(Rana Chatterjee sent the photo in the story for this – Thanks Rana)
I received this email (via the podcast) from Rana, who I’ve known for a long time.
He sent a lovely email after he discovered this stone, by chance and it set him back and it set me back too.
The world has changed beyond all comprehension, since William Spence died in 1910 (of course it has).
But that change has been exponential in the past 10 years, let alone the past 119.
Rarely do we erect stones of commemoration that will last over a century, for the good deeds or quiet heroes or people anymore.
Society instantaneous.
I will still receive, written letters of thanks and cards from patients in the practice, but these become rarer and rarer and the best you can hope for now is an online review on Google or Feefo.
That’s not the same for everyone, but it is a tide that will not turn and will wash over the rest of us.
For years, we’ve given our binmen presents at Christmas.
For years before that, the kids would go to the window and wave to them every day. They loved it, it was a mad, mad rush on a Tuesday morning to get to the window to wave to Paul and the guys on the bin lorry.
It’s still Paul and the guys in the bin lorry, and they still get a present from us at Christmas, although I’m not sure how many other people, give their bin men a present.
I’m pretty sure that we’d notice if they didn’t come though.
When I left my previous practice employment, quickly in 2008 (because they’d been bought by a corporate) I left everything behind, a referral base of hundreds of dentists for NHS minor oral surgery and implants and a huge team of people.
I had been there 11 years, and the outpouring of gratitude that I received was one of the most humbling things in my life.
I kept every letter, and every card that I got from referring dentists and all the presents that I received from the team after I left.
It doesn’t go like this anymore, but on to the next thing.
As soon as one box set finishes, the next one starts, as soon as we’ve had one takeaway, we run to the next one.
Nothing is a treat anymore, nothing is special.
If you go to a stag do in Vegas, there is somebody else on Facebook who’s on a stag do in Bali.
Where does it stop?
I would settle for a stone like William Spence’s at the end, rather than the collection of bobbles and bangles, that seems to be the indication of success in today’s society.
As Rana put in his email to me, about William Stone; “like in the inscription. “Skill and Kindness of Heart” “All classes of the community far + near.” Not “Performers”, “UDAs” and principles of healthcare buried in defensive dentistry, technology, social media, marketing, tooth whitening, FTP etc”.
Why don't you read the words of that stone and then why don't you read them again? Because that I the direction we should be travelling in and I'm not sure that we are.
Blog Post Number - 2053
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