(no subject)
Ugh
Ugly
I'm in a contemplative mood as finals once again draw near. I've been skiving off on studying to do other things, and I can't even explain where my time went. It just did.
The world is in terrible shape. I guess that profundity isn't going to impress very many, but for those that weren't aware: it is. I don't know if it is just because I'm more congnizant of happenings through the internet, or if the world really is shifting for the worst, that I came to this conclusion. Death en masse has been a staple of humanity for so many years, whether it be from poverty or disease or war or natural disaster. It has struck me that these past few years have been particularly worse, with so many more people dying from natural disasters like the tsunami (100k+) or hurricane Katrina (1k that felt like 100k thanks to US media). Then you have the war in Iraq (2k US soldiers, 26700+ civilians) and the earthquake in south Asia (40k+) and the atrocities in Africa that never seem to come to an end (10k+ in Sudan, ?? Democratic Republic of Congo, Cote d'Ivoire and others). Intellectually I know that many people are living longer today compared to a century ago overall thanks to benefits of modern medicine but I can't shake the feeling that the world is messed up more than it has been before. My opinion is that this is due to increased greed, which has led to irreverence of human life in the search of personal gain directly and lack of concern for the environment (global warming) for the sake of the dollar, indirectly.
The question I ask myself, spurred perhaps by the actions of my friend Nicholai, who has done a lot of work to understand issues that lead to violence and death in places like Sri Lanka and different countries in Africa, and others I read about and don't know, is how can I make a difference?
I know that by going into medicine I will be making a difference to my patients and have great potential to improve many lives through compassionate and intelligent care. But I wouldnt be making a DENT, looking at the big picture. I would like to join Medicens Sans Frontiers or something after I become a properly trained physician so I can lend my expertise to those that need it desperately, but I'd still have a relatively limited reach. Maybe I should consider politics? It's an ugly world and no one else seems to be able to fix it. The only issue is that I need some ideas for what needs to change and how to do it, so if you have any ideas let me know.
I think I'm maturing prematurely again. It's not enough for me to be successful. I want to leave my mark and have a legacy to survive generations after me. I want to change the world!
I'll put an end to my rambling here. Kudos to all that managed to read this much of my drivel!
Ugly
I'm in a contemplative mood as finals once again draw near. I've been skiving off on studying to do other things, and I can't even explain where my time went. It just did.
The world is in terrible shape. I guess that profundity isn't going to impress very many, but for those that weren't aware: it is. I don't know if it is just because I'm more congnizant of happenings through the internet, or if the world really is shifting for the worst, that I came to this conclusion. Death en masse has been a staple of humanity for so many years, whether it be from poverty or disease or war or natural disaster. It has struck me that these past few years have been particularly worse, with so many more people dying from natural disasters like the tsunami (100k+) or hurricane Katrina (1k that felt like 100k thanks to US media). Then you have the war in Iraq (2k US soldiers, 26700+ civilians) and the earthquake in south Asia (40k+) and the atrocities in Africa that never seem to come to an end (10k+ in Sudan, ?? Democratic Republic of Congo, Cote d'Ivoire and others). Intellectually I know that many people are living longer today compared to a century ago overall thanks to benefits of modern medicine but I can't shake the feeling that the world is messed up more than it has been before. My opinion is that this is due to increased greed, which has led to irreverence of human life in the search of personal gain directly and lack of concern for the environment (global warming) for the sake of the dollar, indirectly.
The question I ask myself, spurred perhaps by the actions of my friend Nicholai, who has done a lot of work to understand issues that lead to violence and death in places like Sri Lanka and different countries in Africa, and others I read about and don't know, is how can I make a difference?
I know that by going into medicine I will be making a difference to my patients and have great potential to improve many lives through compassionate and intelligent care. But I wouldnt be making a DENT, looking at the big picture. I would like to join Medicens Sans Frontiers or something after I become a properly trained physician so I can lend my expertise to those that need it desperately, but I'd still have a relatively limited reach. Maybe I should consider politics? It's an ugly world and no one else seems to be able to fix it. The only issue is that I need some ideas for what needs to change and how to do it, so if you have any ideas let me know.
I think I'm maturing prematurely again. It's not enough for me to be successful. I want to leave my mark and have a legacy to survive generations after me. I want to change the world!
I'll put an end to my rambling here. Kudos to all that managed to read this much of my drivel!