I am mad at congress.
I don\’t care if they are Democrats or Republicans, I am sick of healthcare being treated as a political football. How much more of a crisis do we need before we actually start working on a solution? Why does each party have to sit on its side of the aisle shooting spitballs at the other? Each side has its pet issues that are tied to contributors, supporters, and lobbyists. Each side will work to see the other side fail even if the other side is right. Each side seems unable to do anything unless there is political value in it. Power is more important than service, and power is a short-term project.
The real problem is that congress is thinking of short-term political gain while sabotaging the long-term. It\’s like the publicly traded company that works to maximize quarterly profits even if it damages the corporation in the long run. Our society thinks in the short not in the long, and our congressmen are doing so in a way that harms all of us.
I thought of this while I was in the shower this morning. I am not sure if it is the shampoo, but I have thoughts about blog posts while I\’m in the shower. I was getting filled with righteous rage about the stupidity of congress and how they mimic corporate America in short-sightedness.
Then I realized something: I do the same thing in my personal life. I am trying to eat better and exercise, but that brownie in the break room looks awfully tempting. A little indulgence now won\’t hurt in the long-run, will it? I start playing that damned Bejeweled game on Facebook instead of working around the house. It\’s only one night, and I am stressed-out about stuff.
Perhaps it\’s the soap that gets me thinking this way.
Living my life making decisions based on my immediate feelings is the same stupidity that infects congress. I indulge for personal gain in the short-term and let tomorrow\’s crisis build. I have had people younger than me have heart attacks and die; do I really want my last night on earth be spent playing Bejeweled? Worse yet, if I survive and keep acting in this way, do I really want the measure of my life be how many brownies I eat or what my high score is on a game? It\’s not that I don\’t realize I should spend my days better; it\’s just human nature that thinks in the now in ways that harm the future.
Then I thought about my patients: they do the same thing. My patients who are overweight, smokers, alcoholics, non-compliant, in bad relationships, neglecting their children, or hating others because of superficial differences – they are not all that different from me. They are not different from congress. They are living in the now because humans do that. Humans overcharge their credit cards to the point that they can\’t even afford the monthly payments. Humans buy cars with money they don\’t have just to get the warm feeling of having a new toy, and the joy of making others jealous.
It doesn\’t justify stupidity, but it does explain it. I feel righteous anger toward congress because I see the result of their inaction. I see the harm caused to people by a dysfunctional system. My paycheck is affected by it. Congress can\’t resist the brownies; they can\’t stop playing Bejeweled. Congress can\’t stop smoking, or stop spending money on credit cards.
So how do we fight this battle that is all too human? How do we get congress to act in a way that\’s best for us, not them? How do we get ourselves to spend time with the kids, not the blog? How do I get my patients with heart disease to stop smoking?
I don\’t know. I had to get out of the shower.
So very true!
You must have quite a water bill!
The mind set of Congress (both state & federal) is: “if I don't lose something, then I win”. Therefore, let's make certain that something new that might affect what I have does not get passed. This is fueled by special interests, personal gain, etc. While it has always been this way, it seems to have intensified lately and with the 24/7 media/internet, the hype & spin has intensified. People seldom look at all the details to get real answers, just pay attention to the sound bites that confirm their opinion.
As to the brownies; that's a little different. I think of 2 quotes. Jacque Pepin once said on a show when he was making a dish and said that you put in some extra butter or not: “everybody wants to die healthy”. Redd Foxx said: “those health nuts are going to feel pretty stupid some day, lying in a hospital bed dying of nothing”. Occasional brownie; OK. If you're developing a website for the brownie diet; that's another issue.
Congress should pass a law amending human nature!
That would go against their nature.
Okay, so now every time I read a post I will have a mental image of you in the shower with soapy hair.
So much for bloggers blogging in their pajamas….
Love this post!! Lots to think about.
The trouble with that analogy is that it's not your JOB to avoid brownies and playing Facebook games (well, in your free time anyways). Members of Congress are receiving a check for solving these types of problems, are expected to do so with the citizen's best interests at heart….much like the physicianpatient relationship.
Agree with you , John. The point is that if it is something that is bad in my life (and has smaller consequences), how much worse is it done by congress? But knowing what the defect in human nature driving the problem gives us some angle on dealing with it. We know the motivation and the mindset because we see it in ourselves.
I must add that my misuse of time and my body has potentially terrible consequences for my family and kids.
I am sorry to cause you to struggle, Kim.
Dr. Rob, you absolutely nailed it on Congress's shortsightedness. They'll keep posturing while more of us join the “pre-existing conditions tribe” every day. Five surgeries and roughly $90K after being diagnosed with breast cancer, I realized just how much trouble I'd be in if my husband or I were to lose our jobs and health insurance. God bless doctors like you who speak up about all this. I hope they're listening.
P.S. You're a heck of a writer. I'm very happy I stumbled across your blog.
What you are asking is, how do we change our human nature? That's a pretty big question I think. And yet the other side of the coin is important too… I think many of us are so focused on goals, on change, that we forget to enjoy TODAY. Deny yourself that brownie, and get hit by a car tomorrow and die. Shoulda eaten the brownie. Spend your life trying to make money, but never take a vacation and enjoy your earnings.
I think it comes down to balance, really. We need goals. We need to remember the long term effects on what we do today. But at the same time, we need to enjoy today and make the most of it. A little bit of both is necessary I guess.
What you are asking is, how do we change our human nature? That's a pretty big question I think. And yet the other side of the coin is important too… I think many of us are so focused on goals, on change, that we forget to enjoy TODAY. Deny yourself that brownie, and get hit by a car tomorrow and die. Shoulda eaten the brownie. Spend your life trying to make money, but never take a vacation and enjoy your earnings.
I think it comes down to balance, really. We need goals. We need to remember the long term effects on what we do today. But at the same time, we need to enjoy today and make the most of it. A little bit of both is necessary I guess.
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