What the world needs now

“What the world needs now is love sweet love,
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.
What the world needs now is love sweet love,
No not just for some but for everyone.”
Jackie DeShannon

We all have biases, opinions, beliefs, convictions, and ideas about what is morally right and wrong. We bring that piece of our humanity to our patient care. If we are self-aware and willing to acknowledge that our beliefs help guide our own lives but should not necessarily guide our patients’ lives, this is helpful. When we are either not self-aware or unwilling to let go of the desire to guide patients in the “right” direction, this is not so helpful. It is unhelpful for our patients and for us. Trying to convince someone to act in accordance with your values sets us up for frustration and feelings of failure when people continue to make choices we may view as unhealthy or immoral.

Most people, including us, benefit a lot more from acceptance and understanding than they do from advice. What the world needs now is more listening, more openness, more focus on what we all have in common. What the world needs less of now is self-righteousness and unwavering convictions applied to others.

When we generously listen to someone else’s experience, we may not agree, be swayed, or adopt their view as our own. But, if we can understand their world view even a little bit, perhaps we can shorten the distance between us and them enough to see our common humanity.

So what does this have to do with wellness?

When we feel more love and acceptance in our lives, it actually benefits us the most.