No Emmy for My Hard Work?
I love attending parties. For one, I get to unwind and spend time with friends. But I also love the opportunity of meeting new people and hearing about their lives. I have long realized that I learn much more from listening than I do from talking and there is no shortage of folks wanting to talk, especially at a party.
This last Friday I attended a cocktail party which was studded with a number of individuals from all walks of life and various professions. As the evening progressed I was introduced to a well-known television celebrity who is both an anchor and a correspondent.
Not surprisingly he told me how much he loves his work and how passionately he feels about the importance of what he does and its effect on forging public opinion. That's a certain formula for happiness and success, I thought. But no surprise there.
The surprise came when I mentioned his legendary reporting from areas of conflict and natural disasters. Sure, he feels scared, he says, but he is also something of an adrenaline junkie and gets close to the action as much for himself as the audience. Does he ever think about the feedback he will receive?
"Absolutely," he said. "Any reporter who says he or she is not trying to beat their competitor to a story, to be more dramatic, or to do an Emmy-award winning story is not telling the truth."
Interesting. This could be just one man's take; talking to someone he met innocuously at a party. But his words made me think.
What if those of us in MLS or medicine in general were driven by the same desire to compete and to be dramatic? That is not a luxury or self-indulgence we can afford. Our focus is just so different; it is concerned with unwavering commitment and consistently sticking to a script regardless of the circumstances or the patient we are serving.
On the other hand, what if we as a profession made it more of a priority to recognize those who make unusual sacrifices every day to serve others. Actors get Emmys or Oscars for doing their job (for which they get paid very well). Singers get Grammys as the icing on their rather rich cake.
Would it be too outrageous to recognize those in other professions like MLS who go over and beyond the call of duty in the service of others? Just a thought.