On Calmness, Compassion, Command Presence, and Code Choreography

Four things to bring order to a chaotic scene.

A number of people in the various social media sites fixated on the one example where I allowed the mother of an infant to accompany her child in the back of my rig while I performed CPR. The objections were predictable.

• We don’t have enough room.
• I’m trying to save a life here. I don’t have the time to calm a distraught parent.
• Parents should never witness CPR on their child. It’s cruel.
• Sure, like I’m gonna let a hysterical mother in the back of my rig while I’m trying to work. Not gonna happen.

Most of these objections are based upon two fallacies: that resuscitations are inherently chaotic, and that family cannot handle witnessing such chaos.

Neither of these things is true.

Give us your thoughts.