Title: Decent Human Being Seeking Creative Mediocrity

Gender: Male

Age: 29

Sun Sign: Libra

Chinese Sign: Earth Horse

Location: Durham, North Carolina

To get the business portion of this answer out of the way, I am an ordained Presbyterian minister who is about to begin medical school at the Duke University School of Medicine in the Fall of 2008.  I also am currently a member of the United States Navy, although my military background up until medical school has been with the United States Air Force.  It was while serving with the Air Force as a chaplain that I became exposed to the medical profession and felt called to serve in a capacity as both doctor and chaplain.  The cliche for any medical student is that we want to “help people”.  For me this is much more pointed, in that I wish to help allieviate suffering, manage patient's pain, and assist them in living a full and meaningful life up until the end of their life here on earth.  I see myself going into Pain Management as a speciality, although I am open to all of the medical branches as I go through school and gain more experience.

My title “Decent Human Being Seeking Creative Mediocrity” is an homage to one of my dear friends who is a clinical psychologist in Iowa.  He always used to say that we are put on this earth not to gain wealth or power or prestige.  In fact, no one of us is better nor should strive to be “better” than somebody else.  The goal of life is to learn to become a decent human being.  He also used to say that to be lazy is to shirk the gifts that God (or the universe) has given us, but to always strive to be number one is contrary to our goal of being decent human beings no “better” than others.  Instead, he used to quip, a decent human being should always be on the path of creative mediocrity - seeking to excel at some things and allowing others who excel to help in other avenues.  This very much sums up who I am.  I have many interests like music, history, martial arts, theater, art, and so forth - but I by no means excel at all of them.  I appreciate those who do and seek to support those who don't.  All in all, my primary goal in life is to help out a few people, make some sick people better, assist some dying patients in being comfortable and living well with dignity until the end of their lives, and, of course, constantly strive to live as a decent human being.  

Member Since: Tuesday, May 27 2008

Last Visit: 10 days ago.

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