The U.S. government and the U.S. healthcare system have a lot in common. Both have gotten too big to manage and each is fraught with greed and waste. However, the most disturbing trait they share is the fact that neither is particularly good at addressing real problems.
Instead of looking for the underlying causes of things like bank failures and poverty, our government breaks out the pen and drafts legislation or regulation. Those are very blunt instruments and show a lack of willingness to confront things like greed and social irresponsibility directly.
Our healthcare system is fueled by people with health problems, but those problems rarely get dealt with directly. Instead, the focus is on managing symptoms. This is precisely why Big Pharma is so, well, BIG. Pills do not address problems like neglectful parents or loveless marriages. They attack the physical symptoms that arise from those underlying emotional toxins.
Why are we so afraid to confront our shortcomings? I guess it's probably political suicide for a senator to tell a constituent he is a bad parent or a selfish schmuck. It's too uncomfortable for many physicians to tell a patient she is obese and needs to deal with it ASAP.
I'm still waiting for the "change we need." Unfortunately, it's not going to come from Washington. It can only come from the people.
Friday, January 22, 2010
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2 comments:
A certain talk show host here in Atlanta is fond of ascribing to poor individual choices all kinds of legal, health and social problems. It's true, of course, but I have yet to figure out at what developmental age a child born and reared in a toxic environment with no way out, no positive role models and no outside intervention should begin making good choices.
Stated another way, how do we resolve universal problems with individual approaches? Or, since all chains are only as strong as their weakest link, can we?
Awareness is very important. People need to see that there are ways of change their life for the better. We all need to see that there is hope for a better society.
Once the awareness is out there, individuals can take steps to overcome the past experiences that are weighing them down individually. Dr. David Simon of The Chopra Center has a process that helps people remove the emotional "baggage" that resides deep within them, which in turn triggers profound physical healing.
A significant portion of the problems in this country stem from poor parenting. We have to take a test to drive a car, but we don't in order to have children. It's frightening because someone can do far more damage by being a bad, or even inadequate, parent than they ever could with a car.
Reading Deepak Chopra and David Simon has significantly improved my quality of life. Living in the present is so much better than living in the past and future. I wish more people could see that!
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