Laws for the Navigation of Life

safar_kiss_of_life

Peter Josef Safar (1924-2003) had a remarkable life.

Born in Austria of Jewish ancestry he managed to evade the Nazis as a young man and survived the tragic death of his young daughter from status asthmaticus. Despite such terrible trials he went on to give the world ‘the kiss of life‘ and became the acknowledged ‘Father of modern CPR’. He had a relentless interest in everything and was a true humanist.

In 1994, on the occasion of his 70th birthday he was presented with a framed set of laws by his friends and colleagues. These laws were derived from the sayings of Peter Safar himself. They were titled ‘Peter’s Laws for the Navigation of Life‘ with the instructive subtitle ‘The Creed of the Sociopathic Obsessive Compulsive‘.

Imagine the laws spoken in the Austrian-English idiom, by an elegant and energetic elderly man with a wide grin on his face:

Peter’s Laws for the Navigation of Life: The Creed of the Sociopathic Obsessive Compulsive

  • If anything can go wrong, fix it!
  • When given a choice, take both.
  • Multiple projects lead to multiple successes.
  • Start at the top and work your way up.
  • Do it by the book… but be the author.
  • When forced to compromise, ask for more.
  • If you can’t beat them, join them, and then beat them.
  • If it’s worth doing, it’s got to be done now!
  • If you can’t win, change the rules.
  • If you can’t change the rules, then ignore them.
  • Perfection is not optional.
  • When faced without a challenge, make one.
  • “No” simply means begin again at one level higher.
  • Don’t walk when you can run.
  • Bureaucracy is a challenge to be conquered with a righteous attitude, a tolerance for stupidity, and a bulldozer when necessary.
  • When in doubt, THINK!
  • Patience is a virtue, but persistence to the point of success is a blessing.
  • The squeaky wheel gets replaced.
  • The faster you move, the slower time passes, the longer you live!
  • Death is not the enemy but occasionally needs help with timing.
  • When on thin ice, dance.
  • It’s up to us to save the world.

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the names behind the name

Chris is an Intensivist and ECMO specialist at The Alfred ICU, where he is Deputy Director (Education). He is a Clinical Adjunct Associate Professor at Monash University, the Lead for the  Clinician Educator Incubator programme, and a CICM First Part Examiner.

He is an internationally recognised Clinician Educator with a passion for helping clinicians learn and for improving the clinical performance of individuals and collectives. He was one of the founders of the FOAM movement (Free Open-Access Medical education) has been recognised for his contributions to education with awards from ANZICS, ANZAHPE, and ACEM.

His one great achievement is being the father of three amazing children.

On Bluesky, he is @precordialthump.bsky.social and on the site that Elon has screwed up, he is @precordialthump.

| INTENSIVE | RAGE | Resuscitology | SMACC

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