I wonder what's it like for doctors who encounter patients who are looking for quick fixes with regards to their health when in reality what they need is a fundamental lifestyle change.
Oftentimes, quick fix equates with temporary fix, it's just the nature of modern medicine and the pharmaceutical industry.
Many doctors will gladly provide a quick and temporary fix, so that patients can come back again and again, making a business out of them. One could even argue that this is how the modern healthcare system is built - "don't teach them how to fish, only give them a fish."
Now, looking at it from a doctor's perspective, this seems diabolical, especially knowing that health is wealth in the truest sense of the term. Without good health, most of life's experiences may not be experienced fully.
But you also have to remember that it takes two to tango - doctors are able to do what they do because patients let them do what they do, either subconsciously or unconsciously. Patients tend to prefer the quick fix solution, instead of putting in the hard work required for a lasting lifestyle change.
Of course, this neither implies that patients are to be blamed entirely nor doctors are blameless. That will be seeing it from a very narrow perspective.
A Crutch From Society
On a broader view, this "fix me" attitude is not limited to the healthcare industry. I think it's pervasive in our society as a whole.
From a young age, we are taught to be passive and reliant on external solutions. For example, in school, students are more or less spoon-fed information and expected to regurgitate it on tests way more than being encouraged to think critically and solve problems on their own.
Unless a serious deconstruction is done, such an attitude carries over into adulthood, people inadvertently look for quick fixes to their problems, be it a miracle diet to keep them in shape, a get-rich-quick scheme to reach financial freedom, or a pill to cure all their ailments all at once.
The result? A population that is increasingly disconnected from the realities of their own health and wellbeing. Instead of being inside looking out, we're outside looking in, like we've relinquished control and abdicated from our fundamental role, from a driver of our own journey to merely just a passenger.
Interestingly, and especially in this modern age, more people are becoming accustomed to outsourcing their own problems to "experts", which seems way more easier to them than taking an active role in their very own lives.
I mean, how is it that we've become so reliant on external solutions to the point where we've lost the ability to problem-solve and self-manage effectively?
This is precisely what we do when we seek quick fixes for our health, wealth, or whatever, and it does nothing other than perpetuate this cycle of dependency.
Back To The Center
Perhaps, to break this cycle, we need to foster a shift in thinking - from a "fix me" attitude to an "empower me" attitude.
In practice, it means equipping people with the knowledge, tools, and support they need to take charge of their own lives, be it health or otherwise.
Thankfully, these "equipments" are becoming more readily available, and realizing that it's a long-term investment, but one that has an incredible potential to create a healthier, more resilient, and more self-reliant population.
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