January 2007

The contrarian mindset

by Dr. Kevin Pallis and Dr. Ed Plentz

The contrarian mindset is a way of looking at life or an orientation that allows an individual to see things differently than the majority. It's this mindset that sets high‑powered chiropractors apart from others. They have the strength to go their own way and influence and inspire others to follow. They follow paths that are unpopular and perhaps looked down upon by the majority.

Many of the great leaders in history were contrarians and were misunderstood and maligned during their lives. It was only after the majority accepted their concept or idea that they were recognized and for many, recognition was posthumous. Still, contrarian mindset people are not about acceptance by the herd. They are about doing what they feel is right for the highest good. It's a path of integrity. It's a journey of creating the life of their dreams and not what society thinks they should be doing.

Those with a contrarian mindset don't live their lives for the entertainment or acceptance of others. They live in their own truth and their own beliefs that will benefit people's highest good. Figures such as Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and Christopher Columbus were contrarians who brought about concepts and ideas that were very anti‑social at the time, and whenever this is done, there's a price to be paid.

While some leaders are assassinated and others put in jail or ostracized, most are ridiculed and persecuted, not because of the truth or morality of an idea or concept but because it's different or unfamiliar to the masses. That's why so many followers won't stand up for truth but continue to be followers.

In our world, medical care is the benchmark. Devoid of philosophy and patient education, chiropractic can be shaped to fit under the umbrella of disease and symptoms. According to the masses and so‑called experts, chiropractic is a subset of the medical model, which stands for the reduction and amelioration of symptoms. As long as DCs continue to maintain practices that feature more and more non‑chiropractic income‑producing activities, the profession will move further away from its reality and, ultimately, get gobbled up by the medical paradigm. The reality is that chiropractic stands on its own ‑‑ as long as chiropractors are strong enough to stand for truth in the face of opposition from the herd.

As a profession, we're the only ones who discriminate based on age and symptoms. If you're a child, the majority of DCs will have nothing to do with you. If you don't have back or neck pain, the majority of DCs will have nothing to do with you. Can you imagine how ridiculous it would be for a dentist to only see adults with cavities? Do religious leaders kick children from the pews?

If you ignore the next generation in your idea or concept, time will expose it as fallacious.

Our society is only familiar with the concept of disease and symptoms, not health. You can relieve all the symptoms, aches and pains and you will not have changed chiropractic's position in society.

It's not necessary to bash medicine, however. Forget opposing the freedom from symptoms approach so‑called "experts" market to the masses. We need to stand for truth that says humans are born to be healthy, that health is a state and disease is an anti‑state. We just have to show the world what health is and educate people about chiropractic's role in it.

The contrarian mindset is only controversial to people of the herd who are unwittingly and unknowingly ignorant about health. Fellow contrarians grasp and gravitate toward new ideas and concepts. Health is a universal concept that concerns all people, regardless of their education, financial situation, etc. Anyone who opposes health is a puppet of the defenders of non‑truth.

Disease care is not health care, although there are trillions of dollars at stake with sickness. Concentrating on problems (disease) cannot create the solution. All solutions and innovations came from contrarian thinkers. Using violence and force on the human body has less benefit than working with the body to allow the expression of health.

Where do you think real health care will come from, doctors? Ah, the contrarian mindset.

(The New Renaissance is a movement of passionate chiropractors dedicated to changing the world. The leader in patient education since 1977, the Mentor IV Coaching Program is a step‑by‑step navigational guide that embodies the very essence of The New Renaissance vision of healthier people creating a healthier world. Without patient education, your patients won't "get it." To learn more about The New Renaissance, contact world headquarters at 800‑525‑3879.)