I’m sure that with all the press about the pope, the upcoming conclave, the Vatican, the poor altar boys and weeping nuns and pondering the simultaneous horrors and beauty of organised religion, the last thing you want to read about in this blog is more about religion.
However, there is a book I’ve heard about, and like so many things in life, it was NOTHING like I imagined. It’s called The Sacred pathways to God by Gary Thomas. I thought it would be good for us to get a greater understanding about how different religions and beliefs experience God so we could support patients and their families better, especially when it comes to our end-of-life care. Rather than discussing the 9 different “big beliefs” or faiths, it focuses more on how individuals experience or worship God. It made me think of how these nine pathways are universally true, not just with regards to our souls, but people in general. Bear with me as I explain (with a humble thanks to Gary Thomas for writing the book and to my dear friend Dr Hanneke Friedl who introduced me to it). The book says that there are nine ways people worship their gods, and I realised while reading it, that as in all things, we should accept that we are all different and we all experience life, careers, family and faith in different ways. One way is nor “more right” than another. It simply boils down to “different strokes for different folks.” The book highlights 9 different ways people primarily experience God or spiritual life. As I pondered these “pathways” I found some striking parallels to different kinds of medical professionals I encounter in my field:
“Traditionalists: Valuing structure, liturgy, rituals, and religious traditions as ways to encounter God”
This has to be the typical intensive care doctor! I know a few – and not all of them are like this but… Picture an old white guy still wearing a doctor’s coat and speaking to the nurses like they have special needs. He follows the same old established customs and routines he has followed since 1985 and is furious that the hospitals have transitioned to iPads. He does not ever have to justify anything and will not explain his motives or findings to lesser mortals, including those who have to pay his invoice. He will not consider that there are other ways to heal than with proven western medicine, and his approach is strictly curative. He believes that he has failed if a patient dies and will keep testing, prodding and poking and intubating to the last possible minute.
“Naturalists: Connecting with God through nature and creation”
In glides the homeopath that has a potion and a lotion for everything from a wart, to a traumatic brain injury, to full blown psychosis. In theory there is no one else I like more. Their anti-establishment vibe and the guts to stand up against big-pharma and our society’s need for the quick-fix appeals to me. The little white pills you have to pop every 4.46 minutes is a bit time consuming, the acu-puncture needles that align your chakras are painful, and the sun-salutation poses that brush out your aura are hard to do, but at least it’s holistic right? I know there is a place for practicing this kind of medicine, but I believe it is simply criminal when people advise patients suffering from life threatening diseases to spurn qualified doctors’ advice and use a drop of turmeric oil or go for a little vitamin C infusion.
“Enthusiasts: Finding God in joyful celebration, excitement, and spiritual experiences”
This is without a doubt, an auxiliary therapist. Have you ever seen how excited an OT can get when someone manages to lift up a hairbrush and touch their head? I have seriously seen speech therapists jump up and dance the funky chicken after a stroke victim swallowed a mouthful of pureed butternut for the first time. Or my favourite is without a doubt when a physio gets an amputee to take his first few steps with their new prothesis. It is a special kind of personality that can get this excited about these things. I get that the achievement is great, but do you know how many times these guys drop their spoons, their hairbrushes or their crutches? I am in awe at how the therapists stay motivated and how they are able to motivate their patients. A dietician (I fear these nazis more than dentists any day of the week!) is similar. They rejoice every time you eat an apple rather than a garage pie, and then they go into full blown mourning when you have a Bacardi cocktail (complete with little umbrella) rather than a glass of tap water. These are life’s cheerleaders, motivators and inspirers, and I am so grateful for them.
