DR: Gods Among People

Excerpts from A Note Written By Cassandra Farrar: Maybe I need to Vent: "Science is not just a passion, it is my calling. and science and all that comes with it, is probably the most fascinating thing in the world to me. and what really BUGS ME is that there are people who are going into the medical field because of the MONEY and because of their demanding and one-dimensional parents who only WANT their children to do it. of course money is great, but if that's the only reason, it seriously makes me want to slap you and whoever believes that. maybe I'M not even cut out for this career, but i think i know damn well that this job is not for everyone. i know people have their reasons but becoming a doctor is NOT a job you do so your parents can get bragging rights and refuse to pay for any other means of education. it is NOT a job you do because you want money in the future. it is a job that you MUST be passionate about and something that you want so badly in order to further advance the findings in the science world, and actually make a difference. today's people and sciences' future does NOT need someone like that. this fucking world doesn't need more people who call themselves "doctors" just because they happened to get by in school. I wanted it ever since i had to watch my dad scream in a pillow every night because he was in so much pain. i wanted it so damn bad to HELP HIM and FIND A CURE for him, and to be able to say "it'll be okay" and actually mean it. and i still wanted it when i had to see my dad laying on the bathroom floor passed out, or when i found him when he was dead. like SERIOUSLY i grew up wanting this. I've wanted this for 10 years now and I'm finally 2 years into it. and it is SO upsetting to see people who aren't passionate about this! medicine and science will not advance if you are just someone who shows up and works just to work. We need to think about other people, we need to love to help people, and ENJOY LEARNING and enjoy our work rather than just working to work! i cannot express how excited i am for the next 12 YEARS of college I've left. i can honestly say I've never wanted anything more in my life than this, and i will damned if someone takes it away from me, or if someone else who can care LESS gets what i want.i am done :)"

Science is the love of my life. It's my strong suit and it's the area of knowledge that I honor & love with every ounce of blood in my body. It's responsible for the advancement of society, reason for technology, and the betterment of humanity. It is everywhere- in all the molecules of air that I breathe, the water I drink, the food I eat, and the bed that I lay my head down to sleep. It is a passion I have developed over my academic years ever since I won the hokey science fair in the sixth grade, got high marks on all my high school chemistry tests, and fell in love with the immense world of knowledge that lies within the study of biology. Many career paths open up for me as I pursue my degree in the science field- the pill counting pharmacist behind the counter at Walgreen's, the blood sample carrying white lab coated biochemist with eyes constantly in microscopes at Genetech, the morbidly pale mortuary scientist uncovering hidden lives of the dead, or the beloved healer of all, modern-day Jesus Christ with tons of money in the bank doctor. Each career path carries with it years worth of intense studying, hardships, and a heavy price tag that only a few can afford. To be a doctor you have to be strong-willed and you have to really want it. However, I have bounced back between being a pharmacist and a doctor a thousand times and I still have not come to a solid decision as to exactly what I want to do with my life. To be a doctor takes time. Time that I don't have. Or more so, time I think I don't have. It requires you to have hope in the most hopeless and helpless of all situations. It begs you to shed light on the most darkest and abysmal of all areas. It involves courage and strength of not just a human, but of a warrior, of a fighter, of a God. To become a doctor is an act of God. With your hands you save a life, with your hands you bring a mother to their first born child, with your hands you bring a father back from the dead to his son's first baseball game, with your hands you allow a lover to wipe the tears from their spouses eyes and cry no more. You pull the curtain over death for a while longer, you create time- you create life.
You have the ability to bring people ease from the pains they face.
You take compassion for humanity and love each person's life like they are your brother, mother, father, and sister.
Going through the process of being a doctor requires you to put Your Life on hold for the betterment of humanity. Being a doctor may put a hold on your relationships, may distance you from friendships, and may make you a stranger to your own kin. It requires you to dig a hole, plant a tree and watch it grow tall enough so you can climb up it and not come down for a few years but stay up in the branches and learn everything you can to help those who wait for you to blossom and bloom into the MD you will become as you descend back down. It takes away your social life, it tugs at your nerves, it elevates your stress level and it can ultimately kill you but at the same time make you stronger. Doctors are heroes in my eyes. They save the world. Science saves the world. And to me it is a meaningful subject that can save the planet which we all need to care more about.
However, it's hard to become a doctor though you may think it's easy or that Indians become doctors all the time. This is the sad reality behind the stereotype that we live amongst. For most young Indian girls, similar to many cultures, becoming highly educated is rare. In my own country of India the literacy rate for men was around 73% whereas for women it was 48% (taken from a CIA projected estimate in 2001) compared to the literacy rate for both men and women in the United States stands at an equal percentage of 99%. (2003 est.) We are all familiar with the glass ceiling that is placed on us as women in not only India or the United States but around the globe. As women we stand united and try to fight this injustice but sometimes it's not that easy. When it comes to education, even in the United States, it's hard to aspire to our highest goals. I know a girl whose dedicated in her area of study but it may take her a while to become profound or get up to the level she aspires to. Her parents commend her on her studies and have faith in her to follow her dreams but the beady eyes of her family members think differently. She got into the car that evening furious as hell and vented out to both my mother & I about the course of events that had just occurred. A family member asked what her career of choice was and when she told them Psychology, the family member replied back with an unneeded suggestion of "why don't you do something else?" The something else meaning something less complicated, something a lot more simple, something that required less time in school and more time finding a husband, getting married, and settling down. This sad reality was brought to me through this girl and for me it was a mind changing.
My parents are best described as the most lenient Indian parents that you'll ever meet. I mean, of course they are, their MY parents. They let me do what I want when I want and maybe they should be charged for my guilty behaviors but the long leash of freedom they've got me on came with alot of background that you'll hear about soon enough. I've always gotten the grades that please the eyes of my parents and with it comes the leniency. My parents have always encouraged me to chase my dreams and my grandmother, who is all to pleased to brag about anything, can't be happier that I've chose a field in Healthcare. She constantly tells me to go off and be an MD especially when I try to help her find a way to cure her own pains by taking in more potassium or fiber.
I tried to comfort my friend the best I could and let her know she has the right to do what she wants with her life whether it takes her a thousand years or just a few. I couldn't comprehend how life could really be this demoralizing. Welcome to the real world of Indians.
The traditionalist Indians that exist within everyones family don't want you to pursue your career or do what makes you happy. They want whats going to be the fastest way to get you married and procreating to take on the family name. They don't want you to find Prince Charming and have him sweep you off your feet because Indian Life isn't a fairy tale. It's a hardship. They want you to go and get married and fall in love afterwards. This also is a stereotype because it's not this bad, I just make it out to be because I'm the liberalist Americanized Indian girl that you'd just love to hate because I run my mouth on the world as it is, as I see it, and as is real. And the real sad reality is that girls in my position can often be mislead or disheartened to follow their dreams. I, myself, have gone down this road wondering 'will i ever make it?' If I pursue this dream in Med will I be good? Am I cut out? The answer should always be YES. If you ever raise doubt in yourself, you will fail. The answer is always YES. Think of the positive especially when those around you begin to raise doubt in yourself. For those who need more inspiration than this. There's the phenomenal Eleanor Roosevelt.

"Do what you feel in your heart to be right- for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't."

-Eleanor Roosevelt.

"Never allow a person to tell you no who doesn't have the power to say yes."

-Eleanor Roosevelt.