Dr. Perle's article on an ethical lesson he learned from the late Joe Keating.http://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=530605efaeb9b-3e38-6193-73b8-0de24d9b5ed

Perle, Stephen M.

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Gratitude and Courage of One’s Conviction: The EthicalLessons of Joe KeatingBy Stephen M. Perle, DC, MSBy now, the profession has heard of the loss of Joe Keating. As with any good friend, Joe’s death leaves ahole in our hearts that shall never be filled. To honor him, I will share the ethical lessons Joe taught me.When I heard that Joe died, I went to visit a friend of mine in the counseling department at the University ofBridgeport. Among other things, she asked if Joe knew how important he was to me. I told her that about sixmonths before his death, I had the opportunity to visit Joe at his home in Arizona. (If you had never beenthere, you missed a unique opportunity to visit a chiropractic museum and get a tour from its loving andever-enthusiastic curator.) As always, Joe was grateful to communicate with his friends; he was especiallygrateful that I took the time to visit with him.To me, it was incomprehensible for me to be in the Phoenix area and not make the time. I was grateful thathe came to pick me up, so I bought dinner. At dinner, I told him not only of how grateful I was that hepicked me up, but also how important he had been to me in my life. He helped guide my learning ofcritical-thinking and research methods. He had been a friend, advisor, resource and confidant. I didn’t knowit would be the last time I’d see Joe; fortunately, I did talk to him a couple of weeks before he died.After his death, I received e-mails from many of our mutual friends, for whom his death reminded them oftheir own mortality and motivated them to make sure they said thank you to those who mattered in theirlives. I contemplated making such a public thank you in this column to those who, likewise, deserve anexpression of gratitude from me. However, I decided that it wasn’t appropriate and will e-mail themseparately. You know who you are - thank you!Nevertheless, gratitude is a duty we owe to all those from whom we have benefited in any way. Even ifsomeone expects gratitude or doesn’t show reciprocation, we need to show appreciation - as Joe always did.The late Fred Lebow used to say that one would be amazed at what a T-shirt would get volunteers to do.The T-shirts were just a way of saying thank you before the fact. Napoleon knew this - that is why he- 1 -developed campaign medals and ribbons for the chests of those who had served in a military campaign withhim. He wrote, "A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon." The ribbons were anotherway to say thank you.The second lesson in ethics Joe taught me was having the courage of your convictions. Joe was brutallyhonest but never mean-spirited. I know that made many people in the profession dislike him. Even peoplewho appreciated Joe often confided that his relentless pursuit of ridding chiropractic of what he called"gobbledygook" wore thin on them. Nevertheless, Joe was relentless because he had the courage of hisconvictions, in spite of how it might tarnish his reputation. Ignoring the gobbledygook would have beenunethical to Joe. I know he loved the title of Dr. Keith Charlton’s paper, "Silence Is Not Golden: It’s Consent."1I remember Joe’s monthly e-mails promising a dinner to anyone who could show him a chiropractic journalissue devoid of gobbledygook. Every so often, after some event that highlighted the gobbledygook in theprofession, Joe would send out an e-mail to a bunch of docs around the world and start a debate on thepoint. I’ll miss those e-mails, but I’m sure some will not. His opinion in those debates probably becameanother reason for some people to dislike Joe. But that was OK because Joe had the courage of hisconvictions and sometimes even reveled in the negative response. I’ve written before that the profession’sbest friend is a good critic. Joe was the person who inspired that.2I guess one could say I learned well the lesson of having the courage of your convictions. I’ve found overthe five years of writing for DC that they have provoked antagonism from both sides of the fence. I’ve beenattacked for what I have written and attacked for what I haven’t written. By this, I mean people haveattacked me because I’ve taken a position on some ethical issue and then others have attacked me because Ihave not yet taken a position on their pet issue. Nevertheless, like Joe, I’ll continue to have the courage ofmy convictions; he would have wanted it that way.References1.  Charlton KH. Guest editorial. Silence is not golden: it’s consent. Chiropr J Aust, 2003;33(3):81-2. 2.  Perle S. Professional Courtesy. Dynamic Chiropractic, 2004;22(17). Click here for previous articles by Stephen M. Perle, DC, MS.- 2 -Page printed from: http://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=53060&no_paginate=true&p_friendly=true&no_b=true- 3 -

Gratitude And Courage Of One's Conviction: The Ethical Lessons Of Joe Keating

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Gratitude And Courage Of One's Conviction: The Ethical Lessons Of Joe Keating

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