“Sensates: Experiencing God through the five senses and sensory experiences in worship”
You guessed it, our very own sangomas fit this category! Just picture their indumba (sacred healing hut) and all your senses just about explode, from the traditional healer’s bright cloths and various animal skins draped around him or her, to the smells of the shells, bones and mutis. And of course, our inyanga’s don’t just rely on our five senses. They bring in our sixth sense served with a big dollop of fear. They love talking to the ancestors and happily report their demands from beyond the grave at great cost. If you see their adverts on telephone poles, you would know that they arrogantly state that they can heal all physical ailments. (Male genitals are always mentioned and can magically be enlarged without as much as picking up a scalpel). They can supposedly settle your debts, improve your career, evict evil spirits, kill jealous lovers and put in a good word with the ancestor whose tombstone you bought cheaply. These sangomas need to be respected for their ability to make incredible amounts of money selling placebos and promoting fear. As you might gather, I’m not a fan.
“Activists: Experiencing God by championing justice, confronting evil, and engaging in social causes”
Just like during COVID the physios proved to the world how invaluable they are, social workers are now proving this to us every day. I cannot imagine a palliative or trauma journey without one. I have watched these incredible men and women champion patients, demanding their proper care, protecting them from greedy family members, building bridges, healing relationships and making sure they get to say a dignified and comfortable goodbye. They are real life guardian-angels, and I wonder how life would have been different, and kinder, if we all had someone like that: an advocate just for us, protecting us and blowing wind in our sails?
“Ascetics: seeking God in quiet, simplicity, solitude, and disciplines”
I’m thinking this must be a doctor of Chinese/Eastern medicine. These guys can do some serious healing with the simplest of tools. I once had a spasm that some guru rubbed out with a device that looked like a torture blade. He pressed some pins in a few places and sucked up a muscle or two in a hot glass cup and voila! I walked out brand new after seriously hobbling into his sanctuary. I love this kind of medicine… in theory… but in our busy, rushed lives in Jozi, it is not always easy as they play the long game. This is of course much better because they focus on prevention as much as they do on healing, trying to treat people holistically and focusing on meditating, diet, movement and natural therapies. I want to promote this type of medicine, but I admit that it is ingrained in me to rather reach for the instant gratification and a fistful of tablets.
“Contemplatives: Focusing on intimacy, personal prayer, and deep love for God”
The thing about palliative care doctors is that we seldom meet them. It’s not like a dentist or a gynae that you see every year, but boy, when you meet them, you realise very quickly that they are like no other doctor. Their entire approach is different. They focus on the human being and not the disease. They focus on relationship, not curative measures. They talk to you about your past, your hopes and your family. Because of their willingness to break boundaries and form a deep authentic relationship with you, you are able to trust them with this final journey. I’ve sat in many meetings that are about two hours long, and watched these doctors transform entire families. Suddenly, because of important truths being shared in a loving way and in a safe environment, fear becomes acceptance. I don’t know how they carry this load, but I do know that they are hand-crafted for this very demanding career.
“Intellectuals: Connecting with God through study, learning, and the pursuit of understanding”
Often voted the least sexy of the medical professions is the pathology. We have met forensic pathologists in television series’ who cut open corpses and trace clues to find serial killers, but the majority of them spend their days anonymously analysing blood, tissue and fluid samples. Their energy is put into detecting diseases, abnormalities and infection from a variety of bits and pieces taken from our bodies. They spend their time in white lab coats interpreting results, writing reports and doing research. They are the guys backstage making the show worth watching. There is not a day at the lodges that we do not send samples to the laboratories, and I wish they knew how much their commitment to medicine improves our lives.
“Caregivers: Serving God by caring for people in need and expressing love through acts of compassion”
This must be the nurses and all the caregivers who dedicate their lives to doing the hard work of lovingly caring for people day in and day out. They are the ones who clean patients, who help them with the uncomfortable and embarrassing procedures and processes (and many bodily functions and fluids), who hold their hands, who feed them, who open curtains, who check in, who respond to their whispers and their panic buttons. I am blown away, almost daily, at the amazing work our carers do and how much they are loved by our patients. They are encouragers and cheerleaders. They know when to push and when to give people space. They really listen, really see, really care… and it makes the world of difference. That kind of tangible compassion is truly healing and transformative.
The medical field, like our spiritual journeys, is made up of many different paths we can take, and it is populated with an assortment of interesting characters. I’m so grateful for all the medical teams with whom I get to work and the unique gifts, strengths and contributions of each one.