I came through the alleyways of Shemiran
            The desert, and sand dunes of Pars
                        Reciting Hãfez, Saâdï, and Rumï
 
Through a thousand cities and towns
            I crossed many alleyways and streets
                        Trying not to forget Ferdowsï
 
There are alleyways everywhere in the world
            Some are lined with cobblestones and flowerpots
                        Others reek of poverty and excrement
 
Today, many are hoping for new pathways to walk through
            Mine's been a journey that has taken a lifetime
                        Along the way, I have learned that our lives are molded,
                                    Not by the knowledge that we gain
                                                But by the choices that me make!
 
I've been lucky to find a way out of adversity
            Learn medicine, and serve my fellowman
                        All the while hoping not to forget
                                    The choices that brought me today.
 
So I teach my children and students to be wary of their choices
            For the reason of the roundness of the world
                        Is for the future to stay hidden beyond its curve
                                    Be careful in choosing your options
                                                And hope to walk the alleyways of happiness. 
 
Reza Ghadimi
October 2021

America lost a great hero this week.  General Colin Powell was the big hero of my generation.  As a veteran, I admired him and his sense of duty to our country and people. As a statesman, he served our nation admirably and without reservation.
 
He was however, even more of a hero to many. To millions of people like myself, he was proof of the worthiness of immigrants and a testimony that they strengthen our nation.  The son of Jamaican immigrants, he grew up loving this country because of what his parents - who appreciated our values - taught him.  That education made him a hero of our nation, not Jamaica, but USA.  So it is that he was a hero in various ways!
 
How do we celebrate the merit of such a hero?  And now that he is gone, how do we remember him?  How do we appreciate what he contributed to our country, our military, our politics, our society, and our sense of values?  Perhaps we can do all of that by just learning and valuing the gift of all our countrymen, no matter their race, origin, or class. 
 
Rest in peace, General Powell, and thank you for all your contributions!

The Nobel Prizes were awarded last week. The Pulitzer awarded last June and other prizes throughout the year. Interesting, how new telecommunication tools are playing an important role in achieving many of the science outcomes these days.

These modern tools - by revealing the many issues facing our world today in real time, create an urgency to resolving them. They also provide an avenue of cooperation for people near and far, not possible before. Such teamwork from differing arenas helps to accomplish solutions faster, eliminating hesitancy and diffidence. As playwright and novelist Alice Childress whose birthday (10-12-1916) was this week said, "Life is just a short walk from the cradle to the grave, and it sure behooves us to be kind to one another along the way."

Lack of contacts and collaborations can however, add to many of our problems. For, as Eleanor Roosevelt, whose birthday (10-14-1884) was also this week said, "We have to face the fact that either all of us are going to die together or we are going to learn to live together and if we are to live together we have to talk …”

Just as in medicine, a closed wound can fester into an alarming infection, while a surgeon's knife opening it will drain and heal it. Prizes and awards encourage dialogue and discourse, solving problems. While secrecy and reticence aggravate to misunderstandings and conflict.

Fall is now well advanced and the foliage on the mountain side sings in the golden colors of autumn.  State Fairs show off the toil of summer.  School Homecomings have everyone hooting and hollering about their team. Everyone is a winner by just celebrating. 

In my home state of New Mexico, it's Balloon Fiesta time and hundreds of balloonists from around the world gather to show off their flying talent and colorful balloons. The Fiesta was cancelled last year due to Covid, so this year it's warmly welcomed. 

In the streets, the aroma of roasting green chile peppers fill the air and people making an attempt to meet, greet, and interact one last time before shutting in for the winter.

I am stopped by the music of mariachi:
Voz de la guitarra mía al despertar la mañana
Quiere cantar su alegría a mi tierra Nuevo Mexicana
Yo le canto a tus volcanes, a tus praderas y flores …

For those who are of Latin heritage or have spent any time in Latin America, listening to the music of the mariachi horns is a nostalgic journey.  What a beautiful world we live in and if it was not for polarizing politics, it would be pleasing to everyone.

It's fall time and as we shut our doors to the coming cold, let's also shut it to all the hatred, bigotry and polarizing discourse.  So when the voice of our guitars wake us tomorrow morning, it would be to the joy of a peaceful and healthy world. As healthcare providers, we have the power to greatly contribute to the health and beauty of this world. Let us be the leaders in this revolution and endeavor.