Bag of Worms

We can all identify with Dr. Glazer. The shocking loneliness in the realizations that confront the new doctor are not for the layman's TV show. It is indeed a heavy coat that we put on when we choose "doctoring" as our commitment. Part of that weight is caused by our hard won knowledge that life does not often measure up to our expectations of justice, fairness, or logic.

There is a mindset nowadays that for every victim, there is an identifiable victimizer. Though it is not said outright, it is implied that the drunk driver was the ironic "lucky one" in this sad story. By contrast, he becomes the villain to the innocents and to the heroes. Yet who in his indignation would trade places with this man?

It is one option to see life in terms of the "deservers" and the "non -deservers." But keeping the faith means believing that after all, a perfectly just and intelligent design or plan will be revealed, for each intolerable loss, hurt, tragedy, or shame. It is by keeping faith with those who came before us, that we leave the judging to someone or something else, and we do what good we can for whom we can while we can. It should not be for us as doctors to pass judgment on the drunk, the thief, the homeless anymore than on the priest, the philanthropist, or the corporate CEO.

Competing interests:   None declared