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on the perils of being an imperfect 
Being an #ethicist requires a lot of reflection & self policing. Claiming to have authority/ knowledge on ethical reasoning/behavior, means choosing to be held to an extremely 
standard. Yet, I continue to be a human who makes mistakes & evolves. #UnfortunateReality
standard. Yet, I continue to be a human who makes mistakes & evolves. #UnfortunateReality
The stakes are high in the #bioethics niche. The pressure to be “good” and “right” and “correct” (however those are defined) as an ethicist is something I feel constantly. I spend a lot of brain power reading, reflecting &
 revisiting complex moral landscapes.
This is even more treacherous online where any statement, past or present, may bite me later. Folks may use my words to come after me, my job, my reputation & my family. Something I say may be taken out of context, or I might just be plain wrong.
I hear an ethics student made a #professionalism comment that backfired. I have empathy for an imperfect person who has wandered head first into a high stakes profession.
(I have no interest in the details of what happened. Please don’t rehash it here.)
(I have no interest in the details of what happened. Please don’t rehash it here.)
I have been and will be wrong on ethical issues, despite my best efforts. Holding this knowledge close keeps me humble.
In the last ~20 years, I've studied ethics, gotten two ethics degrees and a medical degree, had multiple ethics jobs (clinical and research).
Through this journey, I have been fortunate enough & reflective enough to become > thoughtful, < #ableist, < #racist & < quick to judge. Seeing others' perspective is a muscle I exercise often. I continue to learn everyday how to be a better, more effective #ethicist.
Why do this weird, hard job? I believe having a skilled person to navigate difficult ethical problems = as important as having experts in nephrology, surgery & cardiology.
(And I actually enjoy having those hard conversations sometimes - I feel useful & helpful)
(And I actually enjoy having those hard conversations sometimes - I feel useful & helpful)
I believe that if we want to be good healthcare providers, we need to know how to navigate tragedies & we should never have to do it alone. And having a vision for a #moral community and a job I 
means I push myself even harder.
means I push myself even harder.
So when I hear a young #ethicist made a bad call or didn’t hold up to scrutiny, I have compassion. It could have be me (and very likely will be one day). I hope we can cut each other just a little slack, not be so quick to judge each other.
I can only speak for myself, but #COVID19 has challenged me in ways I never anticipated. I consider more than ever, “Am I doing this right?” I remind myself of that when I see others struggling.
@BioethxMark @KayhanParsi @hollyktabor @HollyLynchez @JonathanMetzl @JonMarronMD @JoanneCSuarez @EHahnMD @SDerringtonMD @DrKeishaRay @PhilosopherCrip @reshmajagsi @ABatemanHouse @iandwolfe @abmilliken @GovindPersad @prof_goldberg @VarditRavitsky @SteveJoffe @ArthurCaplan
