Yes We Can...

"This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing — Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons — because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America — the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves — if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time — to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth — that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes We Can."

Ramadan and India/Pakistani History

A Pakistani uncle shared this story at the masjid and I wanted to share it as it is an interesting fact that I had no idea of (i'll try paraphrasing as best as I can).

"Sixty three Islamic years ago, I went to sleep in my country of India. The next morning I woke up, and my country was now called Pakistan. The date was the 27th of Ramadan, and was a Friday like it is today. A super super Friday if you will since it was both jummat al wida (farewell jumuah) and the 27th night of Ramadan. The leaders and politicians probably had no regard for the date being in Ramadan. Many Muslims probably had no idea as well. But it makes me think of how far we have come since then. It has been a painful 63 years for me. I look at India, I think of the tough times my Bangladeshi brothers have been through, and where Pakistan is now. I think of how the Prophet's life was 63 years long and how much he had accomplished during that time. Where do we go from here and what is the outlook for our countries, only Allah knows."

live life like you're on vacation 

Fed up

As an American Muslim, I am sick of defending myself. I'm tired of letting the media and those that know little about my faith judge me based on the acts of a few. I will not care if those that may have seen a DVD in the mail or read an article by a Islamophobic columnist determine what they think about me and a billion other people. If you want to think that way, go ahead. It is ludicrous to me in principle for someone to think in that matter, therefore, I will not encourage it by being baited into answering their mocking viewpoints.

If I formed my views of more than a billion Christians based on the KKK or Nazis, it would make no sense. I would have to question my methodology and figure how I could come to such a conclusion. I would challenge myself to meet more Christians personally, and not just stand from afar to judge a people. We may do that in reference to animals in the wild, but as humans, we should be willing to learn more.

Western minds have made this mistake time and time again. Framing the "orient", Africans, Indians to all be a certain way and these racist prototypes still linger in the minds of many today. As a people, we have come further than that, and as a nation, we are better than that. I challenge every one to break out of the mental slavery we have been shackled to and become more active learners in our assessment of humans.

Ramadan Email Fail

disorder --> order

energy or order has a tendency to head towards disorder. this is very similar to life. it's easier in life to fail, to do the wrong thing, to be a sloth. imagine holding something ~ 35 lbs in the air. using both your arms, you are able to maintain it in the air, but this takes effort. mentally, from your body, etc. not having any of those components will allow it to drop. succeeding takes effort. think of gravity. we have a tendency to be grounded to this earth. but only with some effort (jumping, going in a plane) can we be released from this pull of gravity. now imagine if you conquer gravity, you find a way to go beyond it (think astronaut). then you are truly free. this is confusing even my brain, but think of this spiritually and practically. it's just another principle of this world.

some advice for you

in my experiences, advice is a funny thing. most of the time, people end up doing what their gut told them, regardless of what you may present. and the person giving it is in a weird position of power/wisdom, so it creates an interesting dynamic. (or maybe that's just me and my friends)

one interesting thing is to note what someone tells you. most people's advice is given through their lens on the world, taking on their experiences in life, in what they have observed, learned, etc, and they are trying to make sense of your reality on their terms. it is close to impossible for someone to truly think from your point of view. because of that, you can tell a lot about what someone thinks of this world, what their experiences have been, etc. maybe this is really elementary, but i just found it amusing to see another way in which we can try to learn about people.

jumping off the cliff

a year ago, i had made a pact with a friend of mine to "jump off the cliff". to us, that entailed putting our faith in what we believed in whether it be justice, happiness, or our patient's health. the point was to not only think and believe in certain ideals, but to push ourselves into action by somewhat jumping off blindly, and letting the wind (our ideals) guide us. to not be inhibited by what others think, to not be inhibited by our own insecurities, and to stay on the cusp of action, and to live in this world as the way we wish to see it, always looking to gain in experience or knowledge.

