Last PROMPT! for last section in Mountains Beyond Mountains

Choose any of the following ideas to reflect on in relationship to the work that we have been engaged in this semester in the community and/or class themes, other reading etc. Please bring in other quotes/examples from the reading to further support you points.

We don't all need to be, nor can we, be Paul Farmer. Each of us has our own, unique way of expressing our values and desire to participate in the world: "What PIH-ers should take from Paul wasn't a manual from their own lives but the proofs he'd created that seemingly intractable problems could be solved. . . 'Because if the poor have to wait for a lot of people like Paul to come along before they get good health care, they are totally [screwed]'" (244).

Questions of equity, who wins/who loses, long defeat or just doing what is right?
". . . triage isn't supposed to imply withholding care from anyone; rather it's identifying the patients in gravest danger and giving them priority. . . What else is a 'preferential option for the poor' in medicine?" (287). Yet, there are always the questions about the ways in which energy and resources are spent, as Farmer says, "I have fought the long defeat, and I'm not going to stop because we keep losing. . . sometimes we win. I don't dislike victory. . . [but] people from our background. . . we're used to being on a victory team, and actually what we're really trying to do in PIH is to make common cause with the losers (288). On the next page, Farmer says, "I don't care if we lose, I'm going to try to do the right thing" (289).

Complexity and double standards/expectations:
"There's also a sociopolitical lesson to draw. . .'The woman who said to me years ago, Are you incapable of complexity? That was an epiphany for me. Are you going to punish people for thinking TB comes from sorcery? It's like a guy on our own team, a nice guy, who said he would help with a water project in a town here, but only if the people really showed they wanted it. What if that standard had been applied to me when I was a kid, before I knew that water could carry organisms that made people sick?" (291).

Also: "If you do the right thing well, you avoid futility. . .'You have to believe that small gestures matter, that they do add up'" (295).

Others before ones self..

I love Paul Farmer. He is the type of person that inspires the whole world. I mean, it is incredibly evident that he has already done so with his work with PIH. As i was reading Mountains Beyond Mountains i couldn't help but feel inspired to do my own type of human service work and give every ounce of power, money and care i have to others. I do feel that in my life i devote a lot to others. I never put myself first, which usually gets me into trouble, but it makes me feel good and happy plus the added bonus of helping others. I don't know how Mr. Farmer is able to do what he does with his constant grant writing, travailing, and going above and beyond what the call of duty is. He is an inspiration to the entire world. Imagine what would happen if there were more people like him on the planet. Imagine how different our health care would look today. We wouldn't have as many people suffering on the streets in wheelchairs because the cost of an amputated leg made them homeless. Something else i think i do to inspire the world or community is through my art of dance. I think the passion i exude enhances others to do whatever they want. Passion speaks very loudly. Farmer's whole revolution is now a huge phenomenon. This is because of the passion he has for what he does. He will make health care something amazing, he's already done it in many countries. He is changing the world and helping to inspire the world to change it as well.

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.

The way Farmer is so selfless amazes me. He could have a very successful life in the United States. He has highly respected degrees of education and is respected among the medical community. Instead of making a ton of money and living a cushy life here the fact he has decided to open and run a free clinic in Haiti is beyond amazing and noble. His simple belief is that everyone should have free medical care-no mater the social standing or level of wealth. His philosophy and beliefs lead clinic to be as successful as it has been and has lead to influence other doctors to come to Haiti and be a part of his hospital. It takes a lot of courage and strength to move to an extremely poor country and help others as your life’s work and I have a lot of respect of them-it is something I do know if I could do for my career. However I have never experienced being I a country of extreme poverty so my mind could change if I am in the surroundings. I think that is what motivates Farmer and his collogues; being around the people, feeling such accomplishment after saving a life-even though the material benefits are no where the same as they could receive in other locations, the physical feeling must feel amazing. Learning to let go of the feeling good when doing things for yourself and learning to drop the selfishness and embrace the feeling of doing good for others I think is a very important lesson to learn and one I am striving to achieve everyday.

