There have been millions of words printed about the upcoming chiropractic centennial in Washington, D.C. July 5-9, and at the birthplace of chiropractic, Davenport, Iowa September 13-17. Much of what has been written about the centennial has centered around the public relations aspect, and what the 100th anniversary of chiropractic can do for us: newspaper articles, the radio and TV broadcasts, centennial PR campaigns. Recently one of the headlines read over 505 million people have read or heard about the 100th anniversary of chiropractic. How about the Rose Parade float, which was a magnificent, wonderful, beautiful piece of artistry? Millions of people heard about chiropractic and saw the beautiful, dynamic float and its athletes at the parade. Many of us have contributed to the Centennial Foundation. Major corporations have donated and hundreds -- I hope thousands -- of DCs have contributed financially to the campaign to make sure that it is well-funded. And to those of you who have contributed, thank you very much.
One of the disturbing things that I've heard throughout the profession over the past year has been, "Who wants to go to Washington, D.C. in July?", or "Davenport, Iowa for a vacation?" Well, maybe some of us are looking at this with the wrong perspective. Showing up and spending 4-7 days in Washington, D.C. in the heat of July or camped out in Davenport in September (which will probably be just as warm) is not the issue, nor will going to Davenport or Washington, D.C. bring in more patients! Of course the media will pick up on the celebration in Washington and in Davenport to discuss the 100th year anniversary of the founding of chiropractic and the first chiropractic adjustment.
The majority of us are married and have families, and nothing could be better to do as a family than to go and celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the profession which has given us a reason for being. Nothing could be better than to show our children that we celebrate that we are doctors of chiropractic and that we have a purpose for living. I feel somewhat sorry for people who believe that being a doctor of chiropractic is nothing more than some type of "health care service." We're more than that. You won't survive thinking that the world owes you a living because you managed to get through chiropractic college and obtain a license. One of the great things to be confirmed with our spouse and children is that chiropractic truly is a way of life; that the people whom many of us met as freshman in chiropractic college are still our good and loyal friends 25 years later.
Rededication
Besides the gaiety, fun, and emotion of the 100th anniversary of chiropractic, being at one of these two locations should serve as the place for chiropractors to rededicate themselves to the profession, to their patients, and to its continued existence. How about getting in the car or on the airplane and heading for Washington, D.C. and Davenport and, while you are there, take a look inward rather than outward. Take a look at yourself and what you have become: your influences in your community; your family, and the college that you graduated from. Are you doing all that you can? Can you do better? A rededication, re-affirmation to be better than you were, to serve more than you ever have, isn't such a bad thing, unless you don't believe that any of those things matter. If you're in that small minority, keep remembering that we have jobs for you. The rest of us work on the golden rule: "As ye sow, so shall ye reap, as a man thinketh," etc. If this emotionalism offends some of you, so be it. I've always believed that great leaders are always shot from behind, never from the front.
Another part of the rededication this summer can be to stand up for what we believe. First we need to show up, and then stand up. We believe that chiropractic is a drugless profession. Secretly over the past several years, several colleges have taken surveys of their alumni and asked whether or not they wished the college to move into the realm of drugs or surgery. Overwhelmingly when the truth is told, drugs and surgery have been rejected. No need to lie about it, no need to shade or fix the numbers. Overwhelmingly, we need to stay drugless and non-surgical. Does that mean that we don't support research? Of course not. More of us are supporting and giving to our colleges than ever before. But it doesn't mean that the researchers run the program. They are suppose to show us the best way to go about things: what works and what doesn't. That's fine with us. But the rest of us, the 99.9 percent of us who practice every day, who take care of patients every day, we are the ones who really know what chiropractic is all about: service, dedication, compassion, humanity.
Sign Up
If you haven't signed up for the big bash, don't -- at least not in the usual sense. Sign up instead for the rededication. Pick this moment to not only have a great time, but to have a great fellowship and to show your families (especially your children) that this is what chiropractors do. We are in truth still one big family. There are some members of this profession who don't believe in what we do, look down their noses on the rest of us who unabashedly state that we love this profession and what it does for the rest of mankind. I feel sorry for them. My children wanted to become chiropractors when they first saw the camaraderie in chiropractic. That's really what compelled them: not that we were drugless and didn't use surgery, but that they enjoyed the relationship that their parents had with other doctors of chiropractic and other chiropractic families. In other words, what we did was "said" so strongly that what we said didn't matter. They did follow our example and for that I am eternally grateful.
So whether you are a member of the ICA or the ACA or "no CA" (there are too darn many of you who do not belong to a chiropractic association), join us in Washington, D.C. or in Davenport to rededicate yourself, rub shoulders with long lost friends, or even rub shoulders with your long lost enemies. Rub shoulders with your fellow chiropractors.
See you there!
John Hofmann, DC
Allen Park, Michigan
