Dealing with power differentials is part of our daily lives. Parents and children. Teachers and students. Bosses and employees. Airline agents and travelers. Highway patrol officers and vehicle drivers. Customer service agents and customers. To be on the low end of the differential can be maddening. You have a need or a desire and someone is standing in your way, with all the control, and there is nothing you can do aside from hoping that your attitude of subservience will earn you mercy and the permission you seek. To show the obstinance, frustration, and rage that you may feel, while granting
momentary satisfaction, will assuredly result in loss of your hopes.
I’ve been dealing with this during our hospital construction project. It is hard to express the frustration I feel when repeatedly one county government department approves our plans and we proceed only to have another department send an inspector who disagrees and makes us tear down the work and start over again. Just this week we have had to move a toilet ¼ inch further away from a wall, lower a custom counter 2 inches, and jackhammer an entire section of sidewalk because the slope was a couple degrees off. All this after previous measurements had been approved but the current inspector, with trainee in tow, feels like flexing some muscle with no regard for the needless cost to the small businessman just trying to create something that should be a benefit to the community. In my frustration and cynicism, I couldn’t help wondering if this man was ignored by his wife and his kids and his dog, but gee willikers if he wouldn’t make me listen to him and do what he says!
It shouldn’t be like this. Parents should have the child’s best interests in mind. Teachers should do what is needed for the student to learn the material. Bosses should accommodate employees so long as it allows work to proceed. Airline agents should help travelers get to their destinations safely and in comfort. Police officers should focus on safety. Customer service agents should help customers resolve concerns. And county inspectors should be checking that the work is done according to previous approvals, not setting new standards after the work is completed. It’s just that too often people in positions of power lose sight of why they were given that power. It wasn’t a gift. It’s not a toy. It’s not theirs to wield as proof of superiority. That power was given as a tool to use in service of others.
Our country is currently in upheaval with some citizens feeling that political leaders are acting dictatorial and so in protest these citizens are mounting ‘No Kings’ demonstrations. Power corrupts, as they say. Without declaring an opinion on this particular topic, I do feel like it would be wise for us all to take a look at our own selves and ask if we act like “kings” when we are in positions of power. Do we flex our muscle to show how big we are? Are we innocent of the sin we rail against? Do we complain about the mote in our neighbor’s eye when there is a beam in ours?
I have pondered on my own profession. While I believe most vets do a wonderful job striving to serve their clients and their patients, I do sometimes feel frustration. I get riled up, for example, when I hear of a client in an emergency hospital with their dog in dystocia (difficulty whelping) being told that the only way they can receive a c-section is to agree to spay the dog. I get so upset when I hear this because it goes against all ethical and legal constraints that should govern veterinary practice. As veterinarians, we are ethically and legally bound to provide emergency care, especially in life-threatening circumstances. And, not that it should make a difference, but these situations are not even financial concerns; the clients are more than willing to pay for the services. But the veterinarian has an agenda, which in their mind, however misguided, they feel is “righteous,” and they are in a position of power to impose their beliefs on someone in distress.
To require that a breeder spay their bitch in order to get a life-saving c-section performed is not only unethical and (I believe) illegal, but also risky for the life of the bitch. Most canine theriogenologists recommend against spaying at the time of c-section due to increased risk of hypovolemic shock or post-operative blood loss. The mantra of the veterinarian is “first do no harm” and this kind of a decision defies that mission. Using their position of power to score a small victory in the war on the surplus pet population when the breeder is at their mercy is misguided and inappropriate. I would encourage any breeder who has been in this untenable situation to issue a formal complaint to their state Veterinary Medical Board. Unfortunately, this may be the only way that this hurtful practice is stopped.
I believe all veterinarians are well-meaning. But we are human and susceptible to the frailties that beset all humans, including using our positions of power to get what we want or what we feel is right. As veterinarians, we should not be in a position of power over our clients and patients. Yes, we have knowledge, skills, and resources at our disposal which are not otherwise available to our clients and patients. This, however, is an opportunity to do good work, to alleviate suffering, to promote better health, to achieve a happy outcome, to not only do no harm, but to do much good. The world would be a more joyful, functional, peaceful place if everyone in a supposed position of power would discard their pride, their agendas, and use their position, knowledge, and resources to help and serve others.