He came to the hospital in a great hurry. He was sweating all over, he was panting and could barely stand on his feet. For five minutes, he stood still, like a statue, until he recovered. He had been urgently called for an operation. When he recovered, the doctor changed, washed and went to the operating room. There, he met the patient’s father. He was in tears… When he saw the doctor, he began to scream at him: “Are you not normal? What’s wrong with you? My son is struggling between life and death and you’re not here to help him! You really do not have any responsibility?“
In that moment, the doctor took his hand, smiled at him and, with an almost unreal gentleness, he replied: “I’m sorry… I was not in the hospital. When I got the call, I came as fast as I could. Now, I’m going to ask you to calm down and let me do my job…“
Instead of reassuring him, the doctor’s words have made the man more nervous. „How can you dare to ask me this? If your son was there and not my son, would you be as calm?“, asked the man.
The doctor smiled and said, “With the help of God, we will do our best to save your son’s life. We pray to the Lord to give us strength. You should pray for his life as well.“
“It’s easy to give advice when you’re not in such a situation,” the patient’s father replied.
The surgery, extremely complicated, lasted a few hours, while the man was at the door, nervous, tired and tormented by black thoughts. At one point the doctor left the operating room. He smiled. “Thank God, your son is fine, the surgery was a success! If you have any questions, please talk to the nurses“, he told the man, then ran out into the hospital’s lobby as he entered and became unseen…
“Why is he so arrogant? Could not he wait a minute to tell me how my son feels?“, the man asked the nurse.
With tears in her eyes, one of them replied: “His son died yesterday in a car accident. When I called him to come to the hospital to operate your son, he was at his child’s funeral. Now that he saved your boy’s life, he hastened to get to his son’s funeral…“
When he heard that, the man was destroyed. He fell on his knees, then crouched on the floor and wept. He felt as the last man… And yet his soul was filled with an immense joy. His son was alive…
Is this story real or not? I think it does not matter. What matter is how we react when we’re in such a situation.
And… as a Romanian proverb says: “My skin is closer than my shirt“. I mean, I care more about me than the others.
But… I would like to ask you something.
How would you react to the doctor’s delay?
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I think most of us would react to the delay in much the same way, until we had the explanation. It’s a thought provoking story. As you say, it doesn’t matter whether it’s fact or fiction. I’d not heard that proverb. What is it in Romanian?
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You’re very right, my friend.
In Romanian sounds like this: Pielea mi-e mai aproape decat camasa :))
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Thought provoking, Mo. I’d be angry but I wouldn’t scream at a doctor in such a state. That would only make the situation worse.
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I do not have an answer for my question because I am not so patience. So… I do not know how I would react.
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None of us really do
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Indeed
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I would likely not be thrilled by the delay but am trying to learn to live by not assuming mailice in someone’s motives unless there is direct evidence. Most actions, like the doctor’s, have more reasonable explanations.
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Maybe in the US. Here is not the same 😦
In Romania doctors are very cynical
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Doctors here are like all people; some are cynical and others not. 😕
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Here they are very bad paid and they expect to you to give them money if you want them to treat you well. Well, not like a billionaire 🙂
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I would like to think I could rise above any anger, for anger is like being blind to what’s really going on.
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I think I would be blind and anger
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I think I would be too concerned about getting the doctor to my son and not distress him, other things can be discussed later.
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This is the right way to do 🙂 But how many people would do the same??? I am not sure about me…
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I would be thinking of my son only…later, there would be words. 🙂
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I wish I could do it, too.
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❤
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❤
🙂
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Mona I hope I would act with compassion. But I honestly don’t know how I would ask in that situation. Your story reminds me of how little we know what is going on in other people’s lives. This is a good reminder to not to jump to conclusions. Thanks Mona!🌹
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We never know how we will react, but we hope for the best reaction, right?
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Oh gosh! Tough. But yeah, it’s a story that tells us to always act with compassion, no matter what. Not easy but we can keep trying.
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Yes, for sure
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I would probably have threatened him with a lawsuit. But also to know the situation would have gone to the funeral and apologize, I do not usually blame anyone until I know what actually happened because there is always a good explanation and if there is not, good to withstand the consequences.
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I think it depends on your state of mind, after all
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What a hit,sharp and piercing.Each word written by you is justified to the core.I too heard the proverb for the first time.It is something adding flavour to your writeup.lovely that I can say…
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You’re too kind, my friend 🙂
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