|
|
Douglas R. Bacon, M.D., Editor
|
|
The Lord of the Rings — A Metaphor for
Anesthesiology?
ince I first read J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic books,
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings
trilogy, I have been a big fan of Middle Earth. My
eldest sons, Charles, a high school senior, Andrew,
a junior, and Peter, a freshman, share my fascination.
They have not gone as far as to have a poster of Middle
Earth on their bedroom doors, as I did throughout
high school and college, and they decline all offers
on the grounds that it would make them into the quintessential
nerd. During Christmas break, however, we had a lively
discussion of who the true hero was in The Lord
of the Rings trilogy. Reflecting on our thoughts,
I began to see some parallels to anesthesiology, and
perhaps there is a lesson contained within Tolkien’s
works for all of us.
Gandalf the Grey, who transforms into Gandalf the
White in the course of The Lord of the Rings,
was my candidate as the true hero of the series. Gandalf
appears to be the catalyst for change in the books.
It is Gandalf who first recognized the danger associated
with Bilbo Baggins’ ring and sets in motion
the events of the tale, while being a willing participant.
He is the sage who is consulted often about the correct
course to take, and his advice is often not the easy
or obvious path but rather the path that is “right.”
Gandalf strengthens the resolve in those around him
and makes them better people. Unlike his fellow wizards,
most of whom do not desire to become involved in the
affairs of the world, Gandalf is a force within Middle
Earth.
My son Charlie argued for Samwise Gamgee*
as the true hero of the book. Sam never would have
left the comfort of his home and all that was familiar
to him were it not for the need of his friend. As
the story unfolds, it is Sam who stays by Frodo’s
side, believing that only death awaits as he accompanies
his friend on an impossible quest. Toward the end
of the trilogy, Frodo is ill and weak, but rather
than abandon his friend, Sam tells Frodo he will carry
him — in essence, Frodo’s quest has become
Sam’s. In many ways, Sam defines friendship
and loyalty.
Andrew argued for Frodo Baggins as the real hero of
the tale. Frodo has inherited a ring with magical
powers that has been discovered to be the object that
will unite all evil in Middle Earth and plunge the
world into darkness. Against all odds and against
forces he can neither fathom nor comprehend, Frodo
accepts a quest to destroy the ring. He neither wanted
the ring nor to leave his beloved home. Yet he sees
in this quest something that will improve Middle Earth.
He must complete the quest, in his own mind, not for
his benefit but rather for the greater good.
Peter chimed in with his opinion, somewhat different
than his brothers’, that Bilbo Baggins was the
true hero. A minor character in The Lord of the
Rings, Bilbo opens the book by giving away his
treasured ring to his heir, Frodo. Peter argued that
Bilbo’s sacrifice made the quest possible, that
Bilbo had done what no one had been able to do before
in Middle Earth — give up the one ring of power.
Strength of character made his sacrifice possible,
and Bilbo was indeed responsible for the ultimate
outcome and safety of the world he loved.
My nephew, Ross Pedersen, argued that Aragorn was
the hero of the book. A king who chose not to reveal
himself and whose family was looked upon as a failure,
Aragorn was a figure to which many rallied, supporting
his efforts to fight evil and buy time for Frodo to
destroy the ring. He, too, was willing to lose everything,
his kingdom, his wealth and even his very life to
secure peace and happiness for those for whom he cared.
Aragorn is a true leader, often not because it was
what he wanted but because it was what was needed.
“If our specialty with
its environs is Middle Earth, we need to see the darkness
growing in the East, as Aragorn might say, and be prepared
to respond to it with all that we are and have.”
My colleague, Terese T. Horlocker, M.D., whose office
is across the hall from mine, added that she felt Gimli
and Legolas, the dwarf and elf, respectively, deserved
mention as heroes. While neither is a leader nor looked
to for great insight into the matters of Middle Earth,
both are extremely loyal to Frodo, to the quest to destroy
the ring and most importantly to each other. Dwarves
and elves, in Middle Earth at least, are not always
on friendly terms — especially Gimli’s group,
which had a falling out with Legolas’ group in
The Hobbit, the predecessor of The Lord
of the Rings. Yet as they travel together and survive
hardships and combat, they become the best of friends,
willing to die one for the other. Theirs is a saga in
which they learn that they really are not all that different
from each other, and that knowledge allows them both
to expand their horizons beyond the narrow prejudices
they had been taught.
