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| Miranda Mason Class of 2019 |
What do we get out of the study of political science? Bias? Cruelty? The field doesn’t seem to advance the goals of society, because politicians act in the same brutish and petty way their predecessors have for hundreds of years. For the most part, politicians make big promises and big money, and repay the citizenry with a meager portion of their promises and a lot of anger. Mr. Smith may go to Washington, D.C. with big plans, but he will never achieve everything he hopes to, because there is conflict around every corner. To a degree, being a politician means crushing the goals of other people in order to implement one’s own. No one is exempt from this quality of political life, because even the kindest of representatives still stands as the worst enemy of someone else’s agenda.
We have a system filled with conflict which has become so polarized that people across the nation are full of hatred of their fellow Americans. What is politics doing for it? Politics is making it worse because people get so wrapped up in political games that they forget they are toying with people, not pawns. As a person who decided 6 years ago that she would live her life by the Hippocratic Oath, I must speak out against the political evils that run rampant.
Another line from the Hippocratic Oath says, “I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.” Being a physician means one should look out for every one of his or her fellow human beings. Why shouldn’t the same apply to government officials? Simply, our political environment doesn’t focus on helping people: it focuses on being popular, and stubborn bias seems especially popular. Medicine embodies a beautiful lack of bias, helping those of every walk of life. When I’m a doctor, my job will be to take care of everyone, whether an innocent child or a violent criminal. I will treat people of different race and socioeconomic status with the same amount of kindness, and I will pray with those of every religion if it brings my patients comfort. A good physician knows that their job is to love all of humanity, even if they don’t agree with them.
This article isn’t against political science. Political science is a science, an inherently unbiased field of study, which observes facts and explores the validity of opinions. Just because people come out of studying political science with strong opinions, it isn’t the fault of the science, but inherent human bias- the same bias that doctors must wipe away every day of their lives in order to perform their calling. This article is anti-politics, or at least as they exist presently. I oppose the way people close their minds to the intelligence and value of others. Political science doesn’t cause that; in fact, the subject is merely a tool. It is like a scalpel: it can be used to kill or to revitalize. The decision of the holder makes the difference. Because of this, whoever has power should be reminded of its gravitas and to whom their loyalties lie.
Politics and medicine both offer man the power to destroy or save, and the Hippocratic Oath recognizes this, saying, “this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God.” Men of power often forget that they are made of the same material as the beggar on the street who hungers for opportunity, and they are no better than that person just because of their circumstances. Another line from the oath says, “I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being.” Similarly, politicians should remember that they are not to treat the economy or social injustice, but the individuals who suffer from them. Political leaders take an oath to “support and defend the Constitution,” but what of its children, the people whom it should protect? A nation is no good if loyalty lies with an old piece of paper and without its citizens, no matter the great value of the words upon the paper.
America needs a doctor, and by that, I’m certainly not promoting any of the current candidates, but stating that a leader must share the traits Hippocrates laid forth for physicians. They must not favor what benefits themselves, but what does good for the people over whom they have been granted authority. They must be educated and implement education for the betterment of society, sharing their strength with all others. They must do no harm to anyone, not even those who might harm them. For that matter, all Americans need to be Hippocratic. In order to foster peace and love, or at least respect, in our nation, we need people to listen to and care for one another. We need good Samaritans, people who aren’t alike, but who will do good unto others because we’re united by our humanity. We need but one bias: bias in favor of helping people in the most fundamental of ways. It is difficult to cut away the cancers of misunderstanding, hatred, and cruelty, but I’m willing to take on that treatment. I just wish the entire nation could realize it needs a good deal of medicine.
“Wherever the art of medicine is loved, there is also a love of humanity.”
-Hippocrates
See the following link for the full text of the modern Hippocratic Oath: http://guides.library.jhu.edu/
Miranda Mason is a freshman McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville studying chemistry and political science.