The Square of Common Good

A philsophy assignment that I had written that I want to share. It was for a Spirit, Mind, and body course I was taking:

I feel the best way to determine how to become the most effective with
our patients or within our personal relationships, is to think of
someone in our past, that has made a significant difference in our lives
in this manner.

This person for myself is my childhood doctor. He is a perfect example
for me because my mother was typically the person that had the majority
of interaction with him. I was able to sit back and observe them for
this reason. Looking back on our visits with him, I realize that the,
"Square of Common Good", is what was exercised between them.

Dr. Gregory would always step into the room, wearing a warm smile and
having a certain bounce in his step that exuded peace and happiness. He
would begin our session by asking my mother personal questions about her
life, using first names of the people in our family or inquiring about
something that she might have mentioned, the last time that we had been
together. Next, he would do something that is almost unheard of in
today's society. He would fully engage in listening to what she had to
say back to him. He expressed true compassion for her if something was
wrong, or true joy with her if something was going well, providing
feedback for her when it was appropriate in either situation. She always
appeared to be extremely comfortable, revealing her most personal
information to him because she trusted him. I was able to sense the
tension lifting from her as she confessed her problems, as if a huge
weight had lifted from her shoulders, or the joy that was magnified in
her, because another person was genuinely sharing in her joy, making her
feel as if he truly cared about her.

The relationship that he had created with my mother enabled him, to
learn more about my environment. This was extremely important
information for him because most illnesses and psychological problems
derive from our emotional state of mind, which is created by our
surroundings, especially when we are young impressionable children. This
was an ingenious way for him to be ahead of the game, in regards to my
health. The most beautiful thing about this is that he was not behaving
in this manner for that reason. It was merely a bi-product of the
integrity and respect that he had shown towards my mother, which led her
to trust him enough to let him into our world.

It seems that we have spent so much time advancing our world with
technology that we have forgotten the basics, of the way that we need to
interact with each other, in order to make the world a more peaceful,
happier and healthier place for everyone to live in. Our schools offer
computer classes daily, but spend very little time teaching us how to
treat others or discern our true needs from the needs of our ego self.
Our attention has been focused in all of the wrong areas for so long,
that we have created a hostile environment among us that is a breeding
ground for disease and mental deterioration.

If we can begin influencing others with the fundamentals of, "The Square
of Common Good", by the way that we treat them or with the education
that we provide for them in this area, it will allow them to pass it on
to others. It will then continue from there and spread like wildfire
into the lives of everyone. I feel it is only then, that we can begin to
become a healthier nation and claim to have made a great difference to
the world of medicine.