Timothy Treadwell had his own vision of the world, particularly in regard to wild bears. An example of that vision can be seen in a video of Treadwell, sitting in a stream, reading to a bear he had come to know.
Few question the sincerity of Treadwell, also known as the Grizzly Man; he loved the out of doors, all its wildlife, and he surely loved bears. For over 13 years he followed them, filmed them, wrote about them, and as much as he could, lived among them. On Monday, October 6, 2003 the partial remains of Treadwell were discovered, he had been eaten by the bears.
I’m not making light of Treadwell or his cause; still this tragic little story was, inevitable. Treadwell’s vision of the world dramatically differed from reality, and in the end, reality prevailed. He couldn’t help himself in wanting to be closer and closer to the bears he loved, and slowly over time, he extended that vision to his own peril and that is the lesson.
This is a great example of where we find ourselves in the healthcare reform debate. It’s very comforting to think that there is a group of people, so smart and insightful as to be able to craft a plan to manage the healthcare of millions. We are, it seems, eager to abandon the evidence of our senses and believe that by some means not fully understood, a group of ordinary people who, having chosen to work for the government, will have morphed into something they previously were not. These individuals will somehow craft a workable healthcare system in a way no one has ever considered in the past. Within this system, diversity goals will have been met, procedures will be reduce, screening will go up, more people will be treated, innovation will thrive and costs fall.
I don’t question the sincerity, but outcomes are not bound to sincerity or good intentions, they are bound by actions; not what people think or wish, but by what people do. It is noteworthy that the end for Timothy Treadwell was also the end for his girlfriend (also eaten) and for the two bears suspected to have done the deed. All are gone. It seems that this congress is committed to a vision of the world around them, wholly unsupported by history or evidence, and that we the will have to suffer its consequences; how very sad and exceptionally unnecessary.
Thomas A. Coss, RN
