Fear of Engagement

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Fear of Engagement

As it turns out, there is no reason to fear engagement. We are not destroyed when patients suffer or die, but rather deepened, becoming better able to open ourselves to the complex lives of the distressed and infirm next time around. Over time, there comes a natural but mysterious adjustment toward equanimity, in which we can hold onto both worlds, that of safety and that of danger, simultaneously, without calamity.

David Watts, M.D.
New England Journal of Medicine
September 27, 2012