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In my office at work I have a framed picture of my wife’s Great Grandfather in full military uniform in France in WW1.

Beside the photo in the frame is a certificate to show that he was mentioned in dispatches by Field Marshal Haig for bravery and the certificate is signed by the Minister for war at the time – Winton Churchill.

Leonard Heath went to war to protect his society that he lived in.

I suspect he lost some money for doing that and he put his life on the line for him, his family and society as a whole.

That happened twice last century. I’m sure you heard about it when you were at school. He was lucky enough to come back, but was not in a good place when he did. He had sacrificed a lot.

Who is sacrificing now?

Who is giving of themselves for a better society or to protect the good things that we have in society at the moment, which it seems to me are decreasing by the day.

Less and less people are doing this because the job seems too difficult and there is too much to lose.

The likelihood is if you try to make a difference it will cost you money and potentially that could cost you the ability to update your Sky subscription and watch more box sets or football matches or meals out at Harvester.

Doing the right thing in fact could make you a little bit uncomfortable and we wouldn’t want that now would we, because we’re all comfortable?

I work in dentistry so there is no opportunity whatsoever to make a difference to society in dentistry so why don’t we all just make as much money as we can and buy things.

Or might there be another way?

Might it be possible to approach your work from a point of view of making a difference to society to the people that you see (slightly difficult for me, treating the well healed people of West Bridgford) and the people who work with and for you (that’s an easier one for me) and the wider society as a whole?

I referenced a talk recently that I did for Dentinal Tubules Study Club Directors. Dhru Shah has set up the ‘Tubules Foundation’ this year where 3% of Dentinal Tubules revenue is funnelled into good causes and projects; they will be building a school in Africa.

For 5 years now the Campbell Clinic has put 1% of its turnover to such projects and the Charity ball that we subsidise has raised over £50,000 (the 1% project has raised over £100,000). More than that though we try to help school students who want to become dentists, dental students who want to become better dentists and young dentists who want to become better dentists again.

We try to spread the work about ethical practice as a means of changing a profession which in turn (if everybody does a little bit) will make a difference to society.

The projects that we have on the go at the moment to get to a more ethical place are solid foundations for the next 100 years, it is making us uncomfortable, but it’s unlikely to kill us (well, apart from me).  

Blog post number: 1622