Navigating life’s waters can be fraught with shoals, tides, and headwinds. The astute ship’s captain learns by observing and documenting the events of the voyage in the ship’s log, providing a true-to-life record of those challenges and how they were overcome. Before GPS and satellite weather maps, the logs of those who had come before were priceless, allowing all sailors to become better at sea.
We all can learn something from those of an earlier generation, whether in their writing, storytelling, or simple observations. And yet real learning occurs when we assimilate such information for ourselves, developing our own opinions and working to apply them.
Both the sea captain and those of us who are on our own personal voyages must move beyond the theoretical. We must put what we have learned into practice. To do so requires that we eventually move from opinion to action…
About the Author
Harvey J. White, MD has dedicated himself to direct patient care, clinical research, and leadership activities designed to improve both individual lives and our healthcare delivery system. Building on a career in interventional cardiology, including the acute treatment of heart attack and stroke patients, Dr. White is the founder and executive director of Vessel Health, a medical enterprise pioneering prevention in the achievement of cardiovascular well-being. Former creator and medical director of the Heart Hospital of New Mexico, he has served as president of the Greater Albuquerque Medical Association, governor of the American College of Cardiology, president of the American Heart Association, and leader of the Southwest Heart Foundation.
