President’s Message Winter 2009-2010
The Many Sticks in a Bundle
Jon J. Ferguson, D.C.
Dear Colleagues and Friends of ICAI,
There is a great Aesop’s Fable called “The Many Sticks in a Bundle”. The fable goes like this:
An old man on the point of death summoned his sons around him to give them some parting advice. He ordered his servants to bring in a bundle of sticks, and said to his eldest son: "Break it." The son strained and strained, but with all his efforts was unable to break the Bundle. The other sons also tried, but none of them was successful. "Untie the bundles," said the father, "and each of you take a stick." When they had done so, he called out to them: "Now, break," and each stick was easily broken. "You see my meaning," said their father.
Anyone who had ever picked up sticks in their yard after a storm knows that sticks come in many shapes and sizes. There are long ones, short ones, fat ones, skinny ones, straight ones, crooked ones, and so on. But there is no denying that they are all sticks. When we breakdown these sticks to their core, to their very substance, they are all made of wood.
There is no doubt that we are stronger together than apart. We know there are many outside forces acting negatively on our profession. There is the insurance companies always wanting to cut or eliminate reimbursements, the physical therapist wanting to infringe into our scope of practice, and the government demanding more and more paperwork with less and less reimbursement. Then there is the pharmaceutical companies spending millions of dollars touting that every human aliment can only be cured with pills, shots, or patches. The list goes on and on.
Yet, there are far too many chiropractors in Indiana that do not belong to any State Chiropractic Association. I am not asking all ICAI members, or potential members, to practice exactly like I do. That would not be healthy for any profession. We do not need to have a bunch of clones; this would stymie growth, limit new ideas, and be detrimental to the Chiropractic Profession. Joining an association does not mean that you agree with everything that each member of the association does. It simply means that you accepting them for who they are and defending their right to practice as long as it is not illegal, immoral, or against your core values.
Take a second and breakdown your practice to its very core, to its very substance. What do you believe? Ask yourself these questions. Do you believe that human life is intelligent and that the human body possesses the potential to maintain itself in a natural state of homeostasis? Do you believe that the practice of Chiropractic is a philosophy, science, and art that emphasizes the importance of the relationship between structure, primarily the spinal column, and the nervous systems? Do you believe that the relationship between these parts effect health and function? If you answered yes to these questions, then ICAI might be the association for you.
Don’t be that fragile isolated stick about to break under all the strain of today’s world. Join your state association. Join ICAI.
Until Next Time,
Your Colleague and President,
Jon
Jon J. Ferguson, D.C.
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