We’ve all had our dream occupation when we were little, ever since our parents implanted that little idea in our young minds. They were the typical; laywers, businessmen, doctors. Smart, powerful people. It’s only when we reach our adolescent years do we then change it to something other than what our parents want. We want something entirely new, something fresh, something colourful. We refuse to be confined to a cramped cubicle, wearing different shades of a said colour, one shade for each day of the Working week.  We want a change. Yes. I do want a change. I want a job that’s something different.

I want to be a doctor.

But not just any doctor, no. This profession will take me away from white operating rooms, away from million-dollar equipment, away from the academic setting. This profession will throw me into places where endemic diseases plague communities, into the grungiest of dives. This is what I want to do; to work on the field, where help is needed the most, where hope is ever-so desperately needed. I want to be a humanitarian doctor.

To some, it sounds overly ambitious, like something only a person who has not seen the world with open eyes would say. It sounds to a point, almost naïve. What is this guy talking about? Does he even know what he’s signing up for?  Sure, he says he doesn’t need a salary now, but that’s because he’s still cared for!

But understand that this is linked to my passion; giving hope to the hopeless, inspiring the un-inspired. I whole-heartedly believe that a life that has not given is a life not worth living. What is there in vain-ness that the majority of us see?  What good is there in absolute self-sufficiency, the good in chasing an elusive dollar? In essence, how will these values impact the lives of others? Because let’s face it. We will never be satisfied with something so materialistic. Money, at the end of the day is just paper and metal. Popularity will come and go. But nothing is as staying as the actions of care and healing. And the people that need it the most is in the hardest-hit zones, where compassion is greatly needed. Happiness is a rare emotion for them. Fear is a constant in their very lives for death is commonplace- it’s right outside on the street.

We are constantly told that the future of humanity is bleak. We need change.

And I aim to be just that.