The Information Paradox
Has anyone else ever noticed that it is the people with the least information that are the most vigilant to expel it?
At the beginning of my medical training, it was always rewarding to proffer a nugget to someone, likely related to some recent lecture. I knew I didn't know much, but if I could help someone just a little, then super. Unfortunately, this practice is dangerous if taken too seriously by the recipient. Medical advice should take into account both the forest and the trees, not just a particular tree that looks vaguely familiar. Luckily for me and for anyone who was asking, I always knew my knowledge was incomplete, and provisioned any advice with this as well as the recommendation to go see a physician.
It is 8am, and I'm sitting in a Panera in Catonsville while my car gets its maintenance ($1700 for maintenance???). There are a few things that have gained my peripheral attention. The first is an overweight guy in his 50s with bad glasses, too much coffee, hair slicked back in the rear, no hair to slick any which way in the front, and a matching set of sweats. He's reading a book titled something along the lines of, "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership". He is also tabbing the good parts. My initial thoughts aren't very nice. But then again, most of what I blog about isn't very nice. So here goes...if you're in your 50s and haven't learned about leadership yet, you're probably not much of a success in either your business or personal life. This thought is reinforced when you're in a low rent suburb of a low caliber city on a weekday wearing sweats. But I hope he gets what he's looking for. At least he's not at home tweaking the rabbit ears to get a better reception of "Jerry Springer". And it's not like I've been a productive member of society lately either.
My second thought--and this is more relevant to the blog, I swear--is about a 350+ pound man who recently sat near me. He saw a young woman sitting alone studying and of course figured this was the perfect chance to hit on her. What a trainwreck. Anyhow, she starts telling him how she's studying to become a nurse. You can tell she's not one yet...too nice still. And she talks about her exam, "It's, like, multiple hours long!" (No fucking way. Hours??) But anyhow, as it usually goes, people looking for something to talk about with medical people go one of three different ways:
1. Do you watch Gray's Anatomy/ER/House/Scrubs?
2. I think medicine is all wrong. I believe in mystery herbs.
3. My thing hurts. What's wrong? (Implied: fix me with words).
4. *Bonus for psych #1*--Boy, do I have some business for you!!!
5. *Bonus for psych #2*--Do you analyze people you meet? Wait, are you analyzing me now?? *worried look*...........*awkward silence with poor eye contact*
6. *Bonus for psych #3*--See #2 above. (Implied: Tom Cruise was good in "Top Gun" so he must be right about religion and medicine too).
Again, I digress.
So this guy goes route #3. Shocker, his hip hurts....he's 350+ pounds. He's lucky that's all that hurts. Watching him eat makes my heart hurt! So his hip hurts and his knee is giving out on him. "What's going on?" he asks. Wait, wait, wait. What's going on?? You're a billion pounds! Don't eat breakfast, pleeeeeease. And then walk home. (Oh, and stop hitting on this girl. It's grossing me out.) The super nursing student's reply: "It's probably nothing". Wha? If you're going to try to help, at least say go see a doctor. If you're trying to blow him off, just say go see a doctor. But it's probably nothing?! There's missing the forest for the trees. And then there's this. She eventually asked some bad questions and then couldn't figure it out and lost interest. It was tragic.
My point is this...it is interesting that when I was armed with less information, I was more willing to help. My reality today is that I'm finding it difficult to take on the medical/psychosocial burdens of those I know, not to mention total strangers in my free time. If I see an accident. If I see an emergency. If I see an opportunity to really intervene to do some good for someone, okay, count me in. But now I know enough to see that most people need help in one way or another. Screening colonoscopy, mammogram, bloodwork for cholesterol, blood pressure control. Depression screenings, marital counseling, anger management. Some people want the advice while others do not. Ultimately, no one wants a stranger in Panera to tell you simply you're just too fat, regardless of your training. And whereas my inner compassion makes me want to help--compels me to share his burden--that attitude makes me a life raft with just too many on board. Ultimately we would all go down. And therein is my understanding of the phenomenon. People train to accrue special expertise in a sought commodity. If you make it freely available, ultimately there are too many takers, and it consumes you.
