In the director’s adaptation of Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), Jack Nicholson’s R. P. McMurphy is the epitome of the strong personality threatening the system (personified by Louise Fletcher’s Nurse Ratched) as he disrupts the monotonous order of a mental hospital by trying to instill some life into the other patients in his ward.
It is just so much more likely to "instill life into" our clients and/or patients, when we are on their level (like neighbors), instead of being this kind of "educated professional" who knows more than the patient/client, about being healthy, or about being spiritual, or about being human, or whatever (kinda exactly like the gap between the rich and poor). As professionals, however, we may see glimpses of "life", from time to time, which comes mostly from those times when we can transcend those professional boundaries, and really suffer with someone, instead of telling them how to suffer better, or how to not suffer. "We might die from medication, but we sure killed all the pain." right?
my brother mentioned to me about the absurd obsession with "success" in our culture (middle-upper class, at least). i agree - our professional value of success, far outweighs our value of eating dinner with our neighbors, not to mention our own families. this is detrimental. because "professional" means pastor, counselor, social worker, as much as it means accountant, sales rep, or CEO. ever wonder why a marriage and family therapist would get a divorce, or why a pastor's kid would reject Christianity? Anyways - i think when our clients and patients become our neighbors again, I think we will begin to see real social change.
also, I don't want to downplay the importance of education as professionals, but at the same time, I do, because it has become a god (or still is - you know - tree of knowledge and all) and is a key partner in the gap between the rich and the poor. we always say the poor need more education - well, it seems that maybe the rest of us could use a lot less. and it is like with death row inmates - I always hear that those who end up on death row are those who could not afford a lawyer. well, they cain't afford no education neither. but they should be able to make a decent living without one. however, since Troy believed that banks and corporations would make better farmers - hmmmm - a decent living really has not been opportune. and i find it highly interesting that mental illness is only a phenomena of the last 100-150 years, attributing itself to the rise of industrialization, hyper-individualized western culture, and globalization. and again, rather than fixing those big problems or rejecting them, we try to study and solve the side-effects with therapy, unions, loans, medication, research, social security, fertilizers, TV dinners, Wal-Mart, etc., which only create new side effects, which seem to give most professionals their job security, which certainly means we are highly dependent on the big problems that should be rejected and/or fixed.
hhhhmmmmm
Jesus was no social worker. Maybe a socialist. but i think we should consider the depth and meaning of "love your neighbor as yourself" much more as human sinners, than educated professionals. if you don't understand what i mean, then go sit in on an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. that should be The Emerging Christian Orthodox.
Attendant Warren: Good morning, Miss Ratched.
Nurse Ratched: Good morning.
Attendant Washington: Good morning, Miss Ratched.
Nurse Ratched: Mr. Washington.
Miller: Morning.
Nurse Ratched: Good morning.
Nurse Pilbow: Good morning, Miss Ratched.
Nurse Ratched: Good morning.
Attendant Washington: Morning, Bancini.
Bancini: Morning.
Attendant Washington: How do you feel?
Bancini: Rested.
Nurse Pilbow: Medication time. Medication time.
2 comments:
I agree that it's much more likely that we'll be able to instill life into our patients and clients when we have relationship with them, but not necessarily when we are "on their level." But by saying we need to be less educated in order to reach those who are also less educated, you are putting importance back on to
education which I believe you are trying to take away.
Regardless of education (as I think you have seen by the well educated people living around you in Franklinton, and yourself included) people should want to and be able to develop life giving relationships with others.
"ever wonder why a marriage and family therapist would get a divorce, or why a pastor's kid would reject Christianity?"
I would think this is because education does not solve the human condition, nor does professionalism. People are people no matter if they know all the "rules" or not. I hope you are not saying here that an "unprofessional" christian would never have a child who rejects christianity. That is absurd. I have known some of the most wonderful caring people whose sons and daughters chose not to follow their faith, and I'm certain you know of counselors, etc. whose marriage could not be saved on the basis of their understanding of relationships.
It's funny that those of us who are well educated are the ones, for the most part, arguing that it's not all its cracked up to be. Meanwhile, those outside this realm want in. I understand the reasons for that, most especially the promoted idea that it's necessary and therefore you "need" it to be a real person in our society. However, I also know there are a great many people wanting to engage education simply because they want to learn or better their life. It would be a difficult conversation to convince a laborer unhappy with his life and job to eschew education in order to stay grounded.
I don't know the history of mental illness (only tom cruise does) but I would garner a guess that the rise of "mental illness" has less to do with an actual rise of mental illness, but a rise of levels of diagnosis. In the same way there is now a pill for everything and a sickness for everyone, I think a great many people throughout history were mentally ill and either labeled as demonic (bible) or genius (many artists).
These aren't specifically critiques of your theories Kyle, only responses from the other side I suppose. My normal caveat: you know I agree with much of what you've written here. But my assumption is that your critique at its core is of the lack of relationships developed between people (regardless of education, etc.) and the problems both arising out of that lack and society contributing to it.
I think education is somewhat more benign than professionalism, which I also see as a problem, which is why i commented mostly on that.
I'd love to know just a bit more about how you see professionalism manifesting itself? is it the want/drive toward self-improvement and self-promotion, or is it something else? the reason I ask is because professionalism can be an adopted etiquette (dress, speech, etc. which I think you are criticizing) or it can be a set of ways of understanding and processing information (i.e. patient confidentiality, which I'm assuming you aren't against). anyway, love to hear your reflections. if you want to email me those it would be cool as well.
grace and peace
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