Making Your Community Your Home

"Thank You," "Thanks," "I appreciate your service," "Great job," "Ata Boy/Girl," "Excellent job" and "I’m glad for your time" are all words that are not said often enough.  Watching the Super Bowl on Sunday and working at the VA Hospital, I noticed that in the United States we are taught (and to a point indoctrinated) to respect the women and men that are in our Armed Forces and to provide congratulatory words of praise for their service to the country that we all live in.   When these words are said to the Veterans at the hospital, I notice a change immediately in their morale as they unexpectedly are placed in a position where they are now being thanked for their service by their service provider.  They tend to stand up straighter, become a little bit more serious, and take on a position as a representative of the Armed Forces, rather than patient John Doe there for their knee problems.  This instantaneous moment of pride, humility and self-congratulation, shows that it is not only worthy of our time to show our appreciation, but we can also provide someone who could have been having a bad or mediocre day the push need to return their focus on the great things they have accomplished to get to that moment.   So why do we not say thanks to those people who have provided some benefit in our lives more often?

Just Doing My Job

We all have jobs where we are required to deal with a certain amount of financial awareness of our employers needs -- the reason we were hired.  At times we may lose sight of this, but management is usually there to remind us of why we were hired, but in some industries this is conveyed in a circumvented way.  Coined sayings such as, “for patient care,” or “to reduce healthcare costs,” are some of the think tank terms used to say "because I want you to do this," or "we won’t get reimbursed if you do that."  This narrow-minded view is no different than a company looking to make profit on a quarterly basis versus a yearly basis.  As managers are pushed towards making short term gains, the long term picture is lost leading to disappointing year-end reports and financial statements.  Though told by management that customer service is important, even the most dimwitted of us knows that this is not what they truly want.  So in the end, no matter what industry you are working in, you may feel like you are just doing your job (Dr. Walks 6 Miles in Snow Storm to Perform Surgery).   

So how can this cycle of lost guidance be changed and refocused on what is the most vital thing for any company, satisfied customers?  From my experience being bilingual has changed my perspective on medicine tremendously.  My English speaking patients when I work in a community or private hospital, go online or get advice from a friend and come to the office with preconceived notions.  They tell me their symptoms, and in some cases try and lead me down a path to the diagnosis and medication that they believe is best for them.  Should I go down a path of questioning that is not to their liking, they will try to guide me back to their line of thinking and in some cases they will get frustrated should I not provide them the drug or test they sought.  My Spanish speaking patients on the other hand, will tell me their problems and issues and will ask for my guidance.  In the end they will thank me for my service and share a quick smile before going on their way.  As a side note, my biggest concern with the patient population here in Texas is they are constantly worried about when they can return to work and they will try and guide me down a path to get me to provide unmedically sound advice to return to work.  In the end, patient encounters are always welcoming when you feel not only that you helped someone by educating them about their ailment, but also that they appreciated you taking your time to make sure you did your best to get the right answer.  In those moments the idea of good customer service, profit margins and earnings do not matter as humility, pride and a feeling of self-worth fills any void that day had created.

The Challenge

So we should ask, how can we make sure that we as a nation, society or world community have better lives and days?  Well there are a few words you can say to those close to you, or those who provide various services to you.  There are teachers, doctors, lawyers, technicians, bankers, nurses, paralegals, servers and janitors who go into work and are harbored with the idea that making more money will bring happiness or maybe provide for a more fruitful life, but sometimes the best connections are offline.  Instead of clicking the Like button on Facebook, why not tell someone in person, “That makes a lot of sense, I never thought of it that way,” or “Thanks for teaching me about this issue. I understand it a little bit better now.”  This builds trust, and makes those who are providing the service more eager to maintain that trust and provide you with great service.  Since I was young I have befriended the workers to bosses and treated each one the same and thanked them in the same manner.  The janitors in my grade school, the field worker of my college baseball stadium, the service people at my apartment during medical school and now those who work in the VA and my private hospital.  They are told "Thank You," "Thanks," "Great Job," "Thanks for letting me know," and even "Good morning, how are you doing today?" 