during this past year, i have gone up and down in the wind, as one may suspect, at times getting caught up on a branch, or even plateauing. i would, however, like to think that because of this thought, i have pushed myself harder than i ever have to be my ideal. whether it was applying and getting rejected by many global health fellowships (though eventually getting one), being a clown with patch adams, or standing up to my seniors and attendings at the hospital.

this year, i have rethought this cliff metaphor, and am ready to go again. i have made a commitment to positivity, to not be stagnant in my thoughts of idealism, and to push myself with small actions everyday. i am going to share some small examples of what i've been doing in hopes of spreading the cliff metaphor.

- While jogging near my apt complex, i always jog (half out of breath as usual) past something called the "Life House". I never really knew what it was but it always had a group of people sitting outside. While seeing an old lady sitting outside, i decided to go up to her. we began talking, and she told me how the house was meant for those that were disabled but lived independently. within minutes she was telling me about her life, her family, and how she'd love to cook a souther dinner for me (or maybe i asked her if she would but still). a similar episode happened the next day i was jogging. this time a 40 yr old guy that was HIV+, had suffered a stroke recently, however felt blessed everyday of his life that he was living and able to share his story with others. it's amazing how much strangers can share within a short amount of time, and how much we can gain by just talking to those who we might not think to talk to. we all have something to gain from each other if we are willing to stay connected. this thinking was somewhat inspired from patch adams and his method of meeting people by picking up a phone book and just calling random numbers. though it is a skill doctors have to get accustomed to because of our profession, it doesn't mean we take advantage of it. the key is to have a dialogue and listen.

- i picked up a can from the street so i could recycle it.

- while driving by the convention center, i saw a sign that said "WORSHIPFEST", free admission. since i have a lot more time these days, i thought why not? i went inside, and the lights were dimmed, with a christian rock group belting out lyrics praising jesus. people were twirling, dancing with flags, hands in the air, singing along. though at first, i was inclined to think what the hell (no pun intended) is going on? however, i then thought to how they would probably think that me praying on a floor is equally ridiculous, that others praying before an idol is crazy, or that jews at a wailing wall made no sense. we all think of ourselves and our culture/beliefs as normal sometimes, and miss the point of thinking that everything is relative. this is a huge point/topic but i will leave it at that.

- i acted on my own, when a nurse wasn't around, to put a bed pan under a patient. though this is a seemingly small task, it was big for me as far as acting on my own, and "doing a nurse's job" which those with white coats are sometimes not inclined to do.

so this jumping off the cliff thinking is very relative to who you are as you can see. everyone's actions are going to be personalized to what they envision as their ideals and who they want to be. however, the key is to liberate yourself from what others may think and your own insecurities to get closer to your own truth.

thoughts while studying....III

a recent Pew study found that people that watch fox news know more about the news than those who listened to npr. hmmm, amazing that we needed a study to prove that those who watched a news channel, knew more about the news, than those that listened to npr whose aim is to provide a wide array of intellectual stories. amazing.

also, in the news culture of today, i am confused as to why it has become the mark of the intelligent, a mark of being "in the know" for those who know about the news. so what if you watch cnn, go to cnn.com, listen to npr on your way home, and read newsweek in the bathroom. how does that make you a more informed person and someone better to tackle the world? i don't think that knowledge of the news is what makes a person informed and smarter person, it is action and independent thought. not what some news agency tells you to know.

thoughts while studying...II

in the same manner which one thinks their religion is the right and final answer and then uses the world around them to justify is similar to how scientists and physicians take the final and right answer to be the human body, and it is up to them to discover the intricacies of how it is put together

thoughts while studying....

we have to move past first world, developing world, and third world groupings which base a nation's worth on simple economic terms. how this relates to global health and terminology in general is that we have to start examining countries/people for what they can bring to the table, what they can offer us, what is their strengths and qualities versus just seeing how WE can help THEM. we're all in this together. the more we group and differentiate, the further someone's humanity is from us.

facts/articles about health care in India

got all these facts/numbers from one email from the global health council. felt compelled to share.