I had gone to a high school where sustainability and community service was very important and they incorporated it into the curriculum. Giving back always seemed like part of my schoolwork and it was not until this colloquium that I opened my mind up to seeing giving back to the community in a new way. Learning about health and nutrition and being able to tie it into the community was really cool for me. Reading the books have helped me to realize the little ways I can make differences everyday. By beginning to understand the power I could have has opened myself up to want to do more-not just for other peoples benefits but for myself as well. I have learned that working with young adults and teaching them new information that pertains to their life makes me feel really good and accomplished. Even if I walked away with just teaching one kid, I still know I made a difference. Also through this colloquium I have learned how messed up our food system here in the United States really is and I am making much better choices now. I have always ate organic but I am now looking at labels and trying to buy locally organic as much as possible. I am informing my co-workers, peers and family members of the statistics and articles we read in class. I like that through my class I have been able to teach others.

Selfless

Selflessness is defined as the act of sacrificing one’s own interest for the greater good. Selflessness is Doctor Paul Farmer. This is an educated man who could have done anything with his life. He could have worked for a hospital, maintained a steady job, and made a large amount of money. Instead, this man spends his days treating people who are less fortunate and tries to make a difference in people’s lives. This is the man who I mentioned in class discussions that “stepped up” and actually did make a difference rather than talk about it. The prompt asks what about him resonates with me, and I respond his legacy. Dr. Farmer spends only four months of the year with his family and spends the rest of the year helping patients in areas such as Haiti (23). He holds the health of others higher than he does his own family. His selflessness is beyond what most people can comprehend. He doesn’t even have a comfortable house as he travels, he just stays in a tent just like everyone else (51).

Farmer is the hero for this class as we are trying to make a difference with our work with service learning. If this man can bring so much positive change into the lives of many almost alone, imagine the possibilities we can do as communities. Just this past week as I looked at food banks for the food assessment project, I learned that local farmers donate excess to them in order to share with people around the community who are in need to food. Finding this our surprised me because I thought all the food was provided from the USDA but was also community driven. It was great to hear that the efforts that we have all been talking about in class have really been put to action in small communities around Marin County. These acts may not match the selflessness of Paul Farmer but it is what it is: selflessness.

The Same

I admire/believe in strongly the standpoint of Dr. Farmer, where he wants universally everyone to be treated the same way. I do not think it is fair or even remotely practical to treat anyone differently from one another. For example, if someone is always harassing someone else from verbal insults to actual physical action, then asks the person who does nothing to be nicer, that is not logical at all. Regardless of people's diverse statuses in the world (ranging from gender to age to race to political party to etc.), people should still be treated fairly. As a Psychology major whose long term goals are being a psychologist for any age and helping as many people and animals before I die, I take this belief to heart. In my opinion, everyone is the same deep down. No one is entirely good or entirely evil. We all have strengths and weaknesses. No one needs any additional assistance than others. Furthermore I do not think a person should ever feel weak about needing or requesting help of any kind. It shows more courage to take a stand and ask for assistance. In many ways members of this colloquium class shows these traits and acts of service mentioned above. All of us have different backgrounds and standpoints but we all should be treated the same as anyone else. Some of us use food stamps, while some of us have never even heard of a food bank. Some of us have a good share of cash, some of us might still rely on an allowance. Some understand things from class on a personal level, while others only understand it from then the bystanders' point of view. Whatever it may be, it is. However we should be treated the same.  If I am willing to give you a hand, it is only right to assume I would like a mutual hand to return to me as well. That I believe, can quite simply the meaning of life. Why deny someone something I would like myself? There, there is no exact reason not to. Here's to a more tolerate, equal future. Let's raise all of our hands into this one. When the hands meet, we will see we are all the same deep down. No more segregation, just unity. After all, what are the first three letters of unity? U N I (aka you and I). Exactly. Point made.