World & Future Health - 8/6/25

Delivering care in the evolving, interconnected, virtual world… 

I’ve altered the heading for this section to include the “World” along with “Future Health” as a segment in The Fickenscher Files. Why? Because I am of the firm belief that we are inextricably tied together – whether we want to be or not!! Going one step further, I believe it is important for us in sustaining the health of the world and people that live upon it to recognize and respect our interconnections – both intentional, logistical, political, and otherwise. So, I thought the modification in focus would be important as we move forward. I hope it is helpful…let me know as I’m sure many of you will!! 

An Opening Conversation – I was on my way home from a short trip to the post office when I had the opportunity to hear an interview of Omar Dajani and Mira Sucharov, two activists who are working to develop solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that started following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack in Israel. They have been working to develop a framework for a viable two-state solution and have presented their ideas. This is worth listening to, so I encourage you to consider it. They both hold deep roots on both sides of the aisle – Omar as a Palestinian whose family goes back to the days of Napoleon and Mira, who lived as a young woman on a kibbutz in Israel, also with deep roots on the Israeli side. So, why do I raise this in my “health” of the world segment? Because I have come to the belief that we – as a people of Planet Earth – must learn to come together to solve problems. We have starvation in Palestine. We have all sorts of infestations in Africa that devastate the unserved, poor, and rural populations, we – as a world population – are contributing to global warming (yes, it is happening), and the list goes on. It seems that in recent years, we are headed to our respective corners. That does not bode well for the future of the world. Rather, we need to come together to solve these worldwide problems. My increasing fear is that I have lived through the “Golden Years” of evolving world health. Now, it seems we are heading back toward the Dark Ages. It’s disturbing… Dajani and Sucharov are completing a book entitled “View from the Vacant Lot.” I haven’t read it but I’m going to get it!!