More than any other profession, perhaps, it is the physician who is most tangibly aware that the factors that unite us as human beings far outweigh those that separate us. Scientific objectivity tells us that racial and cultural distinctions result from environmental and genetic forces that are both unconscious and largely uncontrollable. But we assert increasing control over geography and communication - leading to a world so intimately linked that the idea of nationalism, chauvinism or racism seems all but anachronistic. And the physician crosses in and out of these pockets with the most ease and the greatest ability to view conditions in uncensored form. Because of this unrivaled insight, the physician's words are received more thoughtfully than, say, the politician's or the police officer's.
Innovation often results from chaos, accidental inquiry and the occasional scientific mishap.
One thinks of mutation - positive mutations are retained, negative rejected. Still, the mutation occurred before it could be assessed. In short, mutation, when used pejoratively, tells only half the story. Surely some encounters will result in clashes. But given our overwhelming likeness, the long-term results should have, and indeed, are yielding positive results.