Starting a Wave to Heal Healthcare

Posted by on July 22, 2013 in Get Off the Sidelines, Ken's Blogs

Starting a Wave to Heal Healthcare

I’ve been talking a lot lately about a major passion of mine, that being “healing the healthcare system”. Whenever I get into a discussion with someone, I feel my own passion, I feel my energy rising. It’s a feeling of “life purpose”, and if you’ve ever had that feeling, you’ll know exactly what I mean. Almost surely the most common feedback I get during a discussion is along the lines of “love what you’re doing, love your message, keep it up, it will take time.” Lately I’ve started to smile back and simply say “why?”

Why will it take time? For months I have been telling people that we’re a lot closer than we think. I keep using the phrase “we’re at the 49% point”, so close to tipping the scale, so close to a solution. I want to share a couple of stories, then ask if you’re ready to help tip the scales.

I picked up a book the other day called “How to Change the World” and in it was the story of the Berlin Wall coming down in Germany in 1989, a pretty significant historical event. As the story is related, the politicians ended up taking the credit but do you know what really happened?

On the twentieth anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down, ‘world leaders’ flew in to Germany to deliver speeches to the listening masses.

It was striking that they came to take credit for this particular historical event, because world leaders had had very little to do with the Wall’s collapse. In reality, the barrier between East and West Berlin was pulled down because many ordinary Berliners did something very small. Having witnessed ‘people power’ effecting significant change in several neighbouring countries, and following massive protests elsewhere in East Germany, they merely turned up at the border to see what was going on. Soldiers at the control post, overwhelmed and likewise conscious of what had recently happened in neighbouring countries, opened the way for them to cross freely from one side of the city to the other. Soon after, the wall having ceased to be an effective barrier, it was pulled down. The fact that ‘world leaders’ took the credit does not diminish the achievement, but does suggest that, when changing the world, we can’t necessarily expect recognition for it.

Or have you ever been to a baseball game where they do “the wave”, where people stand and raise their hands high into the air, section after section around the stadium, creating a wave effect? Think about how this started the very first time. One or two people had the idea to try this, so they probably chatted to a few other people around them, and then they tried to get everyone to do it. They surely failed miserably the first time, and probably the second and third times as well. But eventually enough people decided to join in, and finally people decided that they’d rather be part of the larger group that was participating than the smaller group that wasn’t. In the end almost everyone was participating, and a new tradition was born. Then people in other cities, at other sporting events, decided to see if they could duplicate the process, and it worked. Now you see the wave at sporting and other events all over the world.

So what started as an idea with a small number of folks – reality is that there is probably one person that started the idea – became something that happens all over the world. In a very short time, what started as a “crazy idea” became something that spread like wildfire.

How do these stories relate to healing healthcare and my assertion that we’re closer than we think? My simple premise behind healing healthcare is that when we start focusing on, finding and dealing with root causes, instead of simply masking symptoms, then the side effect will be that we will heal the health care system. We will be focused on the “care” instead of being focused on the “system”. When patients, as a whole, realize and insist that recognizing and dealing with stressors, diet and other root causes of physical symptoms as they occur, can resolve symptoms naturally in a very high percentage of cases, we will have changed the face of healthcare. When people realize that their own thoughts, choices, and actions have the biggest impact on their health, they will no longer give their power away to a system that focuses on masking symptoms. A grass roots effort of patients and others that are sick and tired of being sick and tired will be the impetus for activating ‘people power’ to change the way that we look at health and healing.

And here’s the rub. There are people all over the world that have the same or similar beliefs and they are doing their part to encourage and inspire people to take charge of their own health and happiness. They are starting their own wave in their own communities. They have already failed a few times in their attempts to get the masses on board for a full-fledged wave, but they’re not giving up. They’re so close. People are realizing that it’s okay to be part of the group that’s participating, and they’re almost ready to participate themselves. The next attempt just might create a full-fledged wave in their community. We are so close to tipping the scales that success is inevitable.

Are you ready to participate? Are you one of the early adopters, one of the ones that gets involved and shares stories like this to do your part to further a solution? Or are you ready to stand up with the crowd, now that the crowd is getting larger? Do you still think we’re a long ways away? Do you still think it will take a long time? Is it time for ‘people power’ to create a full-fledged wave? Do you think we’re at the tipping point? 

Oh yeah, that story about the Berlin Wall coming down. How else does that relate? Once the masses decided that change was necessary, there really wasn’t anything that was going to stop it. And I think that’s the case here too. The wave has been started folks. It has been started in communities all over the world. And it’s not going to stop. And, in my humble opinion, it’s not going to take a whole lot more time to become full-fledged.

I just hope the politicians don’t decide to take credit for this one (smile). I’d love to hear your thoughts in the Comments section below.

Namaste, Ken

If you’d like to make sure you don’t miss a blog post, sign up for our newsletter.

Written by Ken

Ken Jaques describes himself as a Health Care Evolutionary, Community Builder, and Speaker. True healing begins when we treat root causes instead of just masking symptoms. Diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in 2008, Ken has experienced many facets of the health care system. As “the only patient who ever lost their hair on this low of a dosage of chemotherapy” – as spoken by his rheumatologist – Ken has been on an amazing journal of self-discovery, a journey of true healing. In his blog, Ken shares stories of how his beliefs have changed over the past few years, and how they are still changing. Is it possible that our bodies can heal themselves? Do we really have to live without hope after we receive a chronic illness diagnosis? These are the types of questions that Ken encourages people to ask themselves as they embark on their own physical or emotional healing journey.

Ken is creating a platform to connect People, Patients, Practitioners, Partners and Promoters, enabling a collaborative effort to help shift the focus on health from I-llness to We-llness. Check out the pilot at www.myHealthyCommunity.ca.

“When ‘I’ is replaced with ‘we’, even I-llness becomes WE-llness” ~ Malcolm X

7 Comments

  1. Ken I too believe that it is all about the choices we choose to make that will make the difference we seek.
    Thank you for your continued desire to impact the change required in the world today.
    I love the use of the ‘wave’ you used…that spoke loudly to me and the work I do as well.
    High five brother in the light!!!

    • High five right back at ya, thanks for your un-wave-ering support 🙂

  2. Ken

    Here is my one of my favorite quotes about the power of people and the human spirit:

    “Never doubt that small group of decicated and like minded people can change the world for indeed it is the only thing that ever has”.

    Keep them coming,

    Jackie

    • Jackie,

      I absolutely love that Margaret Mead quote, also one of my favorites. Thanks for sharing, and for your continued support.
      Ken

  3. I use that Margaret Mead quote in all my presentations on patient advocacy – I believe so much in the truth of its words. Nice post Ken – enjoyed reading it.

    • Thanks Marie,
      Keep up your great work too.
      Cheers, Ken

  4. Thanks for sharing this useful information to us… keep sharing….

Leave a Reply to Ken Jaques Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *