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.