“Do you have any religious or ethical reservations about what kind of bone we put in your mouth?” That question both startled and pleased me. As I answered with a simple “no,” I broke into a broad smile.
Some context. My young periodondist was in the midst of trying to save my 90-year-old mouthful of teeth from the ravages of aging. To do so she was giving them a thorough laser treatment and selectively rebuilding my dental structure through new bone.
This wasn’t my first encounter with dental bone additions. But it was the first time any dentist had asked about religion or ethics. So I followed up my “”no” by inquiring why she had asked. The doctor explained that her patients came from differing traditions, including religions that forbade certain foods — Jews, Muslims, and Hindus, for example. So she kept a variety of bone slivers and tried to make certain that she used ones that did not transgress her patients’ belief systems. Ergo, her question.
That answer launched us into a discussion of her patient-centered strategy, which I enthusiastically supported. I suppose I could have continued with a warning about the risks she was taking. How I might have been a MAGA patient who exploded with accusations of her being oh so woke. Or maybe a microaggression maniac who might have accused her of othering. Whatever, I didn’t go that far. But even as she worked on me I reflected on her actions.
In these turbulent times when anti-diversity forces are ferociously on the attack, it’s nice to see a member of the health professions go out of her way to recognize the importance of individual journeys and group identities, including those arising from religion. She wasn’t part of the one-size-fits-all crowd, those who proudly proclaim that they don’t see color and treat everybody alike. Instead she practiced different-strokes-for-different-folks health care, with all of its complications and challenges.
Moreover, my doctor didn’t treat diversity as a set of group stereotypes — all blanks believe blank. Instead she recognized diversity within diversity. She appreciated group distinctions, yet asked me as an individual to explain if and how I might participate in a religious tradition.
I share this story because it suggests one dimension for diversity renewal — making a difference by simultaneously recognizing the impact of groupness while also respecting individuality. Empowering others — in this case me as the patient — to make decisions based on one’s own personal intersectional journey. Not burdening me with group-driven assumptions, but respecting the fact that diversity thinking is bogus if it proscribes individuals by restricting them to essentializing and deterministic prisons.
During his 1989-1992 term, President George H. W. Bush received undeserved criticism when he referred to the United States as a nation with “a thousand points of light.” Media commentators and others made fun of his idea as mawkish and laughably sentimental. I guess it did come across as a bit corny, but in retrospect he was onto something important. Individuals can make a difference through small acts that demonstrate respect for otherness.
Thoughtful interpersonal actions by myriad individuals lie at the heart of constructive intergroup relations. Merely learning about differences doesn’t get us very far. More important is acting on that learning by dedicating ourselves to inclusivity through respectfully sharing space with those who come from varying traditions and belief systems.
In her own small way my periodontist was making a difference by role modeling one of Bush’s thousand points of light. Moreover, she enhanced her actions with a clear, conscious, and thoughtful diversity twist of intergroup consideration. Her concern for religious pluralism provided such a welcome contrast to the in-your-face aggression so common in today’s polarized world.
As I left my periodontist’s office, I was happy that she had salvaged my rebellious jaw. But along with that, I wished that there were more people like her. If we are going to renew diversity by making a difference, we’re going to need more than a thousand points of light.
Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash
He also edited the four-volume Multicultural America: A Multimedia Encyclopedia (2013).
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