- A study among young brides in the northern Uttar Pradesh state found that 71 percent knew nothing about how sex happens and 83 percent did not know about pregnancy (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/DEL283214.htm)


- The number of people using condoms, while having casual sex, is only 3.4% in Bihar. The percentage is highest at 69.3% in Punjab. Only 24% women in Delhi use condoms for family planning, while the national figure is a mere 6%, says the National Family Health Survey. (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Delhi/2000_condom_machines_for_city/articleshow/3173941.cms)

- This means that of the 54 lakh pregnant women in UP, more than 38 lakh deliver babies in unhealthy conditions...The third 'National Family Health Survey' shows that a whopping 74.7% of pregnant women never made three mandatory ante-natal care visits for their last birth. (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Lucknow/Maternal_health_services_lacking_in_UP/articleshow/3186345.cms)

quotes by adnan...no. 1

"metaphors work so well because this world is built on such limited principles"

Dunkin' Donuts Boycott

I'm not one to boycott, and to jump on conspiracy theories because someone's uncle knew someone who donated money to Israel who happened to work for Starbucks, but this story is something that it utterly racist and that we should act on. Essentially, Dunkin Donuts pulled an ad featuring Rachel Ray wearing a kifaayah because people may think she has terrorist sympathies. It makes no sense, I know.

Here is an article on it - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/28/dunkin-donuts-pulls-ad-fe_n_103859.html

Here is a letter to sign on to send to Dunkin Donuts - http://answer.pephost.org/site/News2?abbr=ANS_&page=NewsArticle&id=8821

So lay off the munchkins for now if you can.

Putting AIDS in Perspective

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/01/01/opinion/edhalperin.php?page=1

this article focuses on something that i have thought for quite some time, but had not seen enough from the leaders of global health addressing. too much money is being spent on expensive drugs, centers, and outreach for diseases that affect a small amount of the population instead of focusing on the basic needs of people such as water and shelter which affects the majority of the population in many cases. maybe it's because these issues aren't sexy enough to fight and hard to convince the public of. maybe there is some hidden pharma campaign. but it makes no logical sense to not help communities with clean water but to give them the third line treatment for multidrug resistant tb. this falls in line with a principle of life that can be applied in many situations - if one does not have the basics (whether knowledge, physiological needs, or a skill in a sport), why or even how can one focus on some distant branch or fruit (doing a crossover before learning how to dribble, learning about diseases before learning normal physiology, or playing hendrix before learning the basic chords)?

another aside: do people feel better to "fight" a disease? to have a "war" against malaria or something? does having an "enemy" help people feel they are doing something and make them more likely to want to conquer it? providing clean water or a sewer system is a lot more boring and it works with people to help build something up. which is kind of why we value the surgeons and specialists of this country but do not care much for those providing primary care and preventative care to the millions of this country. this thinking has seeped into our psyche when you think about it. we like the exciting cases, the weird diseases, the grey's anatomy situation. this value is reflective in the reimbursement and salaries of our doctors. we value the surgeon who cuts into our body to remove a tumor, but not the doctor that never let us smoke because it would lead to cancer, plus a host of other problems.

i know i started to rant towards the end, but i think it's all interrelated. what does this mean for where we are heading? a good amount of this thinking is specific to americans, especially those related to health since we are one of the only nations without a form of socialized medicine. we need to make the boring meaningful and valued.

even in a religious sense. going to church, praying namaz, keeping a fast is all seen as the mundane and easy to forget. but it's the home run, the grand slam that people love and adore and look forward to. the hajj, the visit to jerusalem, meeting the pope, going to rishikesh.

my point in all this is not to knock the high points of thought, accomplishment, or experience, but to remind us all that we must work on the foundations and respect it before moving forward.