I WANNA BE A DOCTOR WITH ALL MY HEART












“You treat a disease, you win, you lose.
You treat a person, I guarantee you,
you'll win, no matter what the outcome.”

-     Hunter ‘Patch’ Adams


In our Tai Chi class, yesterday, a new entrant wanted to know about my profession…


“I am a teacher,” I said.


“Wow! A noble profession,” was how he responded. And, he didn’t sound to me insincere.


“Where do you teach?” the gentleman asked me next.


“I teach in my own institute,” I said, “I run a coaching institute.”


“That’s really great,” he further complimented me. And, again, I don’t think he was being insincere.


Now, I have had many responding to my statement, “I run my own coaching institute,” with this, too: “Wow! Minting money!”


We have either said this or heard this:”Teaching is no more a noble profession”… “Schools and colleges are business houses”… “Being a doctor is no more a noble profession”… “Hospitals and nursing homes are business houses”… and so on.


Tell me, which profession is spared by these stereotype-commentators? Lawyers, Engineers, Chartered Accountants, Psychologists, Psychotherapists, Builders, Architects, Designers, Film makes, Actors, Singers, Dancers, RJs, DJs, Restaurateurs, Tailors and Barbers, Babysitters, Chefs and Cooks, Taxiwalas and Autowalas, Yoga and Tai Chi Teachers, Dance and Music teachers, Priests and Gurus…? Have I left out Police force, Defense force and Politicians?


Every profession is noble. If education and medical treatment have become very expensive, so has everything else in life – houses, cars, clothes, haircuts, books, cameras, phones, movie tickets, Pop corns and coffee, taxi fare and birthday cakes… Come on: why don’t we react, saying, “Everything has become business?”


What’s left to be a ‘noble profession’? Journalism?


Every young kid still dreams of becoming a doctor, a teacher, a lawyer, a chartered accountant, a psychologist, a film-maker or an ad- maker, a journalist, an officer in uniform, even a politician – yes, he still dreams of becoming one of these with ideals in his bosoms!


And, the ideal is not dead in every bosom... Money has not corrupted all of them… All doctors are not cheats, just as all teachers, chartered accountants, police officers, journalists, counselors and politicians are not…


We all are in our respective professions which are painted by some people or the other as ‘tainted’. Yes, in their eyes, we all can lose the ‘nobility’ of our profession and turn money-mongers. Sadly, those who paint others as ‘tainted’ cannot see their own stains!


I wanted to be teacher with all my heart… Just as Patch Adams said in his famous speech before the Jury: “Sir, I wanna be a doctor with all my heart… and, I shall, always, be!”








To all the wonderful doctors, a Happy Doctors’ Day. May you continue to heal with all your hearts.



GERALD D’CUNHA

Pic.: Anil Bedi

Video: Bruce Sol Lee/ Patch Adams





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