I've been thinking about it. And I'm sure my thoughts are totally unoriginal, but there's something to them. So hear me out.
I feel sorry for police for the same reason I feel sorry for teachers, doctors, lawyers, bureaucrats, and even politicians. These are some of the most respectable professions our society purports to have. And yet, the more I meet the fine men and women in these professions, the more evidently clear it is to me how completely, utterly, and terribly let down so many of them are by the magnitude of ineffectiveness they encounter in their respective positions on a daily basis.
To the degree that they must become a certain kind of numb and ineffective themselves in order to operate within it.
I save people. I heal people. People come to me for all the answers regarding their bodies and their minds. I am a Doctor.
Becomes: I am a Doctor. I don't know all the answers. I don't know why you keep coming back to my office with that ailment. I don't know how to solve it. I wish I did. But the board won't allow me to tell you what I think could really be the problem. And the FDA says I have to give you this drug. Even though I know that other things can work instead. I have studied the body. I know how it works. But something tells me that you probably know more about your body than I ever will, despite my degree. And if I'm even the least bit enlightened, I'd probably help you tap into that yourself. Because you know what you need to heal. And my job should be to work with you in a partnership to accomplish that. Everyone is different. And I'm not allowed to treat you holistically unless by holistically you mean doling out a medication for your mental state as well.
I hold the future of your children in my hands. My ability to influence, guide, and educate them will have an impact on them for the rest of their lives! I am a Teacher.
Becomes: I am a Teacher. I entered this profession because I knew I could make a difference. But I have so many children to keep track of, with differing needs and levels of learning...if I could focus on the kids, and really teach them, I'd probably be OK. I know I could be effective to some degree. But I have so many hoops to jump through, so much paperwork, so many tests to qualify you for, so many administrative restrictions and expectations, I'm constantly being barraged by rules and regulations and expectations I simply cannot meet unless I either significantly drop my teaching quality, or I significantly break the rules. And end up jobless. And I still have to pay off those student loans.
I right the wrongs. I defend justice. I help those who cannot help themselves. I use my intellect to solve difficult social riddles in order to bring justice to the people who deserve it. I am a Lawyer.
Becomes: I am a Lawyer. I have expensive student loans. I have too much overhead. There's the client management and billing software, the search engine optimization, the digital cloud document service, the expensive legal search engines like Westlaw and Lexis Nexis, the PDF program for bates numbering, the rented (or purchased) office space that needs to look nice so my clients don't think I'm a pauper lawyer, the court docket database service, the process server, the staff! Oh, the staff. And my lead paralegal wants a raise. And I can't do without her. Sigh. So I will have to think of something there. And there are the court rules of civil procedure that must be followed. And so many clients, I can't possibly pay 100% to all of them the way they expect. I charge $300 an hour for a reason. And between all that business management, I've somehow got to come up with the mental energy to do great casework and come up with legal strategies that are effective and successful. And I somehow manage to do so. And then you don't pay your bill. So I have to hire someone to call you every month and send out overdue invoices. Sigh.
I am here to save the day, to protect the innocent, to catch the nefarious. I help defend the defenseless, and make the world safe again. I am a Police Officer.
Becomes: I am a Police Officer. My main job is to find clear evidence and behavior that allows me to read you your rights, put you in handcuffs, and bring your case to the DA. I am not here to protect you. I'm here to figure out if you are the culprit. I don't have time to deduce what is actually going on behind the scenes. I have to make quick decisions based on a snapshot of your life, and what other people on scene are saying. I'm sorry if you're innocent and I can't do anything to help you. I have to have tangible evidence in order to do anything. And by tangible evidence, what I really mean is, this has got to be written up into my report in such a way that it will stand up in court. So unless you've got a severed limb, or bruises on your body, or traces of Meth, or a burned down house with a man standing next to it with a lighter in his hand, it didn't happen. And I have to say it didn't happen. Even if it happened. If I can't either arrest someone or press charges here on the spot, well...then there is nothing else I can do. I am limited to only those things that put people in prison. Everything else in between....didn't happen. "Unfounded" and "Unsubstantiated" means "it didn't happen." Even if it did -- oh shoot, I gotta go. I have paperwork to do. I need to get back to the office or I'll get chewed out by my boss. And I've got quotas to meet, and you don't fit the quota. So...I'm sorry Ma'am for your situation, I truly am, and I know I LOOK like I could help what with this gun and this badge and all, but I really, I can't. I just....can't. Next time, bring me severed limbs. I'll be able to help then.
I hear the cry of the people, I see the issues, I know how to solve them, and I can help. My job is to help this community run more smoothly. More fairly. I help enact laws that make that happen. I am a Politician.
Becomes: I am a Politician. There is no way in hell I am going to get a single thing done without making vast and shining concessions in ways that I never thought possible. I am a Politician.
Not Trying to Be Depressive
I'm not trying to be a downer. What I'm trying to do is show that the position that should be the MOST respectable positions in our country are becoming the LEAST respectable as they are devoured by bureaucracy and limiting rules and regulations. Our best and our brightest are being devoured right along with it.What if...and this is just a thought...but what if there were a better way? What if doctors and teachers and politicians actually did things the way they were meant to? And things got done based on what their inner wisdom thought was best. What if we were actually taught that we had inner wisdom, and we could actually tap into it, and trust it? Our higher self would not need to fill quotas or make concessions because the Universe would guide us to go where we were needed and do what needed to be done. What if everyone operated out of that, using their own intuition, intelligence, and inspiration? What if police officers showed up to a scene with an all-knowing zenlike buddha approach, and they just "knew" what needed to be done, and how to diffuse the situation, and how to direct their energies toward healing and helping and serving. And the people could feel that. And there were answers for drug addicts and abusers and violent criminals. What if the officers who came on scene were able to say, "Fella, we can see you're in trouble. Let's get you actual help so you don't have to feel so violent and lost anymore." And their energy was powerful enough to create an impact on that statement. And people could feel it. And just know they were going to be OK. For the first time in their life. They would be OK. Because and officer showed up to help.
Think of what a world that would be.