I must say
what taught me something in my long years of studying, including my enduring
stay in medical school now is the reality of what life is –that life is an opportunity.
I studied biology in college for four long years and I have put much attention
in studying from the simplest form of life starting from molecular to cellular
up to the most complex ones. I slowly began to appreciate and understand the
systems, the environment and the community. But it never ended there, I
continued to be passionate in my current desire to study life and enrolled in medicine. As of now, it is still a daily challenge for me to learning the reality of my career. I entered the school having one reason and that is to
just become the doctor of my dreams. “Helping
people who are sick”, you normally hear to children when asked why they
like to become a doctor someday. But in reality it is such a great
responsibility not just as a healer but also a leader, educator, understanding
and guiding people in the area of healthcare. With these, it requires a lot of patience, love
and compassion to people and most especially becoming selfless and humble. There is more in medicine than I can think of.
Spending
these long years of commitment to unending searching for knowledge to medicine
has made me realize the vanities of life. If I were to count those missed
moments of family pictures to gatherings, times that you could have enjoyed
with your parents and instances that you could have be with them, they were
plenty. I am not saying that it is not important but I consider it as a huge
opportunity for me. I have so much limited time for them that is why if I have that chance I would really spend it with quality.
Not everyone is given the chance to become doctors, nurses,
engineers, teachers and businessmen. In this world where chances are uncertain,
we should learn to be appreciative and be thankful to God no matter how
indefinite things are, for it is just an opportunity.
Though we
cross different paths in life, you may have not necessary feel or cannot relate
to what I feel now, we come in different situations and we vary in different
circumstances we will meet in a common pattern in life and that is to work in
order to survive, enjoy pleasures in life, getting old and later meeting death just realizing the vanities we have.
Ecclesiastes
is one of my favorite books I read. With all the metaphors and how accurately and
beautifully written, we must learn from these. Specifically on the twelfth
chapter of this book, which is written this way;
1Remember now
thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the
years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
As young as
we are there are chances in life that we cannot understand why we are very
curious to things. In family development, younger ones are very explorative and
just wanted to enjoy life. It is a daily
battle of trial and error, learning new things and trying to be as independent as
they can. Everyone just wanted pleasures and comforts in this world full of
evil and adversities. But as we go age and experience the next sequence of life
cycle, it becomes less interesting and old age constraints us.
2 While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not
darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:
Life is limited, it does
not lengthen rather it is consumed. Like how life is interpreted as light,
there will come a time it will lose its luminance and rain will eventually
stop at a certain time.
3 In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the
strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few,
and those that look out of the windows be darkened,
4 And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the
grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the
daughters of musick shall be brought low;
This vignette presents an
accurate physical changes of the human body as age advances. In one of my
subjects ,we studied older people and this made me write this blog. In older
people, it will come to a point becoming weak, shall bow themselves because of
weak and deteriorating back muscles. Ceasing grinder causing eating problems
because of loosening and missing teeth. Windows be darkened because of poor
visual acuity as it ages. Sound of the grinding will be low because of the
weakened hearing ability in older people. And changes to sleeping patterns which they
will be frequently morning persons and irritated easily to sounds.
5 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears
shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper
shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home,
and the mourners go about the streets:
6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken,
or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
Older
people are vulnerable and become insecure to things they previously was not.
They will be acting differently and will be less hopeful and loses their
energetic attitude. And that things they treasure before will be less important them and value will fade,
7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit
shall return unto God who gave it.
And death will come, which
will be the end of life. And that all we have, material things or not,
cannot suffice to extend even a just a second after our death.
8 Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.
Your church will be your
anchor and will be there giving you unending admonitions. Reminding what is
more profitable and what real prosperity is.
9 And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the
people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many
proverbs.
10 The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which
was written was upright, even words of truth.
Because
man is very good in making philosophies, they forget to appreciate the ultimate
philosophy of life even this means diverting to truth and what is upright and
loves deviance in order to satisfy their philosophies.
11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the
masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.
And this I think is the
importance of having someone that cuts our egoistic nature, which means seeking God's wisdom and denying yourself to Him.
12 And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books
there is no end; and MUCH STUDY is a weariness of the flesh.
Then we realize, the worth of
these efforts we had and all sacrifices we did boils down to the vanities of
vanities of ourselves; for ourselves. However, let us go back once more to what
is written on the first verse, that we must remember thy CREATOR in the days of
our YOUTH, that we realize how privileged we are in this life we live.
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep
his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret
thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
This
chapter of the book is what makes me appreciate life more, that we do not just work to survive and enjoy the pleasures of this world and regret after with the vanities we had. Life is more than that. Do not just waste
your life easily, because it is not ours, it is God-given and it is for Him. And as early as now, as young as we are Remember thy Creator, Keep on !!
lesterrific [4/11/19]
