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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I want to start off the year with a note to say a little something that’s on my mind: You Matter!
We all know you can make a difference in someone’s day with a kind word or a compliment. That’s easy to understand. Do you believe that even thinking something kind about someone also can be helpful? What’s to lose? Believe it.
The challenge is sometimes we ourselves are suffering too much to be of service to someone else. The advanced lesson is understanding a loving gesture also works if the recipient is you, your own self. Practice compassion and kindness to yourself first and foremost, especially when you’re struggling. There’s always time to work on positive self orientation, like every minute of every day. It takes a serious practice in mindfulness and a lot of dedication to master it.
But, the first and only piece of information you need to get started is that you matter a lot. You are part of a global community that has as a project underway to find the important steps for humanity’s future. It hangs a bit in the lurch these days. To work for good, you only have to practice every day the belief that you matter, that you can make a difference. Then do a little good every day.
But, how can it be possible that billions of people matter? Don’t only a few matter? Like politicians and celebrities? Aren’t some of us insignificant peons? Aren’t our lives meaningless? Nope. We all matter more than you could ever know. It’s a miracle, but it’s true. We are a large group but we each have our quiet, individual, monumental task. Part of it is to realize our power… and our task.
Note we are not talking about grandiose gestures, like inventing something that cleans up the ocean, although keep working at it. We are talking about the little things. I’d argue every great act that ever took place was preceded with years of practicing the little things.
Hear this! The way you get out of bed, the way you butter your bread, the way you turn your head: it matters. You matter. Your habits, the way you speak to yourself, your thoughts, your attitude, your efforts to understand your life outside the context of our culture moment. They matter. You matter.
What if instead of fear something else was our main motivator? What if our important task and inherent power to make a positive difference with our attitude and outlook even in mundane activities was our motivator? Compassion and love for yourself and humanity is a major key.
Don’t believe the lie that you are small. Remember often that you’re a great and powerful child of the cosmos.
Actively block fear. It’s potent at leading people down the wrong paths.
And know to err is human. Be quick to forgive yourself and others and give the benefit of the doubt. Suspect the next guy is doing the best he can. And leave it at that.
Can you tell that I think fear and what comes from it is our true dilemma? Be reassured:
SARS will peak by the end of this month possibly by mid month, all the experts are saying. I think it’ll peak next week! What shoots up must come ripping down. Watch the UK and we will shortly after them. They haven’t convincingly shown their peak yet.
And it’s a fact: Omicron is milder. The data is in, the new variant attacks the upper respiratory tract and has a much lower affinity for the lungs. Three independent labs agree. That translates to less severe disease. This is what we are seeing clinically. We still take it seriously and hospitalizations will continue to increase because the severe syndrome is still out there, usually with co-morbid patients. We try to get it diagnosed and treated early, regardless of vaccination status. We use a combination of agents with antiviral properties, immune support, histamine blockers, and blood thinning. Many patient series show early outpatient treatment makes hospitalization less likely.
We are all doing the work of the pandemic and will get through it. It’s not your cards, it’s how they’re played. We might as well work super hard at it and come out more in love with each other than when we started.
I’ve been saving that one…
