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!