‽istis ponders the best of all possible worlds… (weekending July 8th 2023)
This week, ‽istis has wondered
about Wimbledon (for some, the best of all weeks/fortnights)… and realised
that the reason why it personally seems somewhat alienating is because (perhaps,
possibly, maybe) it could be characterised as something of an apotheosis of
many things that ‽istis struggles with:
·
competition
and an example of winner/loser ‘zero sum gain’ dynamics (‘the winner gets how
much?’)
·
individualism
(or at best doublism)
·
a
frisson of nationalism especially, though rarely, when a ‘Brit’ does well
·
a
hefty dose of elitism
·
more
or less rampant capitalism (‘how much for 10 strawberries?’)
·
celebrity
– of the lesser or greater spotted varieties and plumage
But ‽istis has also pondered the
UK’s ‘NHS’ (National Health Service), 75 years’ old this week and for
some, the best of British and worthy of its dancing/singing/spectaculous
showcase at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics a decade or so ago[i].
BBC’s Radio 4 programme ‘Start
the Week’ on Monday had a discussion about the NHS[ii]
- hailed as somewhat revolutionary at its inception and as part of a major welfare
initiative to address the ‘five
“giant evils”: want, disease, ignorance, squalor and idleness.’[iii] Much
news air time, on-line information, and print was given across the week to assessments,
appraisals and performance reviews of the health service – its aetiology, its developmental
progress, its current state of health and well-being; to diagnoses of problems
chronic and acute; to treatment plans and their potential; to its life
expectancy – and to its achievements and impact.
How well does the one of the
world’s top ten largest employers fare?[iv]
and what affects its performance and success in meeting the needs of those who
access its services which so famously are considered to be ‘free at the point
of delivery’[v]?
Well, to cut through quite a lot
of the commentary, ‽istis is left with a key point: that a country gets what it
pays for… Seemingly quite middling
outcomes in England and Wales for quite middling levels of investment when
global cross-national studies are undertaken (see BBC programme ‘endnote’ ii,
below)
So,
still thinking about health outcomes (but without seeing here the need to add
to the examination of the NHS by those who are either less - which includes ‽istis
- or more well-qualified to help appraise its 75 years and its future) and wondering about comparisons between countries, ‽istis ends the week with ‘Candide’
still in mind from last week... Just how
might we develop ‘the best’ in ‘the best of all possible worlds’[vi]:
-
in health matters
-
in personal, interpersonal and family relations’
terms
-
in education, training and employment
-
in arts and culture,
-
in sport and recreation
-
in standards of living
-
in social stability
-
in opportunities for fulfilment
-
in peace and happiness
-
in providing opportunities for best lives and optimal
well-being
…the
‘most best’, for as many as possible?
Do
we know from across the world what works in relation to these vital areas - what
policies, systems and structures, implementation, funding, governance and
regulatory arrangements, expectations, laws, service provision, etc., etc., etc…?
If
we think that we are not yet living in the best of all possible worlds, is
there evidence that can challenge any partial, self-promoting and
self-protective views of the presently powerful, the dominant and influential?
Is
there evidence that can help us and, that might challenge the influence of current
ideology…
…or ‘best guesses’
…or unexamined custom and
practice (we do it like this, because we do it like this, because we do it like
this…)?
‽istis
has made a start on seeking out information, data, analysis, conclusions or at
least hints and tips…
…but wonders
what you would suggest?
Like
a winning player at Wimbledon (but perhaps unlike a leaving and disaffected NHS
doctor), to this matter ‽istis will return…
©‽istis
NB: further reflections and
comments linked to this week’s theme and past blog entries to be found on
Twitter: replies, retweets (which don’t necessarily indicate approval,
sometimes the very opposite!) and ‘likes’: @Pistis_wonders. Twitter ‘follows’
and respectful comment and dialogue welcome...
[iv] 8th
in 2021: https://www.lovemoney.com/galleries/67573/the-worlds-biggest-employers?page=24
widely touted as the 5th largest in comments this week…
