A sick man does not call in a physician who is eloquent; but if it so happens that the physician who can cure him likewise discourses elegantly about the treatment which is to be followed, the patient will take it in good part.
For all that, he will not find any reason to congratulate himself on having discovered a physician who is eloquent. For the case is no different from that of a skilled pilot who is also handsome. Why do you tickle my ears? Why do you entertain me? There is other business at hand; I am to be cauterized, operated upon, or put on a diet. That is why you were summoned to treat me!
You are required to cure a disease that is chronic and serious—one which affects the general weal. You have as serious a business on hand as a physician has during a plague.
Are you concerned about words? Rejoice this instant if you can cope with things. When shall you learn all that there is to learn? When shall you so plant in your mind that which you have learned, that it cannot escape? When shall you put it all into practice?
For it is not sufficient merely to commit these things to memory, like other matters; they must be practically tested. He is not happy who only knows them, but he who does them.
—from Seneca, Moral Letters 75
The wife and I unfortunately find ourselves working for pious cheapskates, so we must go through the annual ritual of signing up for a new health plan, by whichever insurer happens to demand the highest employee contributions at that moment. With this also comes the unenviable task of choosing a new primary care provider from the approved list, which is not so much different from drawing straws.
If we look up reviews about these doctors, all we find are comments about their bedside manner. How did he treat that nasty case of the shingles? No matter, he had a nice smile! Did she take careful notes about your allergy symptoms? I don’t remember, but she soothed me with her gentle voice.
Will racing stripes improve the performance of my lawnmower? Do you think the model in the bikini makes the burgers taste any better? While it probably can’t hurt, I’m not sure it will really help. The same is true about a philosopher with a silver tongue, whose skill at expression will be of little use if he doesn’t already have something of substance to express.
And though you might laugh, I do believe that just as much is at stake in philosophy as there is in medicine, for both are sciences of healing, one for the soul and the other for the body. That the PhD must beg for table scraps, while the MD is assured of worldly prosperity, is merely a proof of our confusion, not of our progress.
It takes more than fine words to find a cure for the plague, and fiery speeches are not enough to assure any peace of mind. There is a good reason why you shouldn’t buy your medicine at a carnival, or seek out your wisdom in the pages of a glossy magazine: a doctor, of any variety, is only worth your time when he can show you the results.
The wife and I unfortunately find ourselves working for pious cheapskates, so we must go through the annual ritual of signing up for a new health plan, by whichever insurer happens to demand the highest employee contributions at that moment. With this also comes the unenviable task of choosing a new primary care provider from the approved list, which is not so much different from drawing straws.
If we look up reviews about these doctors, all we find are comments about their bedside manner. How did he treat that nasty case of the shingles? No matter, he had a nice smile! Did she take careful notes about your allergy symptoms? I don’t remember, but she soothed me with her gentle voice.
Will racing stripes improve the performance of my lawnmower? Do you think the model in the bikini makes the burgers taste any better? While it probably can’t hurt, I’m not sure it will really help. The same is true about a philosopher with a silver tongue, whose skill at expression will be of little use if he doesn’t already have something of substance to express.
And though you might laugh, I do believe that just as much is at stake in philosophy as there is in medicine, for both are sciences of healing, one for the soul and the other for the body. That the PhD must beg for table scraps, while the MD is assured of worldly prosperity, is merely a proof of our confusion, not of our progress.
It takes more than fine words to find a cure for the plague, and fiery speeches are not enough to assure any peace of mind. There is a good reason why you shouldn’t buy your medicine at a carnival, or seek out your wisdom in the pages of a glossy magazine: a doctor, of any variety, is only worth your time when he can show you the results.
Don’t settle for half measures when it comes to your happiness.
—Reflection written in 10/2013
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