From time to time I am asked what I think about this or that technique. While there are, in my opinion, some superior techniques, the answer is often that techniques are like hammers. In the hands of a skilled carpenter, a hammer yields beautiful work, but in the hands of a lay person, a hammer yields bent nails. As you can see, it’s not as much about the hammer as it is about the hands it is in. So before you ask yourself if you need another hammer, ask yourself if you have command of the one(s) that you already have.
Our society has lost its thirst for comprehension and understanding and has developed a hunger for a “turn-key” approach/algorithmic system. No longer do we want to learn how to fish, we just want the fish. This is a huge problem in our society. This is largely why you can have two people with the same letters behind their names and receive night and day services from these “equally” training individuals. Unfortunately when you learn that someone is a MD, DO, PT, ATC, Chiropractor, Personal Trainer, etc, it doesn’t tell you much, if anything, about whether or not that person will be able to properly service you.
Some certifying and/or continuing education courses include “examinations” as a part of their curriculum. While I applaud the effort to hold the participants to some sort of standard, these tests are often a joke as some of them are open book and most of the questions are more about recall/memorization than they are about true comprehension of the material. Don’t take this to mean that every course must have a written comprehensive test as that is not my intent. But I do believe that ALL certifying courses should have a part that assesses comprehension and application of the material to protect the potential patients/clients of these organizations’ representatives. I also believe that it is the responsibility of the participants to seek the comprehension/understanding that gives them complete command of their past, present, and future skill sets. It is through comprehension/understanding that the wisdom to accept what is useful and to reject what is useless is acquired.
We can't keep placing hammers in the hands of unskilled carpenters and allow them to bend the nails of our society. We must foster and demand comprehension to facilitate the development and maintenance of the beautiful work created in us as human beings.
Respect & Honor
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