Mark that’s a great poem. Agree that knowing better is a great barrier. All the front line people I deal with in the medical system are so annoyingly corrective I’ve stopped asking for help. Can’t even talk to them any more. No doubt they think they mean well and if I was the model patient they are happy to treat then their cheerful indifference would surely return.

I do have one specialist and her staff that are wonderful, helpful and understanding. I use her as a model of care. As my Proctologist, our interviews can be somewhat awkward though is encouraging that one end of me is agreeable to the medical system:-)

In late 60s US politics there was a term: “Benign Neglect” that fostered a policy of essentially ignoring difficult social problems as only resolvable by those directly experiencing them. Excellent excuse for doing nothing and easy to turn into the falsehood of “empowering” people to solve their own problems.

Wonder if we could invent the science of “intention management” and write a guide to saintly evil? Could start with an illustration from McDonald’s restaurants. All the seating at their tables is brightly colored, convenient and welcoming. It has all the aspects of hospitality except the seats are tipped slightly forward to be slightly uncomfortable and encourage you to enjoy the meal, but not hang around. The intention seems authentic on the surface but underneath it serves only the corporation.