武士道

The japanese have a saying in 武士道 something called "The Lesson of a Downpour." I remember reading/hearing about it a long time ago from when I took JPN at UT (greatly missed).

I'll paste an exerpt from a PBS documentary (I haven't seen it yet, so I can't recommend it) -

Fear not the Rain

One must know the so-called "lesson of a downpour." A man, caught in a sudden rain en route, dashes along the road not to get wet or drenched. Once one takes it for granted that in rain he naturally gets wet, he can be in a tranquil frame of mind even when soaked to the skin. This lesson applies to everything.

Calm and tranquility. Don't get the wrong message or anything. There aren't any downpours in my life (right now) but there is one going on right now outside.

Actually there are a lot of interesting aspects of samurai* society that could probably be applied to medicine. Take the 8 virtues which I've shamelessly lifted off this site:

•  A sense of Justice and Honesty.

•  Courage and Contempt For Death.

•  Self-Control.

•  Sympathy Towards All People.

•  Politeness and Respect For Etiquette.

•  Sincerity and Respect For One's Word of Honour.

•  Absolute Loyalty To One's Superior.

•  A Duty To Defend The Honour of One's Name and Guild.

They could all be applied pretty well to medicine in someway, although I'm not really sure we defend anything. But you know, the overall theme seems to be one of complete, benevolent control.

It's important to (and I will soon) make a short list about things that matter, and everything else be damned. List comes soon. For now, I'm going to get back to reading in one of my favorite Houston study spots which no one knows about. Because it's totally empty. Because it has been totally empty everytime I'm here. Because no post is really complete without a picture.

*: If you, for some reason, think this is rooted in anime, gfy.