Bill Clinton is famous for making a person feeling as if they were the only person in the room.   Whether it is true or not, he has received thanks and jeers alike, but in the end people always walk away with a smile.   None of us are a number; none of us are a simple service provider.  So go out of your way every day and try and say "Thank You" to someone who didn’t expect it and eventually maybe everyone will understand why it can be better to give than it is to receive.

Till Then.

Pigmentation's Useless Importance

African-American is a relatively new term given to a group of people who “historically” were brought over to the Americas via vessels and were assimilated against their will to live and become today’s generic African-Americans.  But like all things, the farther back you go the more you’ll realize that these people are not the original people from Africa to have made it the Americas.  To be factual about our origins and generational diasporas that have occurred since we could ambulate on two legs, all of us that now reside in the United States of America have our origin in Africa and are now living in America.  That uneducated term is reluctantly, if at all applied to White/Caucasian people who have moved to the United States and are simply labelled by whatever perfunctory term best suits them.

This post initially was born to explain the wonders and dynamics of traveling, but as “way leads on to way, I doubt if I ever shall come back.”  A favorite quote of mine, from Robert Frost in The Road Not Taken, is how I wanted to illustrate the beauties of opening your mind. But as I went on my tangent, I realized there was a more poignant and interesting post that could be written first.  

Race, as defined by the authoritative Merriam-Webster is, “a group of persons who come from the same ancestor.”  How far back must the ancestral line be? Could it define tribes or groups of people in the Amazonian regions as belonging to a separate race or are they simply just, “Natives” or “Native Americans?”  I travel not to visit the Turkish Race, or the Swedish Race nor the European Race, but it is to eat and learn about another culture.  Webster’s defines this word as being, “a particular society that has its own beliefs, ways of life, art, etc.”  Let’s take myself for instance, for those that simply will look at my photo, and the brief synopsis of my past would classify me as an African-American, my parents on the other hand would consider me to be a West Indian, and my Turkish friend simply calls me an Arab.  What’s the truth?  Wikipedia probably has the best definition of what I am, a Third Culture Child, but the true story is I’m a West Indian national who was born in the Middle East and raised there till I went to high school in the United States.  My educational yearning years took place in Connecticut, my early dating years were influenced by the Orlando area, but my educated and refining years took place in Washington DC.  And now, my professional lifestyle is gaining some influence from the Dallas area.

So, do I think I’m special?  No, I don’t think anyone is special or has a particular characteristic that is unique, the characteristics that we are comprised of does however make us special.  Race is no more important than a person’s height, eye color or weight.  These are features that may help us find a mate, or someone who you would enjoy doing like activities with, but they do not tell you anything about the person.  History tends to repeat itself as do sayings, such as “don’t judge a book by it’s cover”.  I challenge all who read this to listen to yourselves and friends when they make uneducated comments about another person’s race to correct themselves or their friend’s comments.

It is in this author’s opinion that one could be understood by the cultural traits they exemplify if defining an individual into a large group is necessary.  This could range from the Portenos of Buenos Aires to the hip hop culture portrayed by many different races.   Some of the fears of the late 70s and 80s were that a little white boy may listen to the hip hop music and be influenced and moved by it and be drawn “down” to that level.  I believe a Mr. Marshall Mathers would disagree with that theory, as would the many Producers, DJs, and Corporate Executives whose wealth is based on that industry.  Cultures are rich, full, unpredictable and for the most part they do not make any sense at all.  They do things in a certain way for a reason that may be outdated or silly, but it helps define that particular culture.  Whether they are characterized as German or American cold or Hispanic and Italian warm it is fascinating to see what these people of one race have become as individuals.  

I leave with this note that is geared towards my current hometown and many in America; just because his last name is Cruz, he may not be an undocumented illegal immigrant living under the radar and driving without insurance.  Then again, there are many things about Senator Ted Cruz that would not surprise me.

Till then.