Where are the Shirt-Wearers?

 

The Shirt-Wearer

In Native American culture, there was a designated shirt-wearer who was the protector of the young, the helpless, the aged, and everyone else within the tribe. This shirt-wearer was the voice of the people. All major decisions were presented to this person in search of their invaluable wisdom. They embodied a bigger vision than self gain. Every person has encountered a shirt-wearer in his or her life. They are the ones who have a purpose, a responsibility to the people or the cause they represent. They freely and openly share their gifts with others. They encourage and inspire. Mine was a gym teacher. He saw potential in me and made it his business to mentor me in physical fitness. In the sixties, he foretold of a time in the future when people would stop taking care of their bodies. He said that there was talk of stopping physical education in schools. He was a shirt-wearer and proud for being an ambassador for fitness.

Chiropractic Shirt-Wearers

In our great profession, I don’t see many shirt-wearers for Chiropractic. Now, I see many shirt-wearers for non-Chiropractic income-producing activities. A true Chiropractic shirt-wearer has to be different. They must be oriented towards the next generation, rather than towards being a fixer or therapist for adult musculoskeletal problems. Shirt-wearers know the catastrophic effects of the Vertebral Subluxation Complex and its effects on society. Sick people create a sick world. All the symptomatic relief in the world will not change the health paradigm. It will take the shirt-wearers in our profession to stand up and do what needs to be done. To illustrate this point, allow me to share a story…

I had just finished speaking to a group of DCs, and some of them came back into the office where I had presented. A few of the doctors rushed in with two Hispanic women and a little boy who had one of the DCs’ shirts wrapped around his waist. Palpable panic in the air. Doctors blurted out, “Dr. Kevin, we have to talk to you.” It turns out that this little boy had been separated from his mother and couldn’t speak English. Two women, along with the DCs, found the little boy wandering in the parking lot in a state of panic. He was naked except for the shirt he was wearing, which only covered his stomach.

The Hispanic women immediately went next door and bought a pair of shorts for the little boy. Upon closer inspection, however, we noticed that there were burn marks on the boy’s legs and more crudely bandaged burns on his stomach. We called the police and they were able to locate the boy’s mother.

 What happened to the boy?

After the police officer took the little boy away, many of the DCs wept at the tragedy. This was child abuse! To some of the DCs in attendance, the event was horrifying. Unfortunately, it made no impact on their lives. The shirt-wearers in attendance, on the other hand, knew that they had just witnessed a catastrophic lethal effect of the Vertebral Subluxation Complex on humanity. What kind of a vitamin would you like to give a mother so she would behave like a mother? What type of laser therapy would you like to do on a parent to make them act like a parent? You see, this is the dimension that shirt-wearers live in. We know that healthy people create a healthy world. We bring true human expression to the masses. We keep the promise. We are the voice of the children.

This boy was let down by his mother. Criminologists agree that most juvenile criminals are let down by those entrusted to raise them. There is a breach of trust. They grow up angry, peerless, and they later exact their revenge on people who had nothing to do with their past. This is our time in history to stand up and be seen as shirt-wearers for the people. Let’s show the world what a group of like-minded Chiropractors can do! Have the courage to become a shirt-wearer today.