Harry Potter and The Medical Profession

It's the title of my new book, you see...

Recently I had to write a 200 word piece about what my favorite book was and why (and it was of course implied, that my reasons for liking it MUST be related to its connectih with medicine). And naturally, I wrote about "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows".

Naturally.

I won't deny it. I love the entire Harry Potter series (except Book 2. I do not love Book 2) and despite the fact that it is so cliched and filled with borrowed material from ancient cultures and myths, I love what it has come to symbolize and what it teaches. And it has a fantastically complicated and detailed plot line (there is stuff relevant in the very first book to things that are mentioned in the 5th, 6th and 7th books). I don't think anyone can deny that.

In any case, Harry Potter, especially the 7th book, has a very special connection to medicine (and to life in general), in that it discusses how Harry comes to accept the inevitability of death. Because how many people in the world do we know are comfortable with the idea of dying?

I think part of the reason that passing on is such a scary thought to us is partially due to the fact that many of us don't know what's beyond life, IF there is anything beyond life. And the idea of everything that we've ever known coming to an abrupt end and vanishing like smoke into thin air is terrifying. Because it's as if our existence is permanently stamped out of reality, as if we've never lived or walked on the earth, as if we've never been born. Our lives are dictated by our determined escape from death, our desperate plea to postpone what will come inevitably. Those who welcome death are not the ones who seek it as an escape, but have come to terms with what will happen after they're gone, and are okay with that.

I'm terrified of death in any way, shape, or form. Even for creatures which I loathe (like bugs and spiders and worms.... ew), seeing them get squished is not any more pleasant than seeing them crawl around (although I suspect it is partially because both prospects are equally revolting). I am deathly afraid (no pun intended) of losing anyone I know to the inevitable, especially if I think it's too soon for them to leave (and I will always think it's too soon for them to leave). Which makes me wonder if I'll ever be able to deal with death, when I am struggling so hard to enter into a profession that is full of it.

And then I think of Harry Potter. The brave (albeit fictional) boy who puts others before himself, who fights so that others don't have to fight, who walks towards Death with open arms like Ignotus Peverell (who is said to have greeted Death as an old friend and an equal).

I wonder if I could ever do that?

Snookered...

...is a great word!

What are some other great words?

(Sorry, it's Sunday and I'm pooped. Plus I am not remotely inspired by anything today. Hopefully the Metro will bring something good tomorrow!)

Best of both worlds?

Sorry Hannah Montana, but I'm not actually talking about you.

This past summer, I had the privilege of teaching at a bilingual school in China. At first I was apprehensive about the program. The school was clearly well funded, and being a school that taught Chinese and English, the tuition was probably quite expensive, which means that most of the children came from wealthy families. And yes, I gave in to the stereotypical impression that rich kids meant snooty kids. Oh how wrong I was...

The children I interacted with were among some of the most selfless kids I have ever seen. There was the occasional temper tantrum and tweenage angst, but on the whole, they behaved better than any group of American kids I have taught. I am convinced that it is due to a combination of Eastern discipline and Western education. I am talking about, of course, Confucian values and Socratic thinking.

Of course, the Confucian values were not taken literally from the meanings, that is to say, the school did not operate on the basis that women were inferior to men, and that men were inferior to their leaders. However, they did practice strict etiquette in terms of proper respect due to an elder. For example, all the young males at the camp could not sit in the presence of the principal unless the principal was seated. When children brought in snacks, they made sure to offer a portion to their teachers before eating it themselves. Outside of the classroom, they listened intently to what adults had to say about any and every topic. When given a reward of sorts from their teachers, the younger ones would immediately think of their siblings, and instead of enjoying their prize by themselves, waited instead to share with their older/younger sister/brother. Their teachers did not just teach them, but also took care of them and looked after them like a parent. At the school, there existed not only a learning community, but a family. This was something I loved about Confucian values: treat everyone as a friend, treat everyone as family, and treat everyone with respect. Listen to your elders and care for the young.

However, instead of placing emphasis on memorization and conformed thinking, the school encouraged progressive and creative thinking, as well as asking questions and innovation. Of course, students were still encouraged to memorize famous pieces of Chinese and English literature. I know for a fact that their capacity for memorization is far greater than mine ever was, yet they still retain the curious and intellectual spirit that is so desired in American liberal arts schools. It is probably helpful that their dedication to schoolwork and learning is also inspired by a deep respect and admiration for their own teachers. Their school system is not unlike the one I grew up in: the most liberal education philosophy in one of the most liberal towns of one of the most liberal states in one of the most liberal countries in the world.

I am truly convinced that this school embodied the best of both cultures, with respect to education, and maybe to life in general. I don't think this school is just an example of what other schools in China should strive for, but also what an education in America should strive for. Students need to learn to respect their teachers, not out of fear (although that undoubtedly helps), but out of love and respect. And parents should view teachers as a partner in their children's growing experience, not as an outsourcing option. It seems that the American and Chinese education system would stand to gain quite a bit from each other, for the sake of their children and the nation's future.

I, for one, will try to give my children the best of both worlds.

