Grumble takes the pulpit

Dr Grumble's father was supposed to go into the church. That was what his mother had planned for him. But Grumble's father wanted to become a doctor and, although he did not go to school until he was 12, that is what he became. He was, without doubt, a much better doctor than he would have been a vicar. Grumble's uncle was a man of the cloth and so was his grandfather but it was Dr Grumble's grandmother who wrote all the sermons. In those days, behind every great man was a great woman. Dr Grumble's mother often told him he was like his granny. It was not intended as a compliment.

Dr Grumble himself never goes to church. He cannot remember the last time he heard a sermon. Probably it was decades ago. But Dr Grumble thinks we do need sermons. There is a need for our minds to be opened to thoughts that we may not get from elsewhere. This is especially true in the modern world where there are malign influences on our thinking generated by people interested only in making money.






It was something Dr Grumble heard on the radio this morning that generated this post. There was a retired army officer on the radio. He was talking about a charity to look after the interests of ex-soldiers. It was something he mentioned that struck Dr Grumble as very important. Essentially he said that problems occurred when soldiers moved from an organisation that values loyalty, dedication and commitment to a society focussed on acquisitive self-interest.

Unfortunately the NHS has moved from an organisation which valued loyalty, dedication and commitment towards one focussed entirely on acquisitive self interest. We used to have secretarial staff who felt that working for the NHS was worthwhile and that the pay was not the only thing that mattered. If Dr Grumble sees that something needs to be done he does it. Some of his younger colleagues, faced with the same problem, are beginning to ask where the money is. An organisation that was happy because it valued staff like Dr G is changing to an organisation that is sad because people only do what they are paid for.

The management consultants would say that all this is right and proper. The only way to get people to do what you want is to motivate them with pay. Every item of work must be paid for. People are expected to work for money and not love.

But it is not money that really motivates people. It is more often love. Dr Grumble has listened to soldiers on leave from Afghanistan. They talk of the horrors of returning to the front line. Doubtless they could get out of it somehow if they really wanted to. They could feign some illness or other. Or they could just refuse. Being locked up would be better than having one's limbs blown off. But they go back again and again. They do it out of a sense of loyalty, dedication, commitment and duty. They are not doing it for money they are doing it for love - the love of their comrades who need them there.

Take now your GP. Is he working for money or for love of you, his patient? Do you want him to treat your cholesterol because he thinks it is right for you? Or do you want him to treat your cholesterol because he gets paid to do it?

Suppose you need to see a surgeon? Do you want him to operate because you really need an operation or do you want him to operate because he gets a fat fee every time his wields his scalpel?

The answers are obvious. Of course your GP and your surgeon work for money. But they should also need a sense of loyalty to you, commitment to you and they have a duty to do what is right. We need a balance and things are going much too far in the wrong direction.

Dr Grumble could have enjoyed himself in the pulpit but he has had to content himself with blogging. Which, of course, is much better because the whole world can hear. But will they listen?