300,000
By
Leonard Zwelling
When I started blogging, I did so in response to the closing
of the Faculty Voice website by the administration. It seemed that anonymous
posts were not going to be allowed and that put a real damper on things. Dr.
Hollemen and I were the only ones willing to sign our posts and apparently this
was not satisfactory to the powers that be and the Voice was silenced.
As I am never willing to be made to shut up, I started the
blog and the rest is history, I guess, for you have supported this blog for
over a year and we have just run past the 300,000 page views mark, which I find
fairly remarkable.
This is just a brief note to clarify why I am doing it.
First, I have a big mouth and lots of opinions about
everything so this is a natural way to try to generate a following, an absolute
necessity for an egocentric frustrated show biz performer. This will come as no
surprise to anyone who knows me even casually.
Second, I do love MD Anderson and am appalled at what I see
being done to the institution that so nurtured me and my family and friends. I
was blessed in being able to go toe to toe with the previous leadership
although losing most of my battles. I was not delusional about what I saw in
front of me or my limited chances in making a difference. I tried and am proud
of that. I lasted longer there than I did at Legacy. I guess I simply do not
learn. When I see wrong, I tend to want to make it right at any cost. It’s my
nature. This blog is all I have in my armamentarium against the current
detrimental and damaging leadership team running Anderson now. You use what
you’ve got.
Third, American medicine is under attack and losing. The
doctors are on the run being overwhelmed by business interests, insurance
companies, big pharma and the government. The patients don’t even trust us half
the time. They don’t think we spend enough time with them or value their time.
This blog is my small attempt at rallying the troops. As much as I love
Anderson, I love medicine more. I was trained to be a cookie cutter not a
cookie. This is the oven I have been given with which to bake my wares.
Finally, it’s therapeutic. What I write on these pages, I
don’t have to say to someone’s face and annoy them and risk physical harm.
There is an immediate depersonalization of the anger when it is written rather
than roared. That I am angry should come as a surprise to no one either. Anger
is really dissatisfaction about the way things are. Satisfaction is defined as
the absence of desire, so my anger is based on my wanting of things to be
better. Absolutely true and I believe things can always be better (except
perhaps for the song Gimme Shelter by the Rolling Stones which, as my kids will
tell you, I believe to be absolutely perfect in every way).
In this best of all possible worlds, I think we can do
better. Mostly, I think I can do better and will never stop trying. (After all,
I play golf a sport that no one has yet perfected and in which no one has yet
shot an 18).
We are physicians. Our job is Tikkun Olam, to heal the
world. I take that very personally and keep trying and failing, but try I will.
So thanks to all of you who have read the blog over the year
or so and I hope you will keep on reading.
I will try to make it interesting, knowing I will often fail, but
hopefully you will hang on for the good ones.
Please keep the feedback coming by email, comments or phone.
Always appreciated for while I know how many page views I get, I never know who
is reading and that’s the most fun for me. And if you disagree, please know
that I will always give any other opinions space on my blog.
Thank
you. Thank you. Thank you.
