The ICU nurse did not rise and give up her seat to the powerful surgeon on arrival. The result was, furious and frothing at the mouth, he grabbed her long hair and even as she cried out, he pulled her up off her seat. That moment crystallized the doctor’s belief that he was a superior being, and the nurse a lesser creature, even though they both were white. The problem of thinking oneself and one’s group superior to others, exists, even in a democracy like ours.

I bring the foregoing account to illustrate how some members of the police, taking a leaf from George Orwell’s Animal Farm, believe that, “all animals are equal but some are more equal than others.” This leads to endless numbers of people being attacked, injured and killed by cops, who are charged to protect them. It sometimes seems to me that men with guns and the state’s badge of authority feel freed from all rules. Surely, their consistently violent behavior must reflect a deep character flaw?

My intention here is to try to make a few suggestions on actions that I think the police force could take to institute improvement in their members’ psyches. That might in turn result in better relationships with their own families, their neighbors, and members of the public at large. I am in particular thinking about cops chosen to join groups called Scorpions in Memphis, and any number of noms de guerre across the U.S. — groups better known for their thuggish behavior and frequent killings.

Anyone approaching another barking orders must know that a calm demeanor begets better compliance, especially on the street. Additionally, people who respect themselves tend to treat others with respect and deference. That goes for our cops — people employed to serve the public.

Members of elite groups should be chosen for their deliberative nature, spirit of reconciliation and mental stability. Because of the complexity of duties they are asked to perform, their training should be commensurate to what is asked of them. They must understand the psychology of poverty because ordinarily, the most disruptive behavior in our society arises from our most disadvantaged sectors.

These men who carry guns and other lethal paraphernalia should also be armed with self-knowledge. Learning about meditation and mindfulness might be a bridge too far for the sort of men who become cops. Still, a dose of learning how to calm oneself down in the face of bright lights and loud noise, could save the cop, as well as the crowd before him.

Ordinarily the training of the elite groups consists of many hours spent on the firing range.

I would suggest that marksmanship should be supplemented with learning how to become a martial artist — a man proficient in ways of defending himself without killing his assailant, subduing without using lethal weapons. A man who knows his own mental and physical strength does not hurt the weak; he rather offers a hand of friendship and human kindness. Physical fitness should be a requirement. More often than not, many young Black men are shot in the back running away from cops who are, frankly speaking, physically unfit.

The killing of Elijah McClain was to me an expression of the hubris having a gun and a badge bestows upon some who lack any sense of humanity in their souls.

McClain’s sin was that he was a Black man walking the streets of his own city. In some way it is Tyre Nichols’ story — a man born under a bad star, running into five Black Memphis “scorpions” out for a kill. I believe learning how to shake hands with the public one is protecting would go a long way to calm the waters.

I began this with a doctor, a man with more education than most of us will ever possess, but a man who lacked grace and self-control. I have always believed that we must control the run-away flame breathing hound in our guts — the seductive monster that allowed many surgeons to yell and throw knives and other instruments at their assistants, behavior put an end to by hospitals and the medical profession.

We must insist on that same restraint from our elite cops.

I cannot think of a better way of training the raging fires in young men’s hearts than learning meditation, self-knowledge and mindfulness. And martial arts, the way of the samurai.

Pius Kamau, M.D., a retired general surgeon, is president of the Aurora-based Africa America Higher Education Partnerships (AAHEP); co-founder of the Africa Enterprise Group and an activist for minority students’ STEM education. He is a National Public Radio commentator, Huffington Post blogger, and past columnist for Denver dailies. He has authored a memoir and a novel recounting Kenya’s bloody colonial history.