Goal- or Quality-of-life- oriented?

     Odd question? Maybe, but I suggest it's a fundamentally important, yet neglected one. 

     We often hear the expression that someone's "on a mission" - single-mindedly, even recklessly pursuing a goal. An ambulance rushing a patient to hospital comes to mind. It's a tradeoff - temporarily ignoring everyone's quality of life to achieve a desirable future goal.

     Delayed gratification, however, can easily become a permanent way of life, and seep into professional culture. The scariest examples of this, oddly enough, appear in medical papers on physician burnout and suicide. These papers, written by physicians, are generally discussed in terms of costs to the healthcare system, coldly detached from the suffering experienced by affected physicians and their families. This is goal-orientation beyond the bounds of human decency and mental health.

        Health-care professionals can and need to learn to cultivate far greater compassion for ourselves and our colleagues.

     “With understanding and compassion you will be able to heal the wounds in your heart and the wounds in the world.”                              Thich Nhat Hanh 

Photo: nancy collins   www.dpreview.com