I thought that I had been out of the loop on news, sports, or any other major happening that we like to know about. Being out in the field for almost four months and having tiny glimpses of what passes for news these days made me realize, that in fact, I haven´t missed anything at all. After reading Esquire´s article on doing without, it´s been refreshing to know that I don´t have to sit down and find out what the President said today, or where Tiger Wood´s penis has been this week, or anything really. Working out in the field and meeting people with genuine issues, serious health risks and traveling to different places every week is living the news. Instead of reading in the newspaper or even online, blogs, this blog even, that Guatemala has a shit health care system, I´m living it.
You come to realize that the 91 year old lady with the prolapsed uterus and the desperate look in her eyes, knowing that this is the only doctor she has ever seen, ever, in 91 years, is what matters. Tha you can give here what she needs. And not reading about it. Doing something about it, instead.
I know that I´m jumping between two worlds here. The difference between arguing and doing. I no longer care what the news has to say. The talking heads don´t provide solutions or insight. And what do you do at work? Talk about the talk? How about doing?
I pick up bits and pieces of news here and there. Though, like the Esquire article says, I havent missed much at all.
I´d rather be out in the sunlight and struggling to explain the mother with a child who has burn scars, and another child with Down´s syndrome, that there is no answer as to why your son has Down´s. She asked me if there was a pill I could give her to cure it. No, i sighed. There is not.
I´d rather be tired, flea-infested and sunburnt knowing that day, I helped at least one person. One person. If I could help that one girl have a friend in the recovery room, if i could help that one farmer with his medication or simply listen to a battered wife, then I believe I have done something.
In knowing that, I feel kind of angry when I see posts that someone made debating how they don´t like any of the American Idols, or whether the news debates if the President was too nice, or too harsh, or how the season finale ended. It puts things in perspective and reveals what´s truly valuable.
Believe me that taking ten seconds out of your ´hectic´day to turn to someone and listen, or help them up the stairs or God forbid smile, will help someone. Live on a dollar for just one day, and tell me you wouldn´t like it when someone just came and talked to you, because they thought it just might be nice.
