Skip to main content

Whistleblower Wishes Readers Merry Christmas!

A close acquaintance of mine voiced objection to the lighting of the National Christmas tree, which occurred on the first day of this month.  Red, white and blue LED lights were illuminated.  I find no offense in this practice, which for me is a secularized event, even though I acknowledge its connection to the Christmas season.   Kids who visited Santa, as I did decades ago, do so in the days and weeks before Christmas.  Neither Santa nor his elves visit us during Arbor Day, the Fourth of July or Veterans Day.  He is connected with Christmas, although like the tree, his purpose is far removed from the true religious meaning of December 25th

A Christmas tree is not quite the nativity scene.  Readers who have more knowledge of the New Testament than I can inform us if a Christmas tree with a star on top and wrapped gifts underneath is mentioned in the Gospels.  Perhaps, Santa truly is a religious figure, since like the three wise men, he comes bearing gifts.


Religious icon?  
Santa and saint are separated by only 1 letter.  Hmm...

I am sure that many children have contemplated the mystery of how Santa was able to appear in so many department stores simultaneously.  Any thoughts here?   I assumed that his reindeer simply transported him at supersonic speed, although, perhaps, there is another explanation.

Similarly, I do not fine our national motto ‘in God we trust’ offensive or a violation of the separation of church and state.  It has taken on, in my view, a secular meaning.

Fear of offense has led many individuals and organization to sanitize their Christmas greetings using phrases that contain all the mirth and meaning of a recorded phone menu message from airline companies.  Doesn’t Seasons Greetings really nail it?  How about Happy Holidays?

At 4 p.m. today the National Menorah will be kindled on the White House grounds.  The menorah, arguably more of a religious symbol than a tree, is generally not the object of public protest. Both the menorah and the tree are illuminated.   Who would object to bringing a little more light into the world?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Why Most Doctors Choose Employment

Increasingly, physicians today are employed and most of them willingly so.  The advantages of this employment model, which I will highlight below, appeal to the current and emerging generations of physicians and medical professionals.  In addition, the alternatives to direct employment are scarce, although they do exist.  Private practice gastroenterology practices in Cleveland, for example, are increasingly rare sightings.  Another practice model is gaining ground rapidly on the medical landscape.   Private equity (PE) firms have   been purchasing medical practices who are in need of capital and management oversight.   PE can provide services efficiently as they may be serving multiple practices and have economies of scale.   While these physicians technically have authority over all medical decisions, the PE partners can exert behavioral influences on physicians which can be ethically problematic. For example, if the PE folks reduce non-medical overhead, this may very directly affe

Should Doctors Wear White Coats?

Many professions can be easily identified by their uniforms or state of dress. Consider how easy it is for us to identify a policeman, a judge, a baseball player, a housekeeper, a chef, or a soldier.  There must be a reason why so many professions require a uniform.  Presumably, it is to create team spirit among colleagues and to communicate a message to the clientele.  It certainly doesn’t enhance professional performance.  For instance, do we think if a judge ditches the robe and is wearing jeans and a T-shirt, that he or she cannot issue sage rulings?  If members of a baseball team showed up dressed in comfortable street clothes, would they commit more errors or achieve fewer hits?  The medical profession for most of its existence has had its own uniform.   Male doctors donned a shirt and tie and all doctors wore the iconic white coat.   The stated reason was that this created an aura of professionalism that inspired confidence in patients and their families.   Indeed, even today

Electronic Medical Records vs Physicians: Not a Fair Fight!

Each work day, I enter the chamber of horrors also known as the electronic medical record (EMR).  I’ve endured several versions of this torture over the years, monstrosities that were designed more to appeal to the needs of billers and coders than physicians. Make sense? I will admit that my current EMR, called Epic, is more physician-friendly than prior competitors, but it remains a formidable adversary.  And it’s not a fair fight.  You might be a great chess player, but odds are that you will not vanquish a computer adversary armed with artificial intelligence. I have a competitive advantage over many other physician contestants in the battle of Man vs Machine.   I can type well and can do so while maintaining eye contact with the patient.   You must think I am a magician or a savant.   While this may be true, the birth of my advanced digital skills started decades ago.   (As an aside, digital competence is essential for gastroenterologists.) During college, I worked as a secretary