The Diplomat
People, composure and the difficult conversation held well.
Dr. Vivek Murthy reads as The Diplomat because his hardest work as US Surgeon General was earning trust from communities actively suspicious of federal authority. His reports on loneliness and social connection recast public health in human terms, joining clinical science to lived experience.
“And it was sort of in the early days, you know, probably four months in, three, four months into the administration where things were still a bit chaotic. People were finding their footing and figuring out the building. So one day I had a meeting at, I believe it was 3 o'clock on a Friday in April.”
“We face on the health front with chronic illness, particularly with mental illness and with addiction. I think we have to ask ourselves, what role does social connection and loneliness play in the outcomes that we're worried about?”
“That if we are intentional about spending time with the people we love, if we're intentional about making the quality of that time high quality time by reducing distraction and really just focusing and listening to people, if we're really intentional, Tim, about serving and recognizing that it is through our service to others that we ulti…”
“I didn't give myself enough, I think, space and time. And frankly, I think I blamed myself also for what had happened in some way, even though on a rational level I knew that it wasn't my fault per se.”
The David Rubenstein Show: “Dr. Vivek Murthy”
LISTEN AT THE SOURCE ↗THE RECORD IS CHECKABLE