After all, physician heal thyself.
At the beginning of my medical training, it was always rewarding to proffer a nugget to someone, likely related to some recent lecture. I knew I didn't know much, but if I could help someone just a little, then super. Unfortunately, this practice is dangerous if taken too seriously by the recipient. Medical advice should take into account both the forest and the trees, not just a particular tree that looks vaguely familiar. Luckily for me and for anyone who was asking, I always knew my knowledge was incomplete, and provisioned any advice with this as well as the recommendation to go see a physician.
It is 8am, and I'm sitting in a Panera in Catonsville while my car gets its maintenance ($1700 for maintenance???). There are a few things that have gained my peripheral attention. The first is an overweight guy in his 50s with bad glasses, too much coffee, hair slicked back in the rear, no hair to slick any which way in the front, and a matching set of sweats. He's reading a book titled something along the lines of, "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership". He is also tabbing the good parts. My initial thoughts aren't very nice. But then again, most of what I blog about isn't very nice. So here goes...if you're in your 50s and haven't learned about leadership yet, you're probably not much of a success in either your business or personal life. This thought is reinforced when you're in a low rent suburb of a low caliber city on a weekday wearing sweats. But I hope he gets what he's looking for. At least he's not at home tweaking the rabbit ears to get a better reception of "Jerry Springer". And it's not like I've been a productive member of society lately either.
My second thought--and this is more relevant to the blog, I swear--is about a 350+ pound man who recently sat near me. He saw a young woman sitting alone studying and of course figured this was the perfect chance to hit on her. What a trainwreck. Anyhow, she starts telling him how she's studying to become a nurse. You can tell she's not one yet...too nice still. And she talks about her exam, "It's, like, multiple hours long!" (No fucking way. Hours??) But anyhow, as it usually goes, people looking for something to talk about with medical people go one of three different ways:
1. Do you watch Gray's Anatomy/ER/House/Scrubs?
2. I think medicine is all wrong. I believe in mystery herbs.
3. My thing hurts. What's wrong? (Implied: fix me with words).
4. *Bonus for psych #1*--Boy, do I have some business for you!!!
5. *Bonus for psych #2*--Do you analyze people you meet? Wait, are you analyzing me now?? *worried look*...........*awkward silence with poor eye contact*
6. *Bonus for psych #3*--See #2 above. (Implied: Tom Cruise was good in "Top Gun" so he must be right about religion and medicine too).
Again, I digress.
So this guy goes route #3. Shocker, his hip hurts....he's 350+ pounds. He's lucky that's all that hurts. Watching him eat makes my heart hurt! So his hip hurts and his knee is giving out on him. "What's going on?" he asks. Wait, wait, wait. What's going on?? You're a billion pounds! Don't eat breakfast, pleeeeeease. And then walk home. (Oh, and stop hitting on this girl. It's grossing me out.) The super nursing student's reply: "It's probably nothing". Wha? If you're going to try to help, at least say go see a doctor. If you're trying to blow him off, just say go see a doctor. But it's probably nothing?! There's missing the forest for the trees. And then there's this. She eventually asked some bad questions and then couldn't figure it out and lost interest. It was tragic.
My point is this...it is interesting that when I was armed with less information, I was more willing to help. My reality today is that I'm finding it difficult to take on the medical/psychosocial burdens of those I know, not to mention total strangers in my free time. If I see an accident. If I see an emergency. If I see an opportunity to really intervene to do some good for someone, okay, count me in. But now I know enough to see that most people need help in one way or another. Screening colonoscopy, mammogram, bloodwork for cholesterol, blood pressure control. Depression screenings, marital counseling, anger management. Some people want the advice while others do not. Ultimately, no one wants a stranger in Panera to tell you simply you're just too fat, regardless of your training. And whereas my inner compassion makes me want to help--compels me to share his burden--that attitude makes me a life raft with just too many on board. Ultimately we would all go down. And therein is my understanding of the phenomenon. People train to accrue special expertise in a sought commodity. If you make it freely available, ultimately there are too many takers, and it consumes you.
After all, physician heal thyself.
posted by jerm at 08:13
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