Frederic C. Craigie, PhD
Welcome! You can scroll down to see the long-running welcome text below, with a brief introduction to the website and explanation of the “Goodness of Heart” theme.
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2021
The Delta variant is surging in many parts of the country, even in Maine, where the tragedy of 72,000 cases and 900 deaths would be considered modest in comparison to many other places.
Our progressive governor, in consultation with our remarkable state CDC chief, has just announced a statewide vaccination mandate for all health care workers. Having practiced in a primary care setting for almost 40 years, I am thrilled.
In America, we have always had a precarious balance between individual liberties and community good. Government can’t and shouldn’t mandate whether I get a shingles shot or have my PSA tested, because my choices in such matters have absolutely no implications for anybody else (except, I suppose, for people who love me). Vaccination is different, and in my view, because my choice in this matter can have profound implications for community transmission and the perpetuation of the pandemic.
Private retail businesses might choose not to require employees to be vaccinated… customers can just take business elsewhere is they wish… but health care is a different arena and, I’d argue, less discretionary. If I sprain my ankle playing basketball, I really don’t want to find that some of the urgent care staff are unvaccinated.
A very nice summary of court determinations and decisions by government agencies like the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration was published in the American Journal of Public Health in June. The authors are attorneys and ethicists. See https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/10.2105/AJPH.2020.306166. The article was written at the beginning of the year, before the current surge, so their recommendations may or may not reflect where we are now.
As you peruse the website, see the short quotation/reflection updated weekly on the Weekly Reflections tab.
I hope you remain safe and well and are finding liberation and renewal in being able to visit and hug more and more people whom you love!
Take care for yourself, and take care for your neighbor.
Fred
Our progressive governor, in consultation with our remarkable state CDC chief, has just announced a statewide vaccination mandate for all health care workers. Having practiced in a primary care setting for almost 40 years, I am thrilled.
In America, we have always had a precarious balance between individual liberties and community good. Government can’t and shouldn’t mandate whether I get a shingles shot or have my PSA tested, because my choices in such matters have absolutely no implications for anybody else (except, I suppose, for people who love me). Vaccination is different, and in my view, because my choice in this matter can have profound implications for community transmission and the perpetuation of the pandemic.
Private retail businesses might choose not to require employees to be vaccinated… customers can just take business elsewhere is they wish… but health care is a different arena and, I’d argue, less discretionary. If I sprain my ankle playing basketball, I really don’t want to find that some of the urgent care staff are unvaccinated.
A very nice summary of court determinations and decisions by government agencies like the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration was published in the American Journal of Public Health in June. The authors are attorneys and ethicists. See https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/10.2105/AJPH.2020.306166. The article was written at the beginning of the year, before the current surge, so their recommendations may or may not reflect where we are now.
As you peruse the website, see the short quotation/reflection updated weekly on the Weekly Reflections tab.
I hope you remain safe and well and are finding liberation and renewal in being able to visit and hug more and more people whom you love!
Take care for yourself, and take care for your neighbor.
Fred
WELCOME. Thanks for stopping by. I hope that this site offers you meaningful ideas, helpful resources, cool images and the opportunity to have some dialogue about spirituality and life-well-lived. It's also the portal for information about my books, Positive Spirituality in Health Care and Weekly Soul: Fifty-two Meditations on Meaningful, Joyful and Peaceful Living.
Why GOODNESS OF HEART?
In our culture and language, the word “heart” usually signifies depth and authenticity. We say, “What I know in my head is fine, but it’s what I know in my heart that really matters,” or “She’s not always consistent in what she does, but she has a good heart.” “Heart,” I think, has to do with the recognition of who we are… who we really are… and what is sacred in how we wish to be living our lives.
“Goodness” of heart signifies mindful awareness of who we really are. If you cherish kindness, or compassion, or understanding… if these qualities are sacred for you… then “goodness of heart” means to hold these qualities in front of you, to remember that this is who you really are, and to allow the energy of these qualities to direct and empower you as you move through your life.
In our culture and language, the word “heart” usually signifies depth and authenticity. We say, “What I know in my head is fine, but it’s what I know in my heart that really matters,” or “She’s not always consistent in what she does, but she has a good heart.” “Heart,” I think, has to do with the recognition of who we are… who we really are… and what is sacred in how we wish to be living our lives.
“Goodness” of heart signifies mindful awareness of who we really are. If you cherish kindness, or compassion, or understanding… if these qualities are sacred for you… then “goodness of heart” means to hold these qualities in front of you, to remember that this is who you really are, and to allow the energy of these qualities to direct and empower you as you move through your life.