Thursday, January 17, 2002
ENRON AND A PATIENT MAKE ME THINK
This Enron thing is getting uglier and uglier by the day. I had a patient who was a writer and big on keeping up with current events. I was trying to get him to walk a little more (because he had back surgery and could use the exercise to increase his healing, but also because he was lazy). So, I had to think of a hot topic to discuss while we walked to distract him. So, I chose to ask him his opinion of the Enron fiasco. That man suddenly went off on all his issues with the demise of large companies and politicians who lie, cheat, and purposefully hide to escape blame. And let me say that my ploy worked because he walked the entire length of the hallway ... with energy to spare.
But the most interesting he said was, "I'll be dead in 20-30 years so it doens't matter what I think. My time is done. The real question is: What do YOU think about it? How does this make YOU feel? I have to admit that he caught me off-guard with that question. I really hadn't thought about it because I personally didn't lose money in Enron. But the fact is that thousands of Americans did and, as an American, that also affects me. And I became outraged once I read a little bit more on what's been going on. From Treasury Secretary Paul H. O'Neill saying, "I didn't think this [news of Enron's imminent bankruptcy] was worthy of me running across the street telling the president" to Commerce Secretary Don Evans arguing that stockholders knew early enough about the stock's fall to have made their own decisions to sell before the collapse, I have been left feeling disgusted at our government, Enron, and Anderson.
Interesting how one little conversation about current events can promote healing in one patient ... and thinking in the physical therapist.
This Enron thing is getting uglier and uglier by the day. I had a patient who was a writer and big on keeping up with current events. I was trying to get him to walk a little more (because he had back surgery and could use the exercise to increase his healing, but also because he was lazy). So, I had to think of a hot topic to discuss while we walked to distract him. So, I chose to ask him his opinion of the Enron fiasco. That man suddenly went off on all his issues with the demise of large companies and politicians who lie, cheat, and purposefully hide to escape blame. And let me say that my ploy worked because he walked the entire length of the hallway ... with energy to spare.
But the most interesting he said was, "I'll be dead in 20-30 years so it doens't matter what I think. My time is done. The real question is: What do YOU think about it? How does this make YOU feel? I have to admit that he caught me off-guard with that question. I really hadn't thought about it because I personally didn't lose money in Enron. But the fact is that thousands of Americans did and, as an American, that also affects me. And I became outraged once I read a little bit more on what's been going on. From Treasury Secretary Paul H. O'Neill saying, "I didn't think this [news of Enron's imminent bankruptcy] was worthy of me running across the street telling the president" to Commerce Secretary Don Evans arguing that stockholders knew early enough about the stock's fall to have made their own decisions to sell before the collapse, I have been left feeling disgusted at our government, Enron, and Anderson.
Interesting how one little conversation about current events can promote healing in one patient ... and thinking in the physical therapist.
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