The Rave-Boy inspired this blog entry.
It has occurred to me that in my little kingdom within Public Health Administration, I am in a position to affect the lives of many people given my decisions regarding authorizing and denying services. I do not shy away from this authority nor do I revel in its meager power. I simply realize that oversight is an important function with regard to how our valuable and costly resources are doled out.
However, I do not author policy and our office's authority has limits. We do not legislate laws or regulations, nor do we make broad fiscal decisions regarding city and county, state, and federal budgets. In other words, I'm a little pee-on.
Other folks all across this country in similar positions of limited authority (theDiscourser included) at times will encounter situations where policy and modus operandi compel us to make decisions and/or maintain a protocol that runs counter to our ethics and values and intelligence. We continue to slog through it knowing that we are but a cog on the wheel...that our dissenting vote mean next to nothing excepting a poor employee evaluation.
So what do we do? Ghandi, Thoureau, Dr. King et.al spoke and wrote at length about campaigning against injustice where ever it may be; from the halls of Congress, to the hallways in our schools, from third world countries, to our gleaming urban cities. They spoke about how all of us have the capacity and the responsibility to reveal injustice in our communities and in our world...but that this knowledge means little without action. HOWEVER, they never intended for us to struggle and battle alone...and that standing up for what you believe was never at the expense of your livelihood or life....that our state, federal, corporate, and global institutions are entities that one man/woman could not possibly challenge by themselves. This was not expected of us.
These visionaries believed that there were other ways an activist can advocate. Another option is to NOT participate in a system that is unjust, in a policy that is unfair, in a protocol that does more damage than good, in a system that is broken. We can do this silently and in relative obscurity melding in the background within the system. We need not be the Hero or Martyr. And in this process, find allies and leaders, and over time create a movement. This applies to our health-care system, our educational system, politics, governments, regulation of industry, and any place where injustice lies.
Throughout history, the numbers are incalculable with regard to those who chose to do what was right despite all that compelled them to do what was wrong. Soo soo many did this without fanfare and, in fact, did so with great care to avoid exposure.
For the past couple of years in my current position, I've given thought to how these principles could apply to me and the work that I do...about how despite itemized and guided policies I can and should make decisions that are founded more-so on sound clinical judgement rather than fiscal interests. That I need not be the Hero and advertise my dissent but rather sit quietly and serve my clients in the most ethically and clinically sound manner I can muster.
That's enough writing for now...I'll be giving several examples in my next blog entry.
However, I do not author policy and our office's authority has limits. We do not legislate laws or regulations, nor do we make broad fiscal decisions regarding city and county, state, and federal budgets. In other words, I'm a little pee-on.
Other folks all across this country in similar positions of limited authority (theDiscourser included) at times will encounter situations where policy and modus operandi compel us to make decisions and/or maintain a protocol that runs counter to our ethics and values and intelligence. We continue to slog through it knowing that we are but a cog on the wheel...that our dissenting vote mean next to nothing excepting a poor employee evaluation.
So what do we do? Ghandi, Thoureau, Dr. King et.al spoke and wrote at length about campaigning against injustice where ever it may be; from the halls of Congress, to the hallways in our schools, from third world countries, to our gleaming urban cities. They spoke about how all of us have the capacity and the responsibility to reveal injustice in our communities and in our world...but that this knowledge means little without action. HOWEVER, they never intended for us to struggle and battle alone...and that standing up for what you believe was never at the expense of your livelihood or life....that our state, federal, corporate, and global institutions are entities that one man/woman could not possibly challenge by themselves. This was not expected of us.
These visionaries believed that there were other ways an activist can advocate. Another option is to NOT participate in a system that is unjust, in a policy that is unfair, in a protocol that does more damage than good, in a system that is broken. We can do this silently and in relative obscurity melding in the background within the system. We need not be the Hero or Martyr. And in this process, find allies and leaders, and over time create a movement. This applies to our health-care system, our educational system, politics, governments, regulation of industry, and any place where injustice lies.
Throughout history, the numbers are incalculable with regard to those who chose to do what was right despite all that compelled them to do what was wrong. Soo soo many did this without fanfare and, in fact, did so with great care to avoid exposure.
For the past couple of years in my current position, I've given thought to how these principles could apply to me and the work that I do...about how despite itemized and guided policies I can and should make decisions that are founded more-so on sound clinical judgement rather than fiscal interests. That I need not be the Hero and advertise my dissent but rather sit quietly and serve my clients in the most ethically and clinically sound manner I can muster.
That's enough writing for now...I'll be giving several examples in my next blog entry.
posted by supergoober at
1:45 PM
1 Comments:
That's the best way to do things SG....you make decisions. You are paid to make them and are at a professional level to make them. Unlike some, you put actual thought and apply ethics to those decisions. Good for you. I know some that just push buttons so to speak and never ask "Why?".
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