From Courtney: Internal Patience=External Progress

The value of a service is not based on how much money it will rake in. I have never been one to really deify money, but I do know what it feels like to do someone a favor out of pure kindness, and as soon as money enters the equation, that favor feels cheapened somehow. When I get paid for something, the person paying me usually doesn't know me well enough to provide a truly useful compensation, so I've deduced that a paycheck is an easy out of getting to know a person. The message I attempt to send when acting out of kindness is “all I need from this situation is to participate in it,” and in an ideal world my example inspires more participation, which to me, like Farmer, is worth more than paper compensation. Farmer articulates this point by stating that he, “feel[s] ambivalent about selling [his] services in a world where some can’t buy them. You can feel ambivalent about that, because you should feel ambivalent." I’ve learned that price does not notate the quality or importance of a service or human creation.

Rudolf Virchow, Paul Farmer’s role model, believed that, “physicians are the natural attorneys of the poor, and the social problems should be largely resolved by them,” thus acknowledging that an acceptable reward for his work would be social change, not fame or financial stability. I admire Paul Farmer for his advocacy of health, but more deeply, I admire his internal conviction to keep that advocacy alive and progressive. For instance, when a Haitian soldier entered the hospital, Farmer told him no guns were allowed. The soldier asked of Farmer: “Who are you to tell me what to do?” And Farmer responded clearly and bluntly: “I’m the person who’s going to take care of you when you get sick.” Farmer knew his purpose was to spread health and care for as many people as possible in his lifetime. The knowledge of this provided him with great power. Taking his life as an example, I have learned the importance of becoming objectively educated about oneself. Patiently discovering one’s passions and challenges. And once that kind of knowledge is amassed, a person is able to participate confidently and positively in the world.