Sharing our experience with the world

I sit here in front of our stove watching what seems like a microcosm of the entire world play out in front of me — on our bird feeder. A thick blanket of snow has turned our feeder into the community cafeteria, with a parade of juncos, white-crowned and golden-crowned sparrows, rufous-sided and brown towhees, red-wing and Brewer blackbirds, scrub jays and Steller’s jays (soon to be renamed, I understand), acorn woodpeckers, California quail, and band-tailed pigeons. Competition for space is intense, usually with the larger size taking control. Might makes right! Some species eat well together, while others squabble even among themselves. It is indeed the world in which we live. From existential threats like global warming and melting glaciers to regional fights that threaten the whole world, it seems we are in a cacophony of chaos. 

We have just completed our Homecoming weekend here at Loma Linda University, and I marvel at what our own alumni seek to accomplish in so many of these venues and situations. It was Albert Einstein who said, “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who do nothing.” The comments of this eminent scientist seem even more predictive of the precarity of today.

In this confusing world, the role of higher education is now being questioned. Some have summarized it as the contest between capital and character. Are universities to prepare successful professionals who ply their trades and do well or to build characters that can impact their families and communities? Should alumni seek to understand and embrace their civic responsibilities? Should health professionals, Loma Linda University’s own specialty, seek to have influence beyond their employment? Do we know or even care about the world around us? John Dewey, an American philosopher from 100 years ago, opined, “Democracy must be born anew every generation, and education is its midwife.” Are we prepared to be that “midwife” for a new generation of understanding and compassion?

When Microsoft founder Bill Gates returned to Harvard to give the commencement address in 2007, a place he had dropped out of 30 years earlier, he lamented, “I left Harvard with no real awareness of the awful inequities in the world and the appalling disparities of health, and wealth, and opportunity that condemn millions of people to lives of despair.” I would suggest that from our hospitals and clinics to our community projects and global trips, Loma Linda University students confront human need on a personal and massive scale and are called to respond.

While “Mission Drift” is a real concern among faith-based organizations today, we are maintaining our commitment “To Make Man Whole.” We continue to build on the foundations laid here at Loma Linda University Health over a hundred years ago. A unique asset in that journey, pointed to by increasing evidence, is our understanding and embracing of spiritual values. These are now recognized as necessary ingredients for sustainable personal and community development. That’s us! Our students and alumni capture that balance of professional skill, personal character, deep understanding, and spiritual commitment that can make a difference wherever they find themselves.

Thank you to our alumni, and others, who share this “Loma Linda experience” with the world.

Sincerely,

Richard Hart, MD, DrPH
President
Loma Linda University Health