Posting this on my virtual bulletin board:
A Note to My Younger Colleagues. . .Be Brave
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the strong forces that steer us into conformity, and Dr Krumholz has much to say about that. And he quotes a colleague, Victor Montori:
If you find yourself with some time (not a lot), let me recommend Letters to a Young Contrarian by Hitchens.1 His argument that clarity emerges from conflict is compelling. And for conflict to emerge, ie for clarity to emerge, someone has to take a position. The question you ask is whether this should be you, now, and at this stage of your career.
If you learn by critical analysis and thinking, if you share the results of this thinking with passion and honesty, you will find fertile ground for growth. This may not happen with certain people or in certain places but will happen.
BEYOND THE PALE 