Chardon, Ohio: Searching for Answers

Volcano - A Metaphor of Evil

This past week, I awoke to read a chilling headline in tall black letters that announced that some innocents were shot by an assailant who himself was still a boy. We read these headlines and watch related images every day as the volcanoes of evil around the world never stop spewing out their merciless lava. Why this happens is a question that tests the most erudite theologians, who must try to comfort us and help us to understand what can never be explained.

This wanton murder was not a suicide bombing in Baghdad or a Taliban ambush on NATO troops in Afghanistan. This shooting occurred in Chardon, Ohio, a small town less than half an hour from my home. I remember being there a few years ago for their maple syrup festival. A 17-year-old kid allegedly came to Chardon High School and in a few moments changed the lives of many thousands of innocent people. As I write this, I am still plagued with deep sadness and sharp anger. I cannot fathom how a mind and a heart can become so poisoned that an act of pure evil can be planned and implemented.

There were teachers in the school who put their lives in jeopardy to protect their kids. The very best of humanity and the very worst both appearing in the same tableau.

Since Columbine, we learned that even our schools are not the sacred sanctuaries for our kids as they should be, and they used to be. When I was in high school, my fear was being shaken down for a quarter or getting pushed around on the stairwell. And, we had some fights in the schoolyard. What a difference a few decades make.

I write this before looking at the newspaper this morning. What sanguine greeting awaits me today?

I believe so strongly in forgiveness and redemption, but at times I struggle with both of these virtues. I believe that there is no act that cannot be forgiven, but I admit that for some acts it may be beyond my capacity to do so. Yet, I have seen people forgive the seemingly unforgivable, and I admire them.

Chardon, Ohio is your town too.

Pulpits across the country will admonish us to look skyward for answers. I think this is good advice, because all the rabbis, priests, ministers, imams and ministers here on earth won’t be able to silence the volcanos or explain them.

Comments

When Should Doctors Retire?

I am asked with some regularity whether I am aiming to retire in the near term. Years ago, I never received such inquiries. Why now? Might it be because my coiffure and goatee – although finely-manicured – has long entered the gray area? Could it be because many other even younger physicians have given up their stethoscopes for lives of leisure? (Hopefully, my inquiring patients are not suspecting me of professional performance lapses!) Interestingly, a nurse in my office recently approached me and asked me sotto voce that she heard I was retiring. “Interesting,” I remarked. Since I was unaware of this retirement news, I asked her when would be my last day at work. I have no idea where this erroneous rumor originated from. I requested that my nurse-friend contact her flawed intel source and set him or her straight. Retirement might seem tempting to me as I have so many other interests. Indeed, reading and ...

The VIP Syndrome Threatens Doctors' Health

Over the years, I have treated various medical professionals from physicians to nurses to veterinarians to optometrists and to occasional medical residents in training. Are these folks different from other patients? Are there specific challenges treating folks who have a deep knowledge of the medical profession? Are their unique risks to be wary of when the patient is a medical professional? First, it’s still a running joke in the profession that if a medical student develops an ordinary symptom, then he worries that he has a horrible disease. This is because the student’s experience in the hospital and the required reading are predominantly devoted to serious illnesses. So, if the student develops some constipation, for example, he may fear that he has a bowel blockage, similar to one of his patients on the ward.. More experienced medical professionals may also bring above average anxiety to the office visit. Physicians, after all, are members of...

Inpatient vs Outpatient Care;: Can Doctors Do Both?

Five years ago, I left hospital wards and emergency rooms behind and entered a new & improved medical practice model, at least for me. Since then, I only see patients for office consultations and procedures. Office medicine is a very different trade than hospital practice each having very distinct skill sets. If I were to return to the hospital now to see patients, it would be uncomfortable for me (and them) having not used these skills for years. Similarly, hospital-based doctors might find transitioning to an office practice to be clumsy and uncomfortable. While it might seem that a gastroenterologist or any medical specialist should be able to see patients in any location, this is not the case for most of us. Hospital medical issues are quite different from office medical complaints. Physicians, as in so many other occupations, need repetition in order to maintain high competency levels. There’s a reason, for example, that airline pi...

MD Whistleblower

Search This Blog