A New Year and New Ideas

Christmas over we flew back to Sydney on New Year’s Eve. On the Air New Zealand flight I watched the BBC drama celebrating the life and achievements of Dr Ludwig Guttman.  There are many amazing aspects to this man’s life but the drama focuses on his work at Stoke Mandeville hospital in Britain from 1944.  Here he treated soldiers with spinal cord injury.  

At this time, treatment for such patients involved encasing them in plaster and sedating them.  There was limited chance of people with spinal cord injuries surviving due to the medical “care” they received and those that did were usually left to a life with little hope or purpose.

Ludwig Guttman saw things differently.  He saw patients who needed full medical care and an opportunity to return to productive and meaningful lives.  He began introducing sport into the rehabilitation for his patients and introduced competition ultimately leading to today’s Paralympics.

His vision was beyond his time and the ideas that seem so “right” and obvious to us now were very new to the medical staff and the broader society at the time. 

HRH Prince Charles wrote in the foreword of a book about Sir Ludwig; "It is amazing to think that not that many years ago the treatment of paraplegics was generally regarded as a waste of time." 

As the fireworks exploded around Sydney Harbour this year Kylie Minogue encouraged us to embrace. “In a city of great diversity we come together at New Year’s Eve to embrace the future and celebrate all that we are and the potential that tomorrow holds.” 

As well as the obvious big hug for family and friends she encouraged us to embrace new ideas, change and opportunities. 

 My mind is still asking the question; “What are the new ideas today that will seem so obvious, so right, so accepted in years to come but today are challenging to many of us?”

My hope is that it some of those ideas will be about diversity and inclusion. 

That what is frowned on or stared at and regarded as weird or unacceptable -the differences between people will be inconsequential in years to come.  

That difference will be celebrated and shared and appreciated, not just in small pockets of society but broadly throughout the community.

That workgroups and suburbs will not divide on ethnic or language lines but real relationships will develop between those who are from different backgrounds. 

That understanding and inclusion will be so standard that misunderstandings and out-groups will be a thing of the past. 

 For many of us these ideas are not new or radical but we look forward to the time when society in general genuinely holds these ideas -and yes I will be out of work! :)

What are the ideas you hope will become commonplace in twenty or fifty years time? 

Comments

[Kathleen McAnear Smith]

Wow- Trisha! The blog has come at the right moment, with a family member of my husband just in a car accident. She has a strong faith-but I will be looking up this Ludwig! When we look back over history (now this is me with my Social Studies teacher hat on!...) it is easy to be grateful; but even more I am thankful for people like you who encourage us this new year to think even more about new ideas!

Here is mine: while the young people seem to have no problem with heading off on Gap Year, I am challenging those of us about to retire to plan a Senior Gap Year! Soon...starting a facebook page for those thinking of heading out!

Thank for your blog, Kathleen