lot of dumb ideas out there! Maybe it is a good thing that people don't actually write down what they think. Keep it to yourself, for there is no chance that anyone will embrace your short-sighted view, and an even lesser chance that anyone will want to do anything about it. Keep it to yourself! But isn't this what politics is all about? Politically correct or. .. soul sacrifice?
John M. Schuberth, DPM
VOLUME 41, NUMBER 5, SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2002
Editor
277
Soul Sacrifice Every time the deadline for this column approaches, I get a little anxious because the immediate sense of emptiness pervades, even though I always seem to have a lot on my mind. It is sometimes difficult to put to words those thoughts which carom around my head. The chaos that surrounds medical practice prevents the consolidation of those issues. Yet whenever a controversial issue becomes the topic of conversation, I would bet that most of you have an immediate reaction that just wants to jump off of your tongue. We all seem to be capable of expounding verbally on an issue which we mayor may not know anything about. But just wait a minute .... What if our opinion was controversial or even unpopular? What if there was no exogenous pressure and we could just blurt out what we think? Why the cerebral filter? Just think how the dilemma is amplified when you may even have to print what you think? Others could use the printed piece ad infinitum whenever a politically hot topic emerged yet again. What if we could really print the opinion that the decline in enrollment in podiatric medical schools was not a crisis but a blessing? Of course no one would ever think such a thing! What if we could print the opinion that we waste far too much of our free time, energy, and resources over the issue of nail codes? Since it is such an integral part of our existence, it would be another preposterous idea. Or how about printing the opinion that there should only be one certifying board in foot and ankle surgery - that not all of us are or should be surgeons? What an arrogant notion, with so many able to learn the discipline in I or even 2 years. What if we could memorialize the opinion that we should be able to choose which organizations we join, instead of the forced multitiered approach? How could anyone foster such a concept, with the level of representation we get at each level? What if one could expound
John M. Schuberth, DPM
upon the notion that there are too many educational meetings? What, with all that new knowledge to disseminate? And after all, how would all of those sponsoring organizations make any money? These two preposterous concepts are linked by the fact that those defectors would be banned from educating others at all those meetings. There are a lot of dumb ideas out there! Maybe it is a good thing that people don't actually write down what they think. Keep it to yourself, for there is no chance that anyone will embrace your short-sighted view, and an even lesser chance that anyone will want to do anything about it. Keep it to yourself! But isn't this what politics is all about? Politically correct or. .. soul sacrifice?
John M. Schuberth, DPM
VOLUME 41, NUMBER 5, SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2002
Editor
277