A Medical Student Perspective on Loss and Self-Awareness

“There are these two young fish swimming along and they meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, ‘Morning, boys. How’s the water?’ And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and eventually one of them looks at the other and goes, ‘What is water?”– David Foster Wallace, Kenyon College Commencement 2005, “This is Water.” The journey from medical school to residency goes fast: there scarcely seems time enough to do it all. Although we practice again and again so we can better discern what troubles our patients, we do not do the same for ourselves. In fact, until I lost my friend this year, I suffered from a condition common among medical students: a lack of understanding of my own inner voice.David Foster Wallace (1962-2008) was a novelist and essayist. He is best known for the novel, Infinite Jest, which explores themes of family, addiction, and the role of entertainment in modern American life. Much of his fiction has semi-autobiographical themes and his fish story is a simple, poetic reminder that we ourselves create meaning from experience. Wallace died by suicide in 2008 after a twenty-year battle with depression.Let David Foster Wallace’s parable remind us that the most important realities are the ones hardest to identify and talk about. We should devote time and experience to self-awareness and reflection, until it becomes fluid and reflexive, just like the examination techniques we are taught and practic...
Source: Academic Medicine Blog - Category: Universities & Medical Training Authors: Tags: Mental Health Self Care wellness Source Type: blogs