I walked into an exam room to see a new patient in my office.
The gentleman was 82, had thinning silver white hair and sharp blue eyes, shadowed by white bushy eyebrows.
"I am here to see Dr Chawla, the nurse already took my vitals," he said in a sharp, steely voice, before I had a chance to speak.
"I am Dr. Chawla," I said, rather apologetically.
I could see his disapproving look as he went over my attire. I wasn't wearing a suit, jacket or neck-tie.
"How can I help you?" I asked, and proceeded to examine him.
As he was walking out after the visit, he turned around and pointed his walking cane at me. "You seem to be a darn good doctor... but do something about your clothes."
"My clothes?" I asked.
"Look like a doctor, wear a suit or something," he said. "Look sophisticated."
"I'll try my best sir," I answered with a smile.
What makes us sophisticated? Is it about the clothes? Education and Intellect? Social interaction? Humility? Money? Definitely not the last one. Maybe its an amalgam of a bit of everything and some more. If it's just the clothing, I definitely won't make the cut!
Every section of society and every social circle sets up its unique threshold of crossing into their own world of "sophistication". We are all drawn towards that world instinctively as we grow in years. Consciously trying to be sophisticated rarely works. 'Growing older' is inevitable and cannot be stopped. 'Growing-up' is an option, and as we all know, some folks are reluctant to make that choice!
My work attire in the office has not changed, but here are some facts just to reassure my fellow physicians who are informal dressers like me. According to a recent poll, most older folks do prefer their physicians in a formal attire. The younger population (below 50) generally cares less about attire, and more about personality.
"Sophistication is not how you look in fancy clothes, but how the clothes look on you. Its not about how much expensive jewelry you carry on your body, but how you carry yourself. Its not about how much money you make, but how humble money has made you."
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Sunday, May 17, 2015
Monday, April 27, 2015
e cleansing?! Are we there already?
"I am going to India for 10 days. Do I need any shots?" A young man asked.
"Depends on the places you will be visiting in India," I said.
"I'll just be at an Ashram in Bangalore," he said.
"Ashram? Associated with which temple?" I asked.
"No...no... This trip is not religious. So no temple or any Baba or Godman involved. This is for e cleansing," he said.
"E cleansing? What is that?" I asked, my interest piqued.
"My wife and I are both going. Its electronic and social media cleansing," he said.
"Really? So how does it work?" I was really interested now.
"You go to this resort-ashram and for 1 week, you are totally disconnected from the world," he said. I could see that even thinking about it made him restless.
"Disconnected from the world? So no cell phones?" I asked.
"No cell phones, no TV, no laptops, no internet connection... nothing," he said, sounding nervous. "Oh God...I don't know if I'll be able to handle it."
He won't make it the whole week, I thought to myself. "Why are you doing this?" I asked.
"Because in our house, our lives revolve around our i phones. We barely get our noses out of our phones. There is no conversation in our house anymore. Its all about facebook, twitter, whatsapp, i messaging...Before I started this crazy texting, I didn't even know my thumb could get a cramp!"
"So what happens when you get out of there, after the week is over?" I asked.
He gave me a wry smile and threw up his hands.
Are we getting to a stage where we consciously have to disconnect from our electronic devices to connect with real people? There is a barrage of information, a 24-hour news cycle, keeping up with what your good friends and the "not-so-good" ones are up to, the whatsapp videos about cute babies and funny monkeys....and oh yes... there's work, and kids, and social commitments....it never ends. It might be worthwhile to connect more to your significant other, than to your mobile device!
Well, the reality is we can't avoid social media, and we should not try to either. Social media is a great tool for a variety of social & professional issues. How we use or abuse a tool is entirely up to us. If we find ourselves trawling endlessly through "friends" and "friends-of-friends" Facebook profiles, it distracts us from taking care of our own lives. The American Psychology Association (APA) is conducting research these days to add IAD as one of the recognized disorders. And what is IAD ? No...no... not the Dulles Airport...it's "Internet Addictive Disorder"!
"I like my new smart phone, my i pad works just fine, my laptop is perfect, but God, I do miss my mind." ~ Author unknown
.
"Depends on the places you will be visiting in India," I said.
"I'll just be at an Ashram in Bangalore," he said.
"Ashram? Associated with which temple?" I asked.
"No...no... This trip is not religious. So no temple or any Baba or Godman involved. This is for e cleansing," he said.
"E cleansing? What is that?" I asked, my interest piqued.
"My wife and I are both going. Its electronic and social media cleansing," he said.
"Really? So how does it work?" I was really interested now.
"You go to this resort-ashram and for 1 week, you are totally disconnected from the world," he said. I could see that even thinking about it made him restless.
"Disconnected from the world? So no cell phones?" I asked.
"No cell phones, no TV, no laptops, no internet connection... nothing," he said, sounding nervous. "Oh God...I don't know if I'll be able to handle it."
He won't make it the whole week, I thought to myself. "Why are you doing this?" I asked.
"Because in our house, our lives revolve around our i phones. We barely get our noses out of our phones. There is no conversation in our house anymore. Its all about facebook, twitter, whatsapp, i messaging...Before I started this crazy texting, I didn't even know my thumb could get a cramp!"
"So what happens when you get out of there, after the week is over?" I asked.
He gave me a wry smile and threw up his hands.
Are we getting to a stage where we consciously have to disconnect from our electronic devices to connect with real people? There is a barrage of information, a 24-hour news cycle, keeping up with what your good friends and the "not-so-good" ones are up to, the whatsapp videos about cute babies and funny monkeys....and oh yes... there's work, and kids, and social commitments....it never ends. It might be worthwhile to connect more to your significant other, than to your mobile device!
Well, the reality is we can't avoid social media, and we should not try to either. Social media is a great tool for a variety of social & professional issues. How we use or abuse a tool is entirely up to us. If we find ourselves trawling endlessly through "friends" and "friends-of-friends" Facebook profiles, it distracts us from taking care of our own lives. The American Psychology Association (APA) is conducting research these days to add IAD as one of the recognized disorders. And what is IAD ? No...no... not the Dulles Airport...it's "Internet Addictive Disorder"!
"I like my new smart phone, my i pad works just fine, my laptop is perfect, but God, I do miss my mind." ~ Author unknown
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