Fear, after all, is our real enemy.

This is a memorable quote about fear from the movie, "A Single Man" starring Colin Firth. :)

"The Nazis were obviously wrong to hate the Jews. But their hating the Jews was not without a cause… But the cause wasnʼt real. The cause was imagined. The cause was FEAR.

Letʼs leave the Jews out of this for a moment and think of another minority. One that can go unnoticed if it needs to.

There are all sorts of minorities, blondes for example, but a minority is only thought of as one when it constitutes some kind of threat to the majority. A real threat or an imagined one. And therein lies the FEAR. And, if the minority is somehow invisible……the fear is even greater. And this FEAR is the reason the minority is persecuted. So, there always is a cause. And the cause is FEAR. Minorities are just people. People……like us.

Fear, after all, is our real enemy. Fear is taking over our world. Fear is being used as a tool of manipulation in our society. Itʼs how politicians peddle policy and how Madison Avenue sells us things that we donʼt need. Think about it. The fear of being attacked. The fear that there are communists lurking around every corner, fear that some little Caribbean country that doesnʼt believe in our way of life poses a threat to us. Fear that black culture may take over the world. Fear of Elvis Presleyʼs hips. Well, actually, maybe that one is a real fear. Fear that our bad breath might ruin our friendships… fear of growing old and being alone. The fear that we're useless that no one cares what we have to say."

Toastmasters

Do you bring bread there? Do you drink wine there? What do you do?

Yesterday, I've attended a meeting of the Toastmasters Club (Molave). I am not sure which division or chapter or whatever. I appreciated the thrust of the group where they aim to train their members in terms of their communication and leadership skills. Based from experience, one of the essentials of a leader is good communication skills. It is in the unique trait of a human being, to speak, that we can move people beyond the horizon.

In one of the prepared speeches, she has clearly demonstrated how the organization wishes their product speakers should be. Big. Bold. Brave. Big in a sense that its members are forced to think bigger. To see things beyond their reach. It pushes a person to think on their toes and to create something out of nothing. It is amazing to witness how ideas pop out instantly within a minute's grasp. In thinking big, one must be bold with their thoughts and beliefs as they communicate their deepest desires, cherished experiences and life's lessons to their peers. In conquering the stage before them, one must be brave in owning their stage. Be in command and cherish the spotlight.

One of the comments raised was not to let yourself be distracted by your audience. In a greater perspective, you must not let yourself be distracted by those who live around and with you. Be your own self, be firm on your stand and beliefs, stick to your own principles in life. Just wonderful.

They do not eat bread nor drink wine. They are just a group of people who would want to make a difference by simply talking with their peers. It is amazing how an explosion of ideas can just happen in a room with people of great intellect and passion.

Philippine Brand vs Chinese Brand of Justice

Last Wednesday, 3 Filipinos died due to being drug mules. My condolences to the families who have lost a precious member of their family. Drug possession in China automatically condemns you to death penalty. However, with the case of 3 Filipinos, our country would like to an exception. Does this sound wrong? As the Malacanang repeatedly stated, we must respect the law of China.

However, media, being their usual selves, feasted on this issue making the grieving process for the families difficult. While I was listening to the radio, one of the families announced of their wish to be left alone as they wait for their beloved daughter's execution. Still, media became persistent and asked the grandmother's condition. As I recall, the questions were: Kamusta na po kayo? Ano ang mga plano ninyo? Ano ginagawa ninyo ngayon? Well, of course, the family feels sad. Why would you ask them of their plans? Isn't this invasion of privacy already?

Even if the radio seems irritating at that moment, I had no choice but to listen. What deeply bothered me the most was the concept of milagro or miracles for Filipinos. The association of miracles with fairness or justice is a bit skewed. Instead of determining the culprit, we plead for a miracle in something that is innately wrong and beyond our control. It's as if Filipinos have easily given up hope on brining justice to the crimes committed. Instead of the media feasting on their emotions, they should have helped identify the drug recruiters (since they're good at finding people too).

What is sad about the Philippines is we don't recognize the value of what each Filipino brings to the country. In that loss of recognition, we, in the end, lose sight of a greater country. Working as individuals, competing against each other will not bring the country to a competitive level at par with the other Asian countries. When someone does, all industries try to shoot it down with all kinds of disrespect one can ever imagine.

Based on the surveys conducted by a certain station, many agreed that the government did what it can. I appreciated that. We all have our limits. We all live in a global world. The best we can do is to educate each other to prevent from having another humiliating event from happening in our country.

We are all responsible for their fate. Each one of us brings the Philippines with us wherever we go. To be considerate to your countrymen, stop, listen and think before doing anything else.

As I end, I would like to quote from an article I've read about the China execution, "moreover, we confuse justice with mercy, or to be more precise, the Philippine brand with the Chinese brand of justice."

A View from the Edge

I am now in my third year of Medicine, a year of transition from being a student to a medical clerk/intern. What scares me is the thought of my passion not being enough to survive in this so-called profession. Every single day, it seems my view of the future becomes hazy. The constant struggle to commit to that promise of my future self is really a difficult one. But, is it all worth it?

