My work essentially involves maintaining balance, you know, the equilibrium. It’s called ‘homeostasis’. As you may have heard before, it is not a fixed or static status. Our body constantly changes its status, responding to signals and demands from within and outside of us. It’s not about just one parameter; there are multiple different things to consider, such as blood pressure, body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, the pupil size, and hormone levels like insulin, cortisol, and thyroid hormone…the list goes on.
One of the most beautiful traits of this system is that it works in perfect harmony. The human body is a impeccable beauty itself. Everything is in its rightful place. They don’t interfere with each other. A faultless coordination is lying down there. This meticulously calculated system works smoothly and harmoniously.
The other important feature of this system is its synchronicity. This work continues constantly. Our bodies respond to various and diverse stimuli. It could be the rising temperature, a drastic emotional wave, or a simple position change, such as standing up and starting to walk. The environment surrounding us changes constantly, and all living organisms adapt to these changes in seconds, with excellence. Sometimes this system breaks down. The well-established balance loses its strength, and the numbers start to fluctuate. The disordered invasion has begun. It’s our job to make things back to normal. If something is missing, we add it. If something is excessive, we attempt to eliminate a portion of it.
Actually, our work is not as sophisticated and delicate as the natural biological system. More frankly, it’s akin to the clumsy handiwork of a five-year-old boy. The blood test, X-ray, CT scan, and MRI may seem like state-of-the-art technologies, but in reality, they are just individual snapshots capturing only a single moment of various complex dynamics. What’s even more absurd is that these test results only show the condition from hours ago.
Anyway, this is the best we have. With a bunch of test results, we try to figure out what is wrong with this person and determine the primary cause of all these troubles. Somehow, we managed to make a to-do list. We follow protocols, guidelines, textbooks, papers, and new articles. The wisdom of those who have gone before us will guide our path.
It’s like a child’s play, creating mockups with clay. If someone has very skilled, dexterous hands, they may be able to create a fine replica, but it is impossible to mimic the actual working system hidden inside.
When things go wrong, it can be very chaotic. The monitors keep flashing, causing very nervous alarms. Everybody is shouting at each other. The running footsteps and yelling voices seek confirmation, but never receive a definite answer. It’s very loud, chaotic, and disordered. But when everything returns to normal, it becomes very quiet. Amidst quiet conversations with smiles, two careful hands gently close a door to avoid making any noise, accompanied by whispering voices. And we must confess, we didn’t do much of the work. We didn’t do anything. Of course, we played a small role that was assigned to us. It’s like a school play. It doesn’t have to be, but everyone has their own roles, only because he let us in. But I can definitely tell you that it’s not us who should take the credit.
Sunshine is coming through the window and landing on the sleeping patients’ faces. They are sleeping quietly in peace. When I watch their faces, there is just peace, without any hesitation, conflict, sorrow, grief, or pain. Just a peaceful void. It’s almost meditative. And that’s when the healing process happens. I see the light, I can feel the warmth, the grace, the beauty, the truth, the promise, and the utter wisdom. And you know, another name for wisdom is God. It’s just a glimpse, a brief moment, but I can surely tell that I just witnessed his presence. So, that’s my work. Pretty cool, huh?
(*I believe that this encounter with joy is not exclusive to me or my profession. On the contrary, it is the opposite. Everyone can spot the light in their place. I don’t know, a teacher would find it in a child’s face, in a beautiful mathematical formula if you were a mathematician, and in a wonderful melody and rhythm if you were a musician. It is a bright, warm light that seeps out through a narrow slit. I truly believe that we can, and are, discovering that light.)