Entry #1

Journal entry #1
Rohan Joshi

"If you want to change the world, you must first let the world change you." – Ernesto Guevara

Today, my teammates and I biked to Washington park-the furthest place west in the US, to dip our tires in the Pacific Ocean and begin our trek back home (pictured below):

I don’t know what this trip holds for me, or how it will change me. I hope it sheds light on some important questions I have for my future self: 

• How do I want to contribute to society? 
• What kind of mark do I want to leave on this planet?
• How can I continue to have a chaotic, colorful life while being a healthcare professional?

I don’t want to dwell on these questions too long or dismiss them too early, doing either may be a lost opportunity on this journey that awaits me. For now, perhaps all I can do is revel in the uncertainty of these questions.

In healthcare, uncertainty is almost taboo. At the end of the day, certain conclusions need to be made in order to preserve people’s health. The consequences of being uncertain are too severe to entertain the idea of the unknown. 

This bike trip has forced me to look at certainty in a different light. Uncertainty is something you have to come to terms with when your future is too chaotic to predict beyond a few hours. I don’t know where I’ll be sleeping, what kind of weather conditions I’ll be biking in, or what cozy little town I’ll wander into. 

Indeed, my next few days are littered with uncertainty, something that makes me both nervous and excited. I think uncertainty is a double edged sword: having too much uncertainty is a great way to lose control and spiral into chaos while too much certainty closes the world to potential. How can we have a certain degree of chaos without losing control over our lives? I think the answer to a lot of these questions lies in being open to the idea of change, in being open to the idea that the world can change you and you should let it. 

-Rohan 6/10/18