Society only pays heed to two groups. The first group includes people who are brilliant at following the rules and supporting the status quo. The second group are the geniuses who know how to break the rules to establish new standards of excellence. The rest of us, of course, are cast into the giant corral of the ordinary.
The first group is made up of successful judges, lawyers, doctors, businessmen, community leaders and some politicians. They uphold society's standards. By definition, most of the contemporary world admires the peak performers in this category. The second group are those who see the world differently and are therefore typically scorned by their contemporaries. They include inventors, artists. and any leader who advances meaningful change against the status quo.
It is the second group that may most interest caregivers. Great religious leaders, including Jesus, fit in this category because they advanced change even at the risk of their lives. In this group are also the great pioneers of medicine and charity: Albert Schweitzer, Mother Theresa, Madame Curie, Florence
Nightingale, Clara Barton. And there's one more you may not know.
In 1847, Elizabeth Blackwell decided she wanted to go to become a physician. She was rejected by virtually every medical school in the country. Finally, she applied to Geneva Medical College in New York. Since admitting women to medical practice was unheard of, the administration asked the students to vote. The only reason Blackwell was accepted was because the students thought the vote was a practical joke! Upon learning the application was serious, horrified students and faculty initially refused to allow her to participate in classroom medical demonstrations.
It requires not only genius but persistence to break through the roles to establish real change. Elizabeth Blackwell was a pioneer who went on to be not only a successful doctor but a model advocate for women's rights.
Yet, as odd as the discrimination against her may seem, a century later, female physicians (as well as lawyers) were still rare. In 1965, in my class of nearly three hundred at George Washington Law School, there were only eight women in our class.
Finally, this injustice has been corrected so that most professional schools run about even numbers of each gender. The rule followers of the 19th century rejected women. The geniuses of change, like Elizabeth Blackwell, found the courage and the intelligence to establish an environment where all could serve. Imagine the reservoir of gifted women that were blocked from practicing physician caregiving before Dr. Blackwell finally knocked down the barriers that kept half of humankind from choosing a particular profession.
Is there a way that this can help all of us today? Does each new generation need to discover that sometimes we need to hear the folks who are trying to blaze new pathways?
Caregivers who practice Radical Loving Care will often find themselves shunned and rebuffed. Loving care often calls us to step outside the rules to meet human needs. May this week be a time when you can come to know even more clearly that the call of Love is more important than the call of the world's rules.
-Rev. Erie Chapman
I appreciate hearing the story of Elizabeth Blackwell and about her courageous persistence. What an impassioned vision she must have had; she was unstoppable. To think she stayed true to her calling and did not let the enormous barriers of the times prevent her from reaching her hearts desire! As I grow older, I realize how important it is to listen and receive the answer of my heart. I speak from my own experience when I say, it is easy to succumb to the status quo, and just go with the flow because I drawn to the path of least resistance. Yet, I hold a vision in my heart (and I embrace your vision) of what healthcare can be. I am fortunate to work with like-minded people and leaders who are committed to changing the status quo. I am grateful for your trailblazing leadership in envisioning Radical Loving Care and for igniting the spark in so many caregivers across the nation. Shifts in the tectonic plates of complacency are occurring. Change is on the move.
Posted by: ~liz Wessel | November 02, 2009 at 08:58 AM
Erie, another day and another opportunity for learning! How clever of you to open this story by sifting through the corral and educating us on those with gifts who stood out and made a difference.
How sad to know the struggle some have made to rise above the rest. Discrimination is so ugly and it holds many caregivers back from sharing their gifts. In today's world I hope to watch discrimination fade away and see more shining stars appear...
Posted by: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1369037609 | November 02, 2009 at 11:33 AM