My dear Feier-Melody,
Please be careful of the story about the scorpion and love. You are a physician, and this story could lead you to take reckless risks.
The story is deeply flawed. The Indian lived among scorpions all his life. He knew the nature of a scorpion is to bite, yet he twice put his bare hand into the water to save the scorpion. He should have put a stick of wood in for the scorpion to cling to and then drawn it from the water to safety. Or he could have bailed it from the water by using a pail, or even a cup. To put his bare hand in was stupid. He took a totally unnecessary risk.
In your case, you treat many kinds of illnesses. Will you enter the room of a possibly dangerous male mental patient alone, and shut the door behind you, so that he will not feel sad because he isn't trusted. No. You should have a male helper available and leave the door open, as that is safest for you.
Should you rush to the frightened old woman who may have SARS, without putting on all your SARS protective masks and clothing? No. You should send someone already in their gear to comfort her. Or else wait until you have your protection all in place before you approach her to help her so that you will remain healthy and be able to give medical help to people for years to come.
Should you co-sign a loan for the man with the sick son that Jenny described, so that he can use money borrowed by him and backed by your name to buy medical help for his son? No. You cannot afford to co-sign such a note unless you can spare the cash to repay it if the note falls back on you because he cannot repay it himself. It is very dangerous to co-sign for a loan for anyone, even a family member. Usually when someone needs a loan co-signed it is because thelender doesn't trust his ability to repay. You shouldn't trust it, either, unless you will not lose your house, or your business, or your life's savings if you must pay it when he cannot, and the money has been lost.
All of these are examples of a foolish "rushing in where angels fear to tread." It is better to think of the welfare of all concerned, including yourself. :-}
When trillions of dollars are no longer foolishly spent on war and the need for protection against war by most of the nations, then we will be able tohave excellent social safety nets everywhere that assure decent homes, adequate nutrition, needed medications, medical remedies, and prevention programs for all, and the grief all over the world will be greatly reduced.
People often exclaim "Why does God allow such things to happen, since He is all-powerful?" This is placing blame where it doesn't belong. We are the ones who allow such things to happen because we don't have our priorities straight yet.
Lovingly, Mary
