To quote the following overused quote:
Be the change you wish to see in the world. – Gandhi

So simple, it’s almost like, duh?

Of course it’s not so simple. We’re still human and we still need to look out for ourselves. And when it comes to doing the right thing, the situation often requires sacrifice – either a financial sacrifice, a sacrifice of one’s time, or making yourself vulnerable to attack and criticism.

I read the above quote many years ago, and it’s not a quote I can ever fully forget, but sometimes do. However, when I do act according to the quote, boy am I very proud of myself. There’s a delicate distinction between pride and arrogance, but I’m proud of my values, and especially proud when my values are manifested in action.

This is not a blog to toot my own horn. But I love to record strange coincidences in my life, so here it goes.

Two nights ago, a high school senior knocked on my apartment door selling subscriptions to The Sacramento Bee. If he sold a certain number of subscriptions, he would be entered into a drawing for a $1000 scholarship for college. Being my curious and slightly cautious self, I questioned his educational aspirations. He wants to be a doctor. And hey, I’m a medical student. So now I will have unwanted newspapers arriving at my door for the next 5 weeks. He’s a Latino student from a low-income family with ambition for higher education.
- Do I want to see underrepresented minorities in higher education? Yes.
- Will I cough up the money to make it happen? I did.

Most people (hopefully) would answer yes to the first question, but I don’t know how many would answer positively to the second question. It’s not so much the issue of money, because I can definitely understand people wanting to save in this economy. It’s more the issue that it’s not enough to just want something. I can’t just want social justice, I need to make it happen the best I can.

So after that incident, I was very cognizant about the thought process I went through when I decided to contribute to his education though I’m living off loans. I know why I spent the money, and it wasn’t just out of simple kindness or pity or an inability to say no. It was about living by my values, even if that meant some sacrifice.

Then yesterday, during our “Conversation Café” in Culture in Medicine, one of the questions posed for conversation was: “How will you be, as Gandhi says, the change you wish to see in the world?” And I already knew the answer, I’m already living the answer.

I’m nowhere near perfect, and sacrifice isn’t easy for me. But I’m proud that I’m aware at least. And that I care to be aware.

Besides dishing out money to good causes, I’m going to work on speaking up when I see wrong. I’m pretty scared of confrontation, but I’ve grown a lot since starting medical school. I’m going to be a doctor, I’m going to be confronted. So my skin is thickening slowly, but surely. So if there’s a homophobic or racist or any discriminatory, dehumanizing joke or comment or situation, let’s speak up. Whether or not you change someone’s mind, at least you were heard.