April 14, 2003
Don't faint - here is a philosphy of government
Government should help – not hinder, and not dominate. I thought of a metaphor for this recently during my day job.
Let’s back up. One of the programs I am responsible for at the University of Washington is the annual Mini-Medical School. Every year, we invite several hundred people to attend seven lectures on Wednesday evenings. They learn about medicine, about the latest in treatments and cures, and what it takes to become a doctor.
This was the first year when we invited several of the attendees to visit the gross anatomy lab. In civilian-speak, that means it’s the lab where medical students see the human body close up. In other wards, it is where the medical school keeps cadavers.
The cadavers are of men and women who have agreed to donate the use of their bodies for study. This is an incredible gift, when you think about it. Sure, the soul has moved to its reward – but all of us feel pretty proprietary about our bodies.
We had previously asked attendees to understand that this was not a sight for the squeamish. That night, the director of the lab gave an hourlong presentation about what students could expect to see inside the lab – aspects of our circulatory system. He also spoke candidly that if people felt weak, they might not want to enter the lab, or if they felt funny, they might want to leave.
Then, we divided 60 people into six groups, and they entered the gross anatomy lab.
I had a pretty easy job during the lab itself. My job was to watch the faces of attendees, and try to determine which, if any, would faint. The patients had already agreed to the risk; but we did not want anyone to fall on the floor for obvious reasons. A number of people gave me faint smiles – they knew full well why we had a couple of people prowling around looking for signs of trouble.
As I looked around, I had a very vulnerable thought; I realized that I had no idea who might faint or not. Some people were clearly mesmerized with the incredible insights offered by an up-close look at the human body. Other people looked very, very serious. Nobody was turning white, or rolling their eyes like people do in the movies before they faint.
One of my colleagues warned me that she thought a very, very tall man might be about to faint. I tried to keep an eye on him. He looked somber, nothing more. Suddenly, he pitched forward and I started to leap. But then he stopped; he had turned quickly to get a better look and was peering deep into a torso. He sure was not about to faint.
One woman, however, was leaning against a wall. That concerned me, and so I walked over and asked how she felt. Fine, she said, reassuring me. But she continued to lean against the wall with a certain, well, look, in her eyes..
Something told me to go grab one of the stools from the other side of the room, and put the stool by her. I whispered something like, “Just in case…” and quickly walked away because I did not want her to feel self-conscious. Sure enough, she looked a little dazed and sat down. A few minutes later, she got up and began looked into the body again.
After a few minutes, we had the groups switch tables to see different aspects of the body that guides were available to speak about. The young lady walked away from her chair. I did not know what to do at first, but I decided it might be a good idea to have the chair nearby. So I again lifted the chair, and took it over a few feet from her.
Sure enough, she sat in it for a few minutes before getting up again.
The groups then traded tables a third and final time. The tables were about 15 feet apart, so once again, the chair was too far. I picked it up and placed it near the student for a third time. I felt funny chasing the student with a chair, but somehow it made sense. I don’t know if she would have fainted. But she sat down again, so I know she appreciated the chair.
Now, this, I submit, is the purpose of government: to provide the chair so that people have a place to go when they are in trouble. You make sure people have a fair opportunity; and you expect them to stand on their own. Likewise, you don’t force someone into the chair before they are ready. You don’t put the chair on the other side of the room so it is hard to get to. You put the chair where someone can reach it. In doing so, you help people find their own level of comfort, without meddling too much or too little.
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