Like it or not, we're stuck with each other
Published July 15, 2016
Editorial by Wilmington Star-News, July 13, 2016.
In times of tragedy, words of wisdom and keen insights often come from those who work out of the spotlight, away from the political and cultural fight that seems to erupt with each mass shooting or natural disaster.
It’s not surprising that after the ambush in Dallas that killed five police officers, it was a trauma surgeon whose voice rose above the din of TV talking heads and social media rants. Dr. Brian Williams was in charge Thursday night when seven of the 14 officers who were shot arrived in the emergency department at Parkland Hospital.
Trauma surgeons are an interesting lot. They usually know very little about the background of the patient they are trying to save. There’s no time for a pre-op chat or small talk. Yes, the patient is a real human being with a personality and probably a family, but during that critical period in the trauma center, all the surgeon knows is there is a body that needs to be kept alive.
There is no good guy or bad guy, no black or white, no civilian or cop -- just a body with lungs to be kept breathing, a heart to be kept pumping.
Dr. Williams spoke with CNN on Monday night:
"We are all in this together, we are all connected. All this violence, all this hatred, all these disagreements, it impacts us all, whether you realize it or not. This is not the kind of world we want to leave for our children. Something has to be done."
Those are profound words from a talented man who probably never thought he’d see three police officers die on his watch at Parkland, which added even more notoriety to its well-known JFK history.
The words are profound because what Dr. Williams knows -- and sees every shift he works -- is that we are NOT a divided nation. We are a nation in conflict and our opinions may be divided, but as long as we remain here, “we are all in this together, we are all connected,” as Dr. Williams said.
It doesn’t mean we like each other much as we continue to group ourselves into so many tribes and causes. It doesn’t mean that we are getting along very well. But until someone leaves, they -- we -- are in this together. We don’t have the luxury of a divide.
Trauma surgeons have to manage multiple, sometimes complex and life-threatening conditions at once. Dr. Williams understands that you can support law enforcement and at the same time question use of force. He understands that you can protest bad cops and still support the police.
“I don't understand why people think it’s OK to kill police officers. I don't understand why black men die in custody and they're forgotten the next day,” he told CNN. “I don't know why this has to be us against them.”
Be it a traffic accident, a shooting, a natural disaster or even something as rare as a lightning strike, none of us is immune from finding ourselves on that trauma table. Cut through the groups we associate with, our race, gender or political, persuasion, and we see what folks like Dr. Williams see -- just a person … one of 320 million or so who live in the USA … 320 million who, for better or worse, at the end of the day are in it together.