But what does any of this have to do with anesthesiology
or ASA? Are there any parallels to Sam, Frodo, Bilbo,
Gandalf, Aragorn, Gimili and Legolas?
There clearly are. Loyalty is an important and much
forgotten quality. Loyalty to the principles of ASA
requires, in some instances, a Samwise-type devotion.
Sam did not always agree with Frodo, but Sam did not
run off at the first sight of discord. Rather he stood
by his friend and thereby learned that his perceptions
of the issue at hand were not always correct. He also
realized, because of his relationship to Frodo, that
he could persuade him to change course. For anesthesiologists
this is what reference committees and, to some minor
extent, the “Letters to the Editor” section
of the ASA NEWSLETTER are all about.
Bilbo and Frodo in some ways resemble the membership
of the Society. Stressing the greater good, most members
are willing, or ought to be willing, to make the sacrifices
necessary to advance the specialty. Giving up cherished
beliefs is often one of the prerequisites, which is
not easily done, as Bilbo had some difficulty giving
up the ring. Outside of the day-to-day practice of anesthesiology,
there are many duties that often seem like a quest.
Becoming a member of a hospital’s operating room
committee, in the hopes of effecting a more streamlined
and efficient system, often seems like a never-ending
quest. Courage, determination and luck often play roles
in moving the needs of anesthesiology to the forefront.
The anesthesiologists who do this work resemble Frodo’s
quest mentality — and are to be admired for it.
Gimli and Legolas, cultural rivals who become fast friends
through life circumstance, have many parallels in anesthesiology.
The relationship between ASA and related organizations,
no matter how hostile at the outset, can become one
of friendship. But Gimli and Legolas also teach us that
there has to be mutual respect between the associations.
Nowhere in the book does either character purposely
harm the other; their arguments are over deeply ingrained
cultural prejudices intensely felt by each. Yet neither
Gimli nor Legolas tries to hurt the other; rather, each
tries to promote himself in the eyes of the other. The
mutual respect that develops between them comes from
an understanding of their respective strengths and weaknesses,
an admiration of the other and their common bond to
a greater good. Their relationship, though, would not
work if only one member felt this way. Here, I believe,
is a lesson for ASA in dealing with longtime hostile
groups that “wish” to be friends.
“Bilbo
and Frodo in some ways resemble the membership of the
Society. Stressing the greater good, most members are
willing to, or ought to be willing to, make the sacrifices
necessary to advance the specialty.”
Aragorn’s values are best reflected in the ASA
leadership. All of the senior officers spend almost
every weekend each year at meetings of anesthesiologists,
spreading the word about the values of ASA, often to
their own detriment. For officers who are in private
practice, income may decidedly drop, and personal finances
can be disrupted by committing to ASA in this manner.
Academic anesthesiologists likewise face challenges
in that there is not an unlimited amount of out-of-operating
room time available for their use. And even if there
were, other responsibilities at the institution may
be neglected. Yet just as Aragorn was willing to give
everything up for his goal of defeating evil and thereby
bringing peace and stability to Middle Earth, so, too,
do our officers see good in the sacrifices that they
make.
The Lord of the Rings is not
the only tale that has parallels to anesthesiology,
nor are Tolkein’s characters the only ones who
have analogous roles in the specialty. But it is these
characters’ virtues and the integrity in their
anesthetic counterparts that give meaning to the analogy.
It proves that many leaders working toward the same
goal, even if their efforts appear unrelated, can make
a significant positive impact. If our specialty with
its environs is Middle Earth, we need to see the darkness
growing in the East, as Aragorn might say, and be prepared
to respond to it with all that we are and have. To do
any less would be irresponsible of us.
And as to who parallels Gandalf most, while there are
many worthy candidates, I leave that to your imagination
…
— D.R.B.
* Samwise Gamgee is the only character
in the trilogy with an anesthetic connection. According
to David Wilkinson, Deputy Secretary of WFSA, “Tolkein
was brought up in the Birmingham area [of England],
and one of his pals was a Sampson Gamgee who was the
man who made Gamgee that was the lint used in the first
wireframe masks onto which the ether was poured!”
return to top
|