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I Should Not Talk About Politics

I believe my own headline...I should not talk about politics on my optometric consulting page. But, I think that something needs to be said.


If you go back on my page you'll see a post that I created called "Being Human" not long ago. I'm sure that the motivation for me to write this blog was more than just a recent book reading, but also the environment that we live-in at the moment. Throughout my career, I worked directly with students. I have always worried that when terrible events happened in our country and around the world that my students were suffering. I often sat down at my computer in attempt to give them some perspective and historical framing for each event. I vividly remember the killing of George Floyd, deadly hurricanes, January 6th, #MeToo, COVID-19, and so many other times that our country/world faced tragedy. I always worried. How would my students process this information? How were they being impacted by it personally? Would they be knocked off their educational path by the outside world? It was such a small thing, but I always tried to find the right words to remind them that they were doing something - good. Optometry students are doing something good! They are studying to be compassionate health care providers. These are the types of young people that will change the world for the better. We need them more than they need us! So, here we go again with an American tragedy. We have had an assassination attempt on a former president. The images of Donald Trump grabbing his ear and squatting down behind that podium will be embellished into American history forever. It might seem like an odd question to ask, but I wondered "How did this single act of terrible violence impact optometry students?" I'm not sure in what ways it impacted them, but I know that it did. And, as I said before "we need them". So, I'd advise all professors and administrators across the country to take time to listen to optometry students this week. Listen and provide gentle counsel as needed. Give them reassurance that they are still doing the "right thing" by learning to be optometric physicians. They are the ones that represent a better future that will be filled with compassion instead of division. They are the ones that can heal a broken country.


Whether you love Donald Trump or despise him, every American felt something when he was huddled under the bodies of Secret Service agents. I will assume that half of the country have a deep level of pain that their candidate was attacked and the other half of the country are feeling confused with their emotions. I am one of the confused ones. In my lifetime, I have always been proud to be an American. I believe in the ideals of this country that are etched into the base of the Statue of Liberty and on the walls of the capital. I believe in the checks and balances of our branches of government and a peaceful transfer of power. I still feel the emotional impact of people storming the US capital on January 6th. I believe in a free press and freedom of religion. I believe in separation of church and state and that all men/women have the right to pursue happiness. I don't know exactly where, when, or why things have changed so much in recent years. But, I do know that it is not optometry students to blame for this mess.


So, that's as political as I am going to get in my blog, but I ask everyone that may read this to stop being divisive and start showing love for one another. Be the compassionate healers that we are trying to train our students to be. And, for God's sake, never resort to violence in any circumstance. Our evolved and educated minds have shown us there are much better ways to solve conflicts. We don't have to rely on "fight or flight" response like the animals. We can rely upon intellect, wisdom, compassion, and being human. Please!

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