I was thumbing through Seth Godin’s Poke the Box and stumbled on this quote.  I couldn’t help but put it in the context of physicians and their obligation to make content:

I hope we can agree that there’s a moral obligation to be honest, to treat people with dignity and respect, and to help those in need.

I wonder if there’s also a moral obligation to start.

I believe there is.  I believe that if you’ve got the platform and the ability to make a difference, then this goes beyond “should” and reaches the level of “must.”  You must make a difference or you squander the opportunity.  Wasting the opportunity both degrades your own ability to contribute and, more urgently, takes something away from the rest of us.

Once you’ve engaged within organization or a relationship or a community, you owe it to your team to start.  To initiate.  To be the one who makes something happen.

To do less is to steal from them.

That last sentence is compelling.  Perhaps our silence is a crime against patients.  Dramatic, for sure, but does makes me think:  What more could we be doing?

The link to Poke the Box is an Amazon affiliate link.