RIP Ted

Page 06, "Message in a bottle", Tom Foreman

"We must not surrender to the relentless medical inflation that can bankrupt almost anyone and that may soon break the budgets of government at every level. Let us insist on real controls over what doctors and hospital can charge, and let us resolve that the state of a family's health shall never depend on the size of a family's wealth." ~ The Late Senator Edward Kennedy, Address to the Democratic Convention, 1980

The health policy debate that is currently raging across the nation has been a personal topic of interest for a while. Realizing that I knew very little about the way health care operates in our country (and I still do. I feel like very few people TRULY understand how it works anyway), I tried to keep an open mind to the arguments made from both sides. It's an interesting topic to me because of its interest to the nation, but especially because I plan on entering the medical profession!

As a disclaimer, I would like to first state that I do not identify myself exclusively as a Democrat or a Republican (I suppose this makes me somewhat of an Independent?), but that my views do tend to side with the Democratic party (big difference!).

Anyway, my first reaction to the above quote was: why do doctors have an inherently evil image in modern society?

And my first answer to that question was: because doctors are misunderstood and miscategorized.

It seems that doctors have fallen in to the same social cateogory as lawyers and ibankers. They are portrayed as money-grubbing professionals who take advantage of the common person's confusion. A lawyer understands law, his client does not, thus, the lawyer will try and swindle as much money from his client with his tools of law as possible. An ibanker understands the market, his investor does not, thus, the ibanker will try and swindle as much money from his investor with his numbers as possible. A doctor understands medicine, his patient does not, thus, the doctor will try and swindle as much money from his patient with useless medical procedures as possible. It seems that a lawyer/ibanker/doctor cannot be considered good-natured and pure of heart unless they they dedicate their entire life/career doing pro bono work.

Huh?

Last I checked, the wrong doings of a couple doctors does not equal the innate shortcomings of all medical professionals in existence!

Sometimes it boggles my mind how we live in a capitalist society, in all meanings of the world. We earn our money, we earn our friends, we earn our lifestyles, and we earn respect. The more friends we have, the more popular we are, the more respect we have, the more popular we are, yet it seems that the more money we have, the less we are liked. Yes, it is undeniable that lawyers, ibankers, and doctors have the highest salary amongst all the different professions. And yes, I would agree 100% that teachers, policemen, and firefighters, who give back just as much to the community, if not more, deserve higher paying salaries than they have now. But doctors are not evil people! They are people who are driven by a desire to heal, and yes, unabashedly, a desire to make a living and provide for their families by making MONEY. They are competitive people because a capitalist society made them that way.

It's like saying to a child, I have raised you to speak only English, why can't you speak French, dammit?

They can speak French, but obviously not right away. It doesn't work like magic. Just give them some time to learn, and yes, someone to teach them would be helpful as well.

And now, a penny for your thoughts:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdQKetTLXm8

(Personally I think universal health care is a great idea in theory, but I have many reservations about it becoming a reality, mostly due to the timing of it all and the circumstances around it. Explaining that would take another post, so perhaps on the weekend then, since there is no Metro on the weekends.)

~ Why Why

Preface

Every day on my way to work I try to grab a copy of the Metro. It's a habit that began when NK and I would do the crossword puzzle during lunch breaks, and this always required a copy of the Metro (hard copy of a free crossword puzzle!). And so as the saying goes, old habits die hard.

Recently, for lack of better things to do on the way to work, I began perusing the different articles of the Metro, quickly scanning every small column or lengthy article, and reading carefully those that caught my eye. It was, as I discovered, an efficient way of keeping up with world and U.S. news, entertainment, and sports. Perhaps not as informative as reading through the articles of the NYTimes (which I gladly do on the days when I have more free time), but good enough for me to know what's going on in the world within the 15 minutes it takes to flip through the leafy Metro.

Lately I've found myself laughing, wondering, and fuming over the short articles in the Metro, whether it is about the latest development in health care policy, the death of a beloved Kennedy, the Patriot's chances of a perfect season, or violent deaths abroad and at home. Almost unfailingly, the articles that make me think the most are the Op-Ed (and I suspect this is what they're designed to do), which spur on my internal muse of ideas, opinions and questions. Sometimes I surprised myself as how little I knew, how emotional I felt, or how deep my questions were, all inspired by a few lines of text. But I had no where to write all of this gobbledegook (credit: JK Rowling) down.

Until now.

So I hope that with this blog, I can keep track of my own thought processes, my learning experiences, and my occasional deductions. I welcome all readers of political, social, economic, cultural, societal, whatever-al background to read this, and I welcome even more your opinions, discussions, questions, and insights into whatever. Although if you ask a question, I can't promise that I will be able to answer it coherently, but at least it will make me think (which is good, I'm getting rusty, being out of school and all that).

Feel free to comment away! Just do me a favor and R-E-S-P-E-C-T differing opinions, and keep an open mind :).

Hoping to hear from your inner muse,

WhyWhy

ADDENDUM: I have decided that the Metro cannot be my muse for every great internal (and external) debate I will have. So despite the title of this blog, there will probably be some other Musings as well, inspired by things other than the Metro...