an imperfect offering

i'm not much for exchanging gifts over the christmas holidays, but i was very fortunate to receive the book 'an imperfect offering' from lillian (thanks lillian!). the book tracks the experiences of james orbinski, former head of of msf (aka doctors without borders) and his experiences - from somalia in the early 1990s as government and order disintegrated into anarchy to rwanda during the genocide when over a million tutsis were systematically, efficiently, and brutally exterminated over just 14 weeks; from founding the msf campaign for essential medicines initiative that dramatically brought down the prices of life-saving medications to accepting the nobel peace prize on behalf of msf for their humanitarian efforts.

i was so engrossed in the book that i finished reading it by this morning. christmas is usually overflowing with mirth and merriment, but this book was anything but - it was filled with tales of despair, suffering, and more than anything else, death. yet in the midst of its horrors, i felt that a message of hope resounded strongly. this was the story of one man's unshakeable struggle against overwhelming injustices. and at the end of it all, decades after he began his career, it is clear that while injustices remains and needless suffering persists, it is just as clear that HE TRULY MADE A DIFFERENCE.

towards the end of the novel, he writes about optimism and hope: "optimism is the expecation, based on the evidence at hand, that there is a reasonable chance of a good outcome. hope, on the other hand, is the certainty that a given action is right, that it "makes sense, regardless of how the situation might turn out."

how priviliged i am to be able to study medicine, a career that should not about career stability, good lifestyle, or power and prestige, but that is, at its essence, about improving the lot of my fellow man. how priviliged i am to believe in God, someone i can turn to for light no matter how bleak the world becomes.

this christmas, i will be thankful, and i will be hopeful.