I believe that medicine’s potential is much more than the version we see in the world today. A doctor should be an educator with the goal of bringing patients to a place of deeper understanding of who they are in the world. To me, medicine is ultimately about self-empowerment through self-knowledge and growth.
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“What’s the good word, Doc?”
It’s still “PANDEMIC” – Greek Origin
Trends remain encouraging in the US and locally where the case count over the last seven days was down 15% (in Berkshire county) for a total of around 130 new cases. Massachusetts had the lowest 7 day average of new cases in months- less than 1000 new cases per day. Nationally the new case total has dropped to just over an average of 50,000. Run that math briefly. There are 50 states, so 1000 cases per state per day on average. Not bad.
Globally, India is still the main story. They are logging in a little over 300,000 cases per day- which was our highest daily rate.
What that means exactly is hard to ascertain. Their population is 4x our size. So is their flare 1/4 of ours at its worst? Depending on how a country tests does 300K positives from one country mean the same as 300K from another country? Many questions.
Raw data sets from across public health agencies in the US under usual circumstances take a long time to gather. Are countries (including us) really able to assemble accurate numbers in real time like this?
What’s clear is in the hard hit regions in India they lack the supplies to treat everyone who needs them. Hopefully, global aid is moving fast! What’s also clear is that fear and uncertainty continue to grip the globe.
I think the end of this phenomenon is coming. I do. But I also have a couple questions, like…
From one important perspective we live with a pandemic of darkness hanging over humanity. There is dim light around the riddles of who we are and why we are here and what is needed for our time. We debate whether there is order in the universe or whether other dimensions to reality exist. Declining confidence in organized religions indicate that times and needs are changing. I see it all as a darkness.
It’s not a sinister darkness. We just don’t have direct knowledge of ourselves in this way as a birthright. We can’t remember our roots. Are we really just intelligent slime? An amazing mistake? It doesn’t feel good to not know. It’s easy to lose heart.
There are signs that people are opting out. That’s the real problem.
Death tallies from drug overdose were in the news earlier this month. The news isn’t good. During the pandemic things got worse, deaths went up 30% – 87,000 people died of drug overdoses over a twelve moth period ending late last year. For every person DEAD from drug use there are scores who are using and surviving but not engaging in their lives.
You know what I see when I look at addiction?
I don’t just see a disease or an inherited disorder – I see a deep decision that living in the world is too hard and the fear that there is no viable path for a person, there is no room for them. Drugs are the ultimate escape technique.
I also see the recognition in the escapist that the life our culture is pushing is inauthentic and unfair. I agree that rejecting the cultural lies is good. Now imagine rejecting the lie but staying engaged, being shown an authentic path to serving what’s in us.
My camp is one that says there is order in the universe. There is a purpose to the dark period we find ourselves in. There is a point to the separation we feel as a birthright. It’s our freedom. We are thrust into the darkness to meet our freedom.We need to not have the answers to truly be free. As I see it, you can’t have a multiple choice question with only one answer and have a real test. You can’t have freedom to find the truth without lie after lie surrounding you. You can’t have freedom to choose the good without the erroneous possibilities.
You know what I’d tell the escapist?
I’d tell them I agree with you. This world isn’t worth living in the way it is. We aren’t destined to live in the darkness, it’s just our necessary starting point. I reject it too, I just disagree with your technique.
Let the chaos remind you that you are free. Waste no time on decrying the lies. Don’t curse the darkness.
Take a step with your freedom to realize you are here to work. Realize there is a job to be done to turn the world into a better reflection of its highest potential, to light the path to our true selves.
Don’t shy away. Learn the true rules and stick around and fight for humanity, that’s my message to the young and old who aren’t so sure.
It’s life saving, it kindles the light, and it’s what you’re here to do.
