Life in crisis

All this stuff with Haiti... it's sad. Thousands are dead from one of the world's worst natural disasters and there is so little infrastructure in the country that many people can't be helped. People are dying for broken legs for cryin' out loud.

What's worse is that we choose to recognize this problem after something terrible has happened. There is no "preemptive attack" on poverty, no prior action. Instead, the world waits for something awful to happen: a tsunami, a hurricane, an earthquake. Why do we have to wait for a crisis to kick things into gear?

You know what else sucks? When you don't have TIME for a crisis. Can you imagine? You might wonder what kind of life anyone would lead that would make them too busy for a crisis. But it happens.

A girl in my med school class (I hope she doesn't mind me relaying her story) - her dad still hasn't been found. He was in Haiti with some students, some of which have returned home safely and others who haven't. When she was telling me this, she sounded surprisingly calm. It was Thursday, a few days after the quake and about five days before our first test of this block. The long weekend was our chance to study - her chance to go home and be with her family. She said it sucked - no matter what happened, she'd have to go home, but it sucked because she had to study. "There's no time for a crisis in med school," she said.

Well ain't that something? A situation so grave, so close to your heart - and you have to worry about taking a test because you fear getting behind. Granted, she felt that way because she said her dad would want her to focus on school. Most of our parents would, and perhaps in her situation, I would hang onto that notion as well. But it just seems wrong.. and sad... that school makes us feel that way. We're in school, in this type of school, because it's our life long goal to be physicians. We want to help people, serve them, make differences. But while we learn, we regret taking a few days to deal with something personal.

This is not how it's going to be when we're actually starting our careers, is it? I hope not.

Life's not so bad

I haven't blogged in quite a while, but a "moment" today made me rush to my computer.

It wasn't even a miraculous moment, nothing jaw-dropping, nothing so unbelievably awesome that TLC would pay millions to make a movie out of it. It was just a simple, pleasant moment that reminded me that people are good in this world.

About an hour ago, I was driving from my house to my apartment. It's bright outside, the sun is shining and it's a crisp 34 degrees. Chilly, but warmer than its been all week which made it beautiful weather. I'm listening to 100.7, an oldies station that is perfect for driving in weather like this. A great song comes on - "Jessica," by the Allman Brothers. If you've never heard it, its worth a listen. One of those songs that you'd want to walk down the street to, a little pep in your step, maybe a twirl every now and then too if you're so inclined. Alas I was driving, so no twirling for me. Still, driving through a town I love on a beautiful Sunday morning was a great place to be in listening to that song.

I pulled up on an exit ramp off the highway. While sitting at the light, I noticed a homeless man approach a guy in an SUV. I have to admit, my first thought was "Man, poor guy in the SUV. He's being harassed by a homeless man." Not my proudest thought. Given the great mood I was in, I'm surprised my first thought was so negative. That'll be something to reflect on later.

Anyway, while sitting at this stoplight watching the homeless man "hassle" the SUV-man, something kind of unexpected happen. The SUV-man got out of his car. He was probably around my age, maybe a few years older. He trotted to the back of his car, popped the trunk, and grabbed a sleeping back out from the back. Then handed it to the homeless man, got back in his car, and drove off with the rest of us as the light turned green.

Hm, I thought. That was really nice of him. I mean that was really nice of him. It looked as though he had the sleeping bag and maybe some other "camping gear" in his trunk. Saw this guy, presumably asked him where he slept and if he was warm, and then decided to sacrifice his sleeping bag for this guy.

I don't know why such a gesture was so astounding to me. Maybe because I hadn't seen such acts of kindness in a long time. Nothing so simple, so direct, so quick. With all the stigma applied to the homeless (by myself included, given my initial thought), it's kind of amazing when you see someone hop out of their car in the middle of traffic to let go of one of their possessions to make it someone else's.

People are good. The guy that gave up his sleeping bag is a good guy. I dont even know him - maybe he's a murder looking for redemption... but in that moment of giving, he was a good person. I'd like to be a good person. I want to erase my mind of negativity, clean my soul of judgment, remember that every person is a part of humanity, a smart, beautiful, unique species that is just mindboggling to be a part of.

And I don't want to forget that on a sunny Sunday morning, with clear winter air and great tunes, I was reminded that in this life even the simplest of moments are worth remembering, cherishing, and emulating.