My Sister: A Human "Success" Story

My summer before college was very relaxed, as is for many middle-class pre-college individuals, but as summer came to a close, I had to make the single most important decision of my life: What do I want to do? Of course now, I should have just laughed off anybody who asked me that question, but dwelling on that isn't the purpose of this entry. After careful consideration of what the course of the rest of my life would be, I came to an answer in the span of half of a summer: I want to be a doctor.

I was in honors math and science in high school, so I thought I could handle the mental requirements, and the idea of helping people for a living would have definitely given life some purpose. But not too long into my college career, I had my doubts.

Slowly my math and science classes were slowly seeming less interesting. My performance wasn't near top of my class, which helped me understand my enjoyment for science, in high school, was really an enjoyment of winning. I started to rethink the whole doctor thing.

Was I walking this path because everyone wants me too? No one can deny the social status given to a doctor. I also began to rethink the value of the doctor's paycheck, and the little impact it would really have on my happiness.

With all of those reasons considered, all of those reasons why I shouldn't be a doctor, I began to doubt myself. Could I trust myself to handle the lives of thousands of ill people? I think that's a question all aspiring doctors, as well as nurses, should consider. Do I have the drive and capability to keep people from dying? The reason I'm writing this today, is because I'm beginning to doubt my sister.

First of all, my sister, who did earn exceptional grades in college, isn't necessarily exceptionally intelligent. And although hard work can go a long way, it can't make you Einstein. Nor can it make everyone a doctor. And that's one of the often unspoken truths of life, that each persons capabilities exist on an unequal plane, and that we can only truly put our trust in our work ethic. So do I think my sister is smart enough to be a doctor. Maybe.

I say maybe because I think if she wants it enough, she might be able to become a successful doctor, and by successful, I mean having the capability to save lives. Unfortunately, I don't think her wants are in the right place.

If there is only one thing I positively know about my sister's aspiration for the pre-nominal "Dr." on her name, it is simply that and that only. I firmly believe her sights aren't on helping people, but simply on being recognized for helping people. She wants the prestige, not the work. I question her outlook on humanity itself, obviously one developed from an unsophisticated contemplation of genetics and its impact on "our purpose." In that, she believes, we have none but to procreate only the best genes, and the lives of the rest are unsubstantial. That's the mindset of a soon to be doctor.