Newsletter No. 443

443 • 19.9.2014 3 一封家書 Letters to a Young Executive Letter 2: On Discretion 11 September 2014 Dear K., I was so glad to receive your second letter, and thank you for giving me glimpses of how you were received at the VC’s reception, inducted at induction courses, met new people at meetings and, what amounts to the same thing, lunches. Of the above rites de passage , lunches are perhaps of first-order importance. Don’t believe the 1987 film Wall Street when it says, ‘Lunch is for wimps!’ Wall Street may value lynching over lunching. But in this not-so-convenient part of the territory, a convenient truth is that a cordial and unhurried meal is the barometer, even guarantor, of collegiality. I can feel your eagerness in starting in your new role, from your asking why I wrote in my last letter to the effect that it is discretion that defines an executive. Let me explain. Discretion is often taken to be synonymous with care and caution, a desirable pause or hesitation in action or decision, leading sometimes to inaction and indecision. ‘Restricted’, ‘stiff upper lip’ and ‘need-to-know basis’ are among its many guises. Though not semantically off the mark, it is not the entire story. To be discreet is also to be prudent, to know what is and is not appropriate and good under the circumstances, and act accordingly. Its proactive side is captured very well in the proverb, attributable to Shakespeare, that Discretion is the better part of valour . Valour necessarily takes courage and strength. Discretion is not to withdraw, abstain or put one’s head in the sand. To exercise discretion is to find a solution not found in any statute book but most apposite under the circumstances. It is said that all bureau workers act in accordance with precedents, procedures and protocols. Well, following the three p's would make one an artisan. But knowing how to exercise discretion makes one an artist. Rules are rarely carved in stone. To apply them judiciously and expeditiously, even when there are no rules, distinguishes a real professional from a mere charlatan. Can discretion be learned? In 1902, a 19-year-old student named Franz Xaver Kappus wrote to Rainer Maria Rilke for advice on a literary career. The correspondence that ensued between the two resulted in Letters to a Young Poet . In his letters, Rilke advises the novice poet to look inward, ‘to say what you see and feel and love and lose’, and to embrace solitude for ‘your solitude will expand and become a place where you can live in the twilight.’ Whereas Rilke prescribes solitude for Herr Kappus, I prescribe solicitude to you, that is, to look to others, to those you come across in your daily work—superiors, subordinates, students, academic staff of sundry disciplines and persuasions, fellow executives with different responsibilities and portfolios, other stakeholders…. Always have these interlocutors or addressees, or any combination of them, in mind, see what they see and feel and want and not want before you pick up the phone or pen a paper. A word of caution, though. While no properly functioning citizen of the global village today can do without e-mails, this form of communication is in fact the least discreet. This is true even if you flag an e-mail as confidential. I have enough to say about e-mails to fill another letter. Suffice it to say that this freight train simply loads too fast, takes off too soon and in too many directions that it inevitably would run over some toes and knock things down. But I should really stop here. Drawing comparison to Rilke’s famous letters is already encroaching upon the biggest indiscretion. I wish you a flourishing start to a great career! Yours sincerely, H. and pharmacy will receive structured ethics training. ‘The most important duty of a health care provider, whether a doctor, a nurse, or a pharmacist, is to take good care of life. Without proper understanding of moral standards and codes of conduct, it’s impossible to become health care professionals,’ said Prof. Francis Chan ( right ), Dean of the Faculty of Medicine. Just as the field of bioethics is intrinsically interdisciplinary, the Centre for Bioethics requires a teaching team of scholars and researchers from a variety of disciplines who are working on bioethics. These include philosophy, sociology, anthropology, psychology, media studies and life science. The target students are not limited to the Faculty of Medicine, as part of the course will be included in University General Education which is open to all undergraduate students. ‘To study bioethics is not the sole prerogative of future health care providers. To know life and to respect life are essential to each university student. When students of philosophy, law, and sociology are brought together to contribute their different points of view, the impact is better than the same with a class of only medical students,’ observed Professor Chan. The centre made its first move in July by hosting a workshop jointly with the Hastings Centre which pioneered the setting up of a bioethics centre in New York 45 years ago. Doctors, scientists, students, philosophers and Hospital Authority staff discussed the ethical challenges that occur at the beginning of life and those at the end of life, as well as the tools and critical skills for the teaching of bioethics. At present, the centre is setting up its office, recruiting and training the trainers, enlisting big-name bioethicists, and developing a new curriculum to prepare for the inauguration of the centre next January. Complicated ethical issues, Professor Chan said, can be taught by different means. ‘Basic theories, concepts and schools of thoughts will be taught through lectures. When it comes to in-depth case studies, tutorials can help students internalize their understanding of actual cases. By means of workshops, students are given a chance to scrutinize hypothetical situations, analyse the ethical dilemmas involved from various perspectives, and present an optimal solution.’ The professors demonstrated how to approach ethical issues using the strive for a ‘designer’ baby as an example. ‘Prenatal examinations in the past could only tell the baby’s gender. Nowadays, prenatal genetic testing is being used to screen for Down syndrome. In the foreseeable future, people may even be able to find out the baby’s IQ and likelihood of suffering from serious illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. This could entail moral and ethical consequences. Couples dissatisfied with the test results may consider it their right to abort the pregnancy, and have another shot at having a ”designer” baby who would ace the IQ and health prediction tests,’ said Professor Chan. ‘Complicating the matter is financial resources,’ Professor Fok added. ‘Technologies like this cost a fortune, which only the super rich could afford. Does it mean that the progeny of the rich are entitled to being smarter, while those of the poor are meant to be inferior? Is that ethical?’ One of the centre’s core aims is to raise awareness of biomedical ethics within the Hong Kong community. ‘Not only doctors but also patients need to know bioethics. Many conflicts between the two are due to a lack of common understanding of this issue. For example, a doctor decides not to use a certain medication to avoid increasing the patient’s suffering. However, the patient might be under the impression that the doctor is giving up on him/her. If there’s understanding between both parties, they can figure out the right thing to do in a rational way,’ said Professor Fok.