Many may say you are lucky since only a few can pursue such a profession. The term 'lucky' seems vague to me. Am I lucky that I have to study day and night? Am I lucky that I have to succumb to such a hierarchical culture? Am I lucky that I have to suck it up until I get that MD? If we get to flip the coin, we can ask, am I lucky that I get to serve people every single day of my life? Am I lucky that I get to help people at such crucial points in their lives? Am I that lucky that I get to touch people in a different but special way?

Conflicting, satisfying, annoying. These are my current feelings about medicine. I am learning so much that my heart grows weaker as my mind becomes stronger. The irony.

This is my view from the edge. It's I either take a step back and pursue another course or decide to jump in into the abyss.

Magis in Medicine

We forget to appreciate the slowness of time for many of us prefer to live in a fast-paced life. Deadlines here and there, standards racing to an unknown finish line, competition gobbling up our souls -- later on, we catch ourselves lost, uninspired, tired and weak. In that bottomless pit of weariness, we have forgotten on how to live our lives to the fullest.

How do we live our lives to the fullest?
What is magis?

Back in college, I remember one speaker differentiating the confused interpretations of magis. Magis is not that extra mile but the desire to go for that extra mile. It is the passion that drives us to be excellent within our own potential, our own capabilities. It does not push us to be someone else. Rather, it encourages us to be self-aware and to maximize our own being to its fullest potential. In our self-awareness, we do not lose ourselves along the way. This heightened consciousness may reflect what the Jesuits call, contemplatives-in-action. Here, we find God who is continuously making us aware, calling us and assisting us in life.

In entering clerkship, there lies the danger of being submerged in a culture where I may lose my self in the end. In living our magis, I would promise to my self to stay true to my beliefs and principles and to stick to it no matter what.

A Free Afternoon

Since my group has finished our LEC in Nueva Ecija way back, I spent my entire afternoon fixing the Facebook and Wordpress accounts of AOB. I know, am I crazy? Having free time is a privilege for a medical student. Is freedom to express oneself a privilege too?

Going back to my classes on human rights in grade school, I remember that each person has a right to freedom of speech/expression. How come it becomes a privilege when it poses danger to any person in authority? In the Ateneo, students are not taught to be walking books. In the Ateneo, we are taught on how to think, on how to use reason and logic. We are expected to discover and to exhaust ourselves to our full potential. That puts the difference between Homo sapiens and other Homos. Thus, anyone who tries to threaten such potential is belittling the humanity of that person.

Humans are born to think, not to simply listen and repeat. A parrot can simply do that. Humans are not born with minds filled with convolutions to just store and store knowledge without ever analyzing and appreciating it. As future doctors, we are expected to be analytical -- thus we are encouraged to think, to use REASON.

Putting it in the context of the medical field, aren't the two schools of thought just contradictory? We are expected to be analytical thinkers yet we should follow hierarchy and just listen to the orders of whoever says they are of authority. Does having an MD at the end of their name give them authority in contrast to any person they meet? Would you say that a scholar has more authority in life than someone who has lived it to the fullest? Would a person who buried themselves in books be considered full of wisdom?

I believe, this way of pedagogy is a reason why many health professionals find it hard to engage people around them, especially their patients. Their highfaluting jargons, pompous demeanor and arrogant disposition further creates the gap between themselves and the world. Although, we must be thankful of their skills and wit in science. However, can we not pity them since life is not only about knowledge -- it is about relationships, too.

Just as they would repeated tell in class, we must learn to look beyond the disease, beyond the patient and see the world before them. They are just symptoms of a bigger problem or illness for some. Words and reading are not enough to keep such mindset in place to the point that it becomes a habit, attitude and belief. Models and experience add much more spice to such blandness.

Being free does not mean to be bound by systems, structures. It also means to know ones limits and to learn on how to break boundaries and to search new horizons. I would rather look at the stars than stay on shore. Good night!

Finding Other-ness

I remember back in college where Dr. Leo Garcia first introduced Philosophy to me. One of the things that I remembered were how complex humans can be. Humans can never be dissected nor separated into compartments nor categorized into ones own stereotypes. One can never grasp the being of another, given the fact that they are Other. Their other-ness, I suppose, plays an important part in keeping beings around them on their toes.

That respect for other-ness seems to have faded in medical school. Many suffer from the 'superiority syndrome.' "I want to be at the top of MY game." "I want to beat the person beside me." "I want to prove myself." The I is such a long theme that it gets redundant and boring already. What makes things funny is putting this in contrast with the nature of the profession. How can you encourage other-ness in individuals who are self-centered? How do you teach Other-ness? Should it not be innate, since we are also Other?

The current theme in medical school is depression, heartache, hurt, pain, illness -- the things that we aim to cure and prevent. Yet, we are the first ones who do not know on how to prevent such things from happening. Is it the culture? Is it because of the nature of the profession? Is it because of the people called to this kind of field?

If one would like to consider medical school, never forget the mantra on positive thinking. Always see things with the glass half full. Admittedly, I also fail at this. At least, I am aware of it.