Hand in the fire

Brilliant and challenging Friday Five from Mary Beth this week. Excellent for a rather mild-mannered introvert with a strong need to please. Mary Beth writes:

--Robert Mapplethorpe, Hand in Fire, 1985

There is a German expression: ich würde die Hand dafür ins Feuer legen, which means: “I would put my hand in the fire for that.”

I learned it many years ago, while reading the Best Reference Letter Ever: written by a very distinguished linguistics professor for a student who went on to win a prestigious international scholarship. This student, he said, was destined for greatness; and he submitted his judgment with the certainty of the expression above.

I’ve always held the concept as a very important indicator in my mind. “Would I put my hand in the fire for that?” I sometimes think, and it helps me to make a decision or see a situation more clearly. It’s similar to “is this the battlefield I want to die on?”

These days (certainly as every day) there seems to be so much difficulty, wrong, pain, injustice, and mismanagement in our world, and I need a little revitalization. Often when I feel this way, I’ll write a list of things for which I’m grateful, but that’s certainly been done, and I need a bit of a stronger draught.

So, what are five things for which would you put your hand in the fire? Things / people / causes in which you believe passionately and completely? This might be demonstrated in that you would take extraordinary (for you) action…donations, marching, writing letters…or merely in the way you live your life. You may give as much or as little detail as you wish.

And I respond:

Not so long ago I tentatively questioned a proposal at a meeting (by saying something like "I think we need to consider whether or not this is the best option ...) and the table erupted in laughter when our convenor said "You don't usually jump up and down in such an argumentative manner Mavis." I guess the upside to that is that I can get taken seriously simply by pointing to the fire, because there is a sense that when I raise concerns I am very serious about it. The downside of course is that those not so astute think I'm "happy with the direction" when I'm burning up to the elbows. So when have I taken action/ put my hand in the fire/ been explicit about the bottom line on an issue:

1. When the integrity of a person who has earned my respect is questioned, especially publicly. A very recent incident involved questioning of the integrity and spirituality of a close colleague, one whom I admired for commitment to the values of our organisation. I was privileged and honoured to sign a letter from other staff upholding a colleague.
2. When the physical integrity of individuals is compromised. A (SADLY) recurrent theme in medical education is the conduct by students of intimate examinations on anaesthetised patients. As a student I co-led the campaign of our year for an explicit consent process. Thirty years later I find the same issue exists. At least South Australia has a definitive guideline on the issue (discovered today - thanks MB)
3. Spelling and grammar. Although far from perfect myself, I do get irritated by errors especially in formal documents. The abstract linked to above said patients were often "quiet willing" and one of the journal club article for our students talks of lung cancer being a "principle cause" of cancer mortality. Australia-wide the usage of the verb to be seems to have replaced the abbreviation you're with your as in "your welcome." Maybe not quite 'hand in the fire' stuff, but certainly an issue I take seriously in assessment and critical appraisal. And in choosing where to shop.
4. Carbon footprint. I simply refuse to buy imported fresh produce. Especially if shipped from half a world away. Kiwifruit from FRANCE! Or lemons from France for that matter. I pay the extra for Aussie Barramundi. So far resisted the urge to buy a car - and if I do the back pocket/ cheque book will have to bear the pain of the additional cost of a hybrid.
5. And back to the real serious stuff. Rights of children and young people. Our work in New Zealand to remove statutory protection for children from assault by parents under the guise of "correction" certainly caused significant 'fire' and in the end won bipartisan parliamentary support. I supported a family who withdrew participation from their local congregation because of the refusal of the leadership to even try to understand the child rights issues associated with far-right Christian Education curriculum (including teaching like "always do what adults tell you".) And including the UN Convention on children's rights in the medical curriculum. All of these matters surprisingly contentious. And worthy of hand-burning.
   

customer service - not!

Arriving at the Sunshine Coast airport I approached the 'tourist information' desk. "Hello. I'm visiting for the weekend. Is there anything you recommend?"
"Not really. All the brochures here are for events in June or July"
"We're staying at Alexandra Headland. What are the points of interest near there?"
"Oh nothing really. They have 'Underwater World' (I begin to think to myself that sounds interesting) but really they have that sort of thing in every city nowadays so there's probably nothing special about this one. Down by the wharf there are soem seafood restaurants but only if you're into that sort of thing if you like seafood I gues it could be alright. Only here for two days. That's not very long. Most people come for longer than that" (Think to self - long enough given that there's nothing to do here).

This interaction stood out because of the generally extremely helpful people at Aussie tourist information desks, full of local knowledge and suggestions for an hour/day/week in their community. It got me thinking about first points of contact. With medical school enrolment for 2011 approaching, the images of the different universities is apparrent in the chat rooms and internet fora frequented by hopeful applicants. I am aware that I feel more engaged with a church congregation I attend maybe four times a year and from whom I receive a weekly email (which is informative and engaging) than with my 'local' where the key communication strategy seems to be ' word of mouth' and even a week or two away can be very isolating. When people ask how I am - responses of 'very busy' or 'pushed to the limit' serve to shut down coimmunication rather like the tourist desk attendant.

So what did we do with two days on the Sunshine Coast? Between attendances at the Uniting Church in Australia Queensland Synod meeting I walked along what must arguably be one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, swam in ocean at the end of autumn, drove inland and visited amazingly quaint towns, enjoyed a superb wedge of lemon meringue pie, stocked up on handmade soap and dukkah at local markets, looked out to an endless horizon while consuming a (supoer fresh) fishburger for lunch and fitted in dinner for two at the surf club before flying home.

At a personal level I wonder how often my interactions with people leave them feeling like I did as I left the airport. I can be very negative, and thsi is a problem particularly if it limits the blessings others receive. Like critical appraisal of a sermon or worship has limited usefulness especially if it is poorly directed (to all and sundry rather than to the key operational personnel). Even if I am not personally excited, Ican encourage independent exploration and if all alse fails, at least be ready to offer generic information with a smile.