"Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathise with humans whose experiences we have never shared."
"Unlike any other creature on this planet, humans can learn and understand, without having experienced. They can think themselves into other people’s minds, imagine themselves into other people’s places."
Imagination. Compassion. Empathy. Sympathy. Emotions. Those virtues are what sets us humans apart. To be able to imagine ourselves in other people's places. To be able to feel hurt, joy, pain, love. To be able to react to emotions.
If the above is true for all humans, then how do you explain the behaviour of Doctors? The first thing a Doctor needs to let go is his empathy, sympathy and compassion. The first thing they tell you as a doctor is not to be emotionally attached to your patients. Can you imagine yourself that way? With no compassion, no sympathy, no mercy? I don't think I can.
Grey's Anatomy is one of my favourite drama series, and I'll tell you why. Number one: because it tickles every human emotion possible and; Number Two: It is so much more than just love-hate drama. It puts your emotions on overdrive and forces you to express feelings of compassion, empathy and sympathy. It makes you wonder. It makes you imagine.
Now imagine:
a Major car accident has just occured involving several vehicles. Two strangers, a native american man touching 60 years old and a beautiful blond lady age 26 years has been stabbed by a long pole the size of a handrail. The man is married, happy and has a great life. The lady is newly enganged and about to be married. They are both struck by the SAME pole such that the man is on one end of the pole and the lady on the other. The pole has penetrated both their bodies.
They are sent to a hospital, still concious and responsive.
The pole is the only thing keeping them alive, once the pole is removed, they might both bleed to death. The man is stabbed at the abdomen and the lady is stabbed near her heart, making her less likely to survive. Beacuse they are both struck by the same pole, it is extremly difficult to remove either one of them without hurting the other. One must die in order to save the other.
The man tells the young lady: ' you should be saved. You have a whole life ahead of you. I'm 60 years old, I've lived a full life and I couldn't ask for more. If it's between us, I should be the one to go. I'm ready'
The lady replies, with tears streaming down her face while smilling: 'No! you should survive. You have a family- a wife, children, grand-children. They all need you. I'm stabbed in the heart, I won't survive. You should be saved."
That's the kind of drama the leaves you wondering.
How many people in this world can be so unselfish? How many people are willing to give up thier lives for people they didn't know? for strangers? Just because they were unselfish and had the imagination to put themselves in other's shoes? How can anyone not be touched by something like that?
As a doctor, how do you decide who to save? Can you leave your emotions aside and decide who will live? Could you really have no compassion whatsoever towards the people suffering?
That's what I love about this show. It's not just tv drama. It's an event that stimulates human emotion and imagination. Other people's misery put yours light years away.
Ahh..the power of literature. the power of television.
"Unlike any other creature on this planet, humans can learn and understand, without having experienced. They can think themselves into other people’s minds, imagine themselves into other people’s places."
**************
Imagination. Compassion. Empathy. Sympathy. Emotions. Those virtues are what sets us humans apart. To be able to imagine ourselves in other people's places. To be able to feel hurt, joy, pain, love. To be able to react to emotions.
If the above is true for all humans, then how do you explain the behaviour of Doctors? The first thing a Doctor needs to let go is his empathy, sympathy and compassion. The first thing they tell you as a doctor is not to be emotionally attached to your patients. Can you imagine yourself that way? With no compassion, no sympathy, no mercy? I don't think I can.
Grey's Anatomy is one of my favourite drama series, and I'll tell you why. Number one: because it tickles every human emotion possible and; Number Two: It is so much more than just love-hate drama. It puts your emotions on overdrive and forces you to express feelings of compassion, empathy and sympathy. It makes you wonder. It makes you imagine.
Now imagine:
a Major car accident has just occured involving several vehicles. Two strangers, a native american man touching 60 years old and a beautiful blond lady age 26 years has been stabbed by a long pole the size of a handrail. The man is married, happy and has a great life. The lady is newly enganged and about to be married. They are both struck by the SAME pole such that the man is on one end of the pole and the lady on the other. The pole has penetrated both their bodies.
They are sent to a hospital, still concious and responsive.
The pole is the only thing keeping them alive, once the pole is removed, they might both bleed to death. The man is stabbed at the abdomen and the lady is stabbed near her heart, making her less likely to survive. Beacuse they are both struck by the same pole, it is extremly difficult to remove either one of them without hurting the other. One must die in order to save the other.
The man tells the young lady: ' you should be saved. You have a whole life ahead of you. I'm 60 years old, I've lived a full life and I couldn't ask for more. If it's between us, I should be the one to go. I'm ready'
The lady replies, with tears streaming down her face while smilling: 'No! you should survive. You have a family- a wife, children, grand-children. They all need you. I'm stabbed in the heart, I won't survive. You should be saved."
That's the kind of drama the leaves you wondering.
How many people in this world can be so unselfish? How many people are willing to give up thier lives for people they didn't know? for strangers? Just because they were unselfish and had the imagination to put themselves in other's shoes? How can anyone not be touched by something like that?
As a doctor, how do you decide who to save? Can you leave your emotions aside and decide who will live? Could you really have no compassion whatsoever towards the people suffering?
That's what I love about this show. It's not just tv drama. It's an event that stimulates human emotion and imagination. Other people's misery put yours light years away.
Ahh..the power of literature. the power of television.
0 comments:
Post a Comment