The Metamorphosis of Physio.
COVID-19 is creating turmoil throughout our profession. The questions of non-essential vs essential care being debated, our social responsibility as healthcare professionals being examined and what our profession will look like in several months uncertain, I reflect on the concept of change.
Photo by Suzanne D. Williams on Unsplash
The last time my professional life was thrown into chaos it was self-inflicted.
Arriving at Heathrow Terminal 2 on a freezing, February day in 2006 the Socratic paradox was quite fitting – I know that I know nothing. With Soph by my side, a working holiday visa in my passport and an uncertainty as to what my life would look like, we had decided to move to the UK for an adventure. A planned adventure feels exciting. Optimism sweeps over every envisaged scenario. In reality, standing at the threshold of such an episode is riddled with anxiety, apprehension and a sudden recollection of how much you dislike the taste of uncertainty. With countless attempts, I would have failed each time to foresee what was to happen. Given another opportunity, I would have predicted my impending tale with the simple statement – everything will be different, I will undergo a metamorphosis.
Change is a constant. Sometimes by design and other times by forces so far out of our control you feel like a swimmer caught in a rip. Most of the time, we face these changing winds on our own, we test our resolve silently. If we are fortunate, we share the experience with a loved one who help us navigate back to safety. COVID-19 has brought to our shores such a collective force of change that even when surrounded by others, we feel like we are alone.
Despite change inducing a wave of emotions we rarely enjoy experiencing, we can remind ourselves that by definition change has no direction. No positive or negative. It simply means ‘to become different’. These seminal months may provide the catalyst needed to make those aspirational changes in our lives, profession and society.
Consider Gandhi’s idea, “be the change you wish to see in the world”.
As with the false dichotomy of mind and body, the viewpoint that we are a person and a Physiotherapist creates an artificial sense that there are only two possible alternatives for our being. Consequently, the question of what kind of metamorphosis you would like to undergo during this pandemic is also a question of what change you would like to see in our profession and society.
Nietzsche suggested that, “the snake which cannot cast its skin has to die”. Was he saying that we should choose which elements in our lives to change, or merely that we should accept change? Which skins should we consider leaving behind? Perhaps we don’t have much of a choice? Nonetheless, we should talk about which ones we wish to leave behind and new ones we’d like to grow despite our ignorance to the future. As time progresses, we may find ourselves able to act on these ambitions.
When a caterpillar undergoes its transformation, does it know what is occurring? Does it know the reasons? Does it resist and despair, rejoice? We are currently a caterpillar and COVID-19 is our cocoon. When it comes to knowing how we will emerge from this metamorphosis, I will leave it to Socrates who said it best; I know I know nothing.
We will be discussing this and more at our next event:
The Physio Social Club Tinto: Being a Physio during a pandemic on Thurs 30th April 2020. Click here for more info.
