Tao, I personally believe so much of this love, life, or hate, or somewhere in-between for medicine or any path is grounded in a person's philosophical and/or spiritual perspective. Any sense of existentialism to me is limited b/c of a different perspective and view.
So, for me, it is in sensing a direction and a leading to things other than me--other than how smart I can or cannot be, what titles I achieve, how many people favor me, etc.
For me it's about "The whole is other than the sum of its parts." And although former is not a misquote and the forthcoming latter is,--we say so often the whole is greater than the some of its parts, both the former and latter are true.
The first is that it--the whole-- has an independent existence.
The second is that, the whole, indeed has become greater or somehow better, more powerful, more useful, more advantageous that the sum of its parts.
The most fascinating thing to me is that people are independent, yet dependent. They are the original accurate quote, independent, yet they are also dependent as the parts in sum come together.
Putting all the Gestalt aside, for me, at least, without a calling to something greater--something that keeps life at its most value, and to me, that is love, all things ultimately lead to a sense of banality. With every caring touch, we can make a difference for someone, whether they appreciate it or not. Every time we really listen we make a difference. Every time we lead someone to think in ways that can make their lives healthier--though we do not always see the immediate effects, we make a difference. And what we all want is instant gratification, but b/c people and their illness are complex, it's often hard to see or get to that instant gratification.
The prizes are more intrinsic than extrinsic. And if we can embrace that reality, our joy won't be diminished.
