Reptiles eat their young - We must be wiser

     Ideally, the older, wiser members of our profession mentor young colleagues. Mentoring is of course more than handing down techniques, and even more than professional socialization. Mentoring should, above all, be about embodying wisdom and thus helping to nurture the young protege's own wisdom. Wisdom can best be embodied. And regardless of our level of wisdom, we do embody it - it exudes from our every word and action.
     "Wisdom, (according to Barry Schwartz) is 'moral jazz.' A great jazz musician is a genius of improvisation, and so are those who are wise. Wise people also possess simple empathy and the ability to choose among virtues or rules when they conflict. There is often a choice between being honest and being kind, and wise people make the right choice.
     The essential common ingredient for all of these qualities is experience. ... 'No one is born wise; Everyone is born with the capacity to be wise.' That capacity, however, seems to be undermined constantly." http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/publications/observer/2012/july-august-12/war-on-wisdom.html

     Health care continues to be dominated by a macho mentality. This mentality scoffs at patient-centered care, and is openly scornful toward fellow health-care professionals who simply wish to live a balanced life. It displays a stunning level of ignorance and intolerance towards colleagues who experience psychological difficulties.
     Colleagues with cave-man attitudes require counseling, not promotion to leadership positions. We no longer dwell in caves - so let's stop promoting the biggest, (physically) strongest & loudest to lead us. Today, more than ever, we need WISE leadership.
     PS Sadly, the title is based on a common saying: "Nurses eat their young."