Vol.25007. I Have Done Nothing Yet— A Student’s Experience at the Symposium of “Medical Reforms Promoting Practical Solutions from the Field”

Mr. Keita Shimizu, Science Class III, The University of Tokyo, 1st year

As I was rocked on the Yamanote Line as it traveled through Tokyo late at night, I was left with two conflicting emotions. One was a sense elation. The other was a sense self-reflection.

I had the opportunity to participate as a student staff member in the 19th Symposium of the Council for Promoting Medical Reform from the Field on November 16th and 17th last year. I entered the University of Tokyo in April, and I was starting to get bored with my classes. Liberal Arts classes aren't always interesting.

(In the first place, it's probably extremely difficult to make a large class interesting when everyone has to learn the same material.)

When I think back, before I entered university, I was only focused on the period leading up to my university entrance exam. I thought I had thought about what I would do after entering university, but somewhere deep down, I assumed that something would automatically change once I entered university. However, after spending about six months at university, I realized that this was really just an assumption. But I didn't actually take any action to try to change anything.

I had probably been vaguely aware of it for a long time, but I was afraid to admit the fact that "I thought university was a vast world, but in reality, it's a much smaller world than I imagined."

It was at this time that Dr. Tsubokura Masaharu, my senior in high school and at the University of Tokyo, introduced me to Dr. Masahiro Kami, the President of the Medical Governance Research Institute. I was invited to participate in the "Symposium of the Council for Promoting Medical Reform from the Field" as a student staff member, and I stepped into the symposium venue, the Architectural Institute Hall, feeling nervous as I knew very few people there. That was the first time I had a proper face-to-face conversation with Dr. Kami.

It was intense. His first words were, "You went from Nada to University of Tokyo, Science Class III? Those kinds of people are the ones who become the most foolish." Dr. Kami's words accurately pointed out something that I had been vaguely aware of but had been turning a blind eye to until then. However, these words, which at first glance might sound harsh, were actually good news for me.

When I entered the Science Class III and felt somewhat excited, there were not many adults who could accurately point out to me that I had not yet accomplished anything, and that entering university was not the goal but merely the beginning. Dr. Kami's words made me keenly aware of this fact.

I helped with the symposium that followed and was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to listen to all of the speakers. Looking back, I feel that the words of Dr. Kami written above served as both a guide and a foreshadowing. All of the people who spoke at the symposium were people who had repeatedly thought about things and taken action on their own.

One of the most memorable talks from the symposium was by Mayor Hidekiyo Tachiya of Soma City, who spoke in depth about his own direct experiences in disaster response during the Great East Japan Earthquake. The stories (this may sound strange) of what actually happened, what problems arose, and how efforts were made to resolve them were filled with the kind of awe that can only be found in stories that stray away from so-called “To think 'you should'”

In the final session, titled "A Peaceful Death," various speakers, in addition to the doctors, included the Buddhist monk Shimomura Shinkou and Kobayashi Hidemi, who actually experienced the death of her own mother. The session thoroughly dealt with individual experiences.

Being a bit of a trend-follower, I find myself easily drawn to words like "evidence" and "statistics." It's true that the size of n may be important in certain criteria. However, if you think about it calmly, there is no such thing as an "average" problem or an "average" person, all problems that arise for each individual are personal to that person, and such problems always emerge "from the scene" in the n=1 region. It reminded me of that simple fact.

If I could sum up what I felt at the symposium in two words, it would be as follows:

First, mere "discussions" are often empty. Discussions that are merely for discussion, and that are detached from reality, inevitably sound frivolous. I learned that what is valuable is not that kind of "discussion," but rather a discussion that is endlessly linked to action.

Second, alternatively, a backward-looking "realism" is also empty. Japanese population will decline rapidly, and there will be a mountain of problems in the medical field. To see this negatively is just pretending to be clever. That was not what was discussed at the symposium. Each participant was working to improve things little by little, based on their own awareness of the issues. It may be fair to describe it as a kind of "dream," "ideal," or "utopianism." In any case, they were looking forward.

I learned a lot of interesting things at the symposium. I also had the opportunity to speak directly with many interesting people. I felt very excited about that.

However, when the symposium ended and I was alone on the Yamanote Line, I felt ashamed of myself.

I haven't done anything yet. I must never forget that. Those who have already done something are great because they have done something, but I haven't done anything yet. I shouldn't be mistaken into thinking that I'm great just because I've spoken to people who have done something. If things continue like this, we will be heading straight for what Dr. Kami calls "a typical idiot who went from Nada to University of Tokyo, Science Class III “

And while I have admonished myself above for the emptiness and shallowness of my " discussion," I also feel ashamed and want to reflect on the fact that this article is fraught with the danger of becoming just that kind of empty and shallow " discussion." Isn't what I'm doing here just a discussion? Isn't it detached from reality? If I mistakenly believe that I have become great even though I have not yet done anything, isn't that, in a sense, just a variation of ``backward realism''?

I want to take a good look at the fact that I haven't done anything yet. At the same time, I don't want to be pessimistic about it, but rather use it as a stepping stone to take action. With this declaration of determination, I would like to conclude my account of my experiences at the 19th Symposium of the Council for Promoting Medical Reform from the Field.