Very little of medical education is about forming human beings. Most of medical education is quite dehumanizing, in fact. And medical training and medical practice is similarly dehumanizing. So where does this work of forming or shaping good doctors happen?

In a world that perhaps, one could say, suffers from a lack of any kind of moral absolutes, it's hard to say that there's a distinction between what is right and what is wise for the ethicists in a secular place. At the same time, I think the language of practical wisdom resonates with me. It suggests that different situations might have similar scenarios, but what is practically wise for one may not be wise for another.

I think regularly of the admonition not to think of yourself better than others. Physicians still do have a lot of clout in the medical hierarchy, and yet I think about this regularly, and I know many of my colleagues do, too. When you're caring for someone who is your same age and stage of life, but that person has just received a devastating, life-altering diagnosis, it's hard not to wonder why it wasn't you right there. But for the grace of God go I. And so, because it is not me, I have to continue to serve, right? Not see myself as anything better, but continue to serve. Not grow weary while doing good, and serve because so much has been given to me.