Light from many lamps unit 8

Sir William Osler- A Way of Life

 

Sir William Osler was a Canadian physician, who is also known as the father of modern medicine. He was one of the four founding professors of Sir Johns Hopkins hospital (Wikipedia). He reminisces that as a young student he had yearned for a simple philosophy by which to live his life by. A sentence in a book by Thomas Carlyle gave him the answer “our main business is not too see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand”. He shared this philosophy with students at Yale in his speech titled “A Way of Life”. He attempted to make the message more profound by likening life to an ocean liner, which should be lived in “day-tight compartments”. By doing so, he preached, one can free themselves from the burden of the past and the future. Dr Osler’s desire to share his way of life is an example of transformational leadership.

I agree with this philosophy for the most part. As Dr Osler says “the load of tomorrow, added to that of yesterday, carried today makes the strongest falter”. Regret about what is past, and worry about what is to come can be very tiresome, and affect one’s quality of life. I am a new student of mindfulness, and this way of life has helped me keep my anxieties in check. I try to channelize my worries into practical problem solving activities. “Problem solving moves us closer to a resolution, whereas worry keeps us spinning in an endless cycle”. (Orsillo & Roemer, 2011, p.25). How does this apply in the work place or leadership? A very strict application of this philosophy is probably not ideal. Reflection is an important part of learning, as is planning for the future.

In my opinion one needs to find a balance between ‘day-tight’ living and constantly living in the past or the future. “To do the day’s work superbly well, planning for the future but not worrying about it, became the guiding principle of his life” (Watson, 1988, p.215). This is a leadership and life lesson I have taken from Dr Osler’s speech- “Get on the bridge, and see that at least the great bulkheads are in working order. Touch a button and hear, at every level of your life, the iron doors shutting out the Past- the dead yesterdays. Touch another and shut off, with a metal curtain, the Future- the unborn tomorrows. Then you are safe, safe for today.” This resonates with my personal philosophy that the mistakes of yesterday are learning experiences, and worries of the future if dealt with realistically help one plan for the future. But constant rumination about either is not an effective way to spend one’s time.

 

References

Orsillo, S.M., & Roemer, L. (2011). The mindful way through anxiety. New York: The Guildford Press.

Watson, L. E. (1988). Light from many lamps. New York: Simon & Schuster.

William Osler. Wikipedia, extracted o November 12, 2017. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Osler