Be a Good Citizen

I think there's a lot to do these days, just to keep this world a good place to be. We know that our country is in transformative times, when the underpinnings of what drives the civil society are all challenged. When the 24 hour news cycle, and the parallel, large bore, continually evolving information superhighway lanes keep pushing, bombarding, twisting, inundating our information processors between our ears, - human nature tells us to pull the covers up, as tightly as possible. "Why, why, why!? Leave me alone!" Why not just go through our everyday, only processing the breaking news we're forced to digest, because - it's all too much. "Too much!"

I mean, haven't we had it drilled into our procedural memories as SLP's, that productivity is one of the biggest feet on our daily gas pedal?!? Get those persons served, get your documentation done and PHEW! "That's all I can stands, I can't stands no more", in the immortal words of Popeye the Sailor. Though Popeye meant that it was time to right a wrong, in the case of the SLP clinician who is asked to get involved in the wider socio-economic-political world, that task may be a dike that even Hans Brinker couldn't plug. Why get involved in the bigger world, beyond the clinic or treatment room?

But ultimately, even the most hardened of us by the daily professional grind - we know that in order to make a significant difference in the bigger world, we have to carry the water of good citizenship ourselves.  Whether it is to  spread the news in your community about a clinic fundraiser; to buttonhole a legislator whose vote can decide a critical budgetary issue, keeping the lights on for your practice; to write an newspaper opinion essay on the work of your fellow professionals, and how cleanly our work dovetails with the goals of a body of government; to engage in dialogue with persons of all stripes across all the social media platforms, without concern for personal attack or truncation of your voice; or to perpetuate the values of the democratic republic that has supported the growth of our services, by being prepared then VOTING; - our taking a stand as a citizen of our society requires focus, requires energy that, at times, is very spare in all our lives, but - when it is done well, it makes all our lives more stable and more enriched and more - perfect. Novus ordo seclorum. 

If you see that being an advocate for an individual, a guerilla fighter for your profession, a lobbyist for an issue persons served face every day, a letter writer for your employer's cause, or a candidate for office in a professional association; - if you see that is for you, then - find a mentor to guide you through the webs and labyrinths of government, of public and private institutions; develop expertise or seek consultants to help you research information, as needed, for your interests; make a plan of short and long-term goals (we know how to do this!) for the projects that call for your energies; and then set out with glee and with purpose, to make the world a better place for persons served - and for the persons who serve them and their circles. Your entire skill set as an SLP will serve you well, as you grow in your role as a good citizen.