Archive
Category: Ethics
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A Society Is Measured at Its Edges
I remember the sterile, heavy scent of floor wax and industrial lilies in the oncology ward, a smell that always seemed to signal the…
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Mercy Is Not the Absence of Judgement
I remember sitting in a cramped, linoleum-floored consultation room during my third year as a chaplain, listening to a surgeon explain why a particular…
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Four Different Purposes Often Confused
I remember sitting in a sterile, fluorescent-lit waiting room during my final year as a chaplain, listening to a man weep because his son…
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Saying Sorry Without Repair Is Incomplete
I remember sitting in a sterile hospital room in the late nineties, listening to a man try to explain how a large, anonymous check…
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Forgiving Does Not Cancel Consequences
I remember sitting in a sterile, fluorescent-lit consultation room thirty years ago, listening to a man try to explain why he couldn’t move forward.…
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Reform From Inside Is Slower and Often More Effective
I remember sitting in a sterile hospital corridor at three in the morning, listening to the rhythmic, indifferent hum of a ventilation system while…
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Legitimate Authority Can Withstand Questions
I remember sitting in a dim hospital corridor at three in the morning, the smell of antiseptic clinging to my sweater, listening to a…
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Following Orders Never Transferred Responsibility
I remember sitting in a cramped, sterile consultation room late one Tuesday night, the smell of antiseptic and stale coffee hanging heavy in the…
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Reporting Harm Usually Costs the Reporter Most
I remember sitting in a dimly lit hospital corridor late one Tuesday, listening to a man describe the hollowed-out feeling in his chest after…
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Loyalty That Requires Silence About Harm Is Complicity
I remember sitting in a dim hospice room about fifteen years ago, the smell of antiseptic and stale lilies hanging heavy in the air,…