“Knowledge is Power”
Science is the governing principle of life. It shapes the surrounding world, the sights, the smells, and the noises. Everything we experience is a product of science. Yet, often it escapes our notice. How easy it is to forget that biological cycles, chemical reactions, and physical laws, dictate our lives. Science’s power is overlooked until it neglects someone of their natural “rights”. Blindness, hearing impairments, paralysis, and disease, all reiterate that life is a battle against science. This battle involves gaining control of one’s physical and mental health through understanding and manipulating scientific principles. This warfare, however, fades into the background of our busy lives, only to emerge in dramatic instances. This struggle against science became a reality in my life November 2, 2007.
Waking up in a hospital, only remembering flashes of the previous night, I wondered if I ever would return to a “normal” life. Before being emitted into the hospital I had experienced seizure-like symptoms. I was unaware of my surroundings, and involuntarily thrashing. My mother drove me to the Emergency Room. After three days of extensive testing, seizures were ruled out. Rather, a vitamin deficiency was the culprit. Though, the solution was as simple as adding daily supplement to my diet, the event significantly increased my awareness of science’s control in my life. I had come face to face with the fact, that only when I have a comprehension of how my body works, will I gain power over my health. Comprehending the cause and effect relationships, through which our bodies operate, will provide the keys necessary for self-regulation. Knowledge alone empowers us to win the battle. This realization has fueled my interest in science, specifically focusing on medicine.
Though the medical field is vast and encompasses a variety disciplines, my passion lies with neuroscience. Our brains are powerful instruments, that when used properly can produce life-changing results. The subject I am interested in is therapeutic recovery of Traumatic Brain Injured (TBI) victims. Research and clinical trials enhance our knowledge on how the brain restores itself after injury and will eventually lead to the cure of a paralysis. The tools needed to solve this mystery exist; it is just a matter of looking in the correct places. I intend on joining in on this quest, to help unlock the secrets and win the battle against science.
January 16, 2008 at 2:47 pm
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January 18, 2008 at 1:33 am
You probably would be interested, if you haven’t already heard of it, in the work of Antonio Damasio of USC’s Brain and Creativity Institute. He is best known for his extensive work with patients with damaged brains. This is the Wikipedia entry on him: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant%C3%B3nio_Dam%C3%A1sio
January 19, 2008 at 5:01 pm
One more point: in paragraph one, you attribute to science what properly belongs to nature. The sights, smells, noises, etc. are generally termed nature or the material world or the realm of the senses. Science is the particular pursuit that takes as its subject the study of nature or the material world. That’s an important distinction.
January 19, 2008 at 8:37 pm
Wow! I didn’t know something that sounds as harmless as a vitamin deficiency could be so dangerous. I liked how you said that in a way we are at war at with the science of our own body and how the whole world is governed by physical, chemical, and biological laws. I think we are winning this ‘war’ for the most part and is one of the reasons humans are living longer than ever. While ‘conquering’ our world may not be good when it comes to extremes like deforestation, it is good in a sense that we have control of our world, its resources and are able to apply or use them for our benefit.
January 20, 2008 at 12:18 am
After taking anatomy and psychology classes in high school, I’ve really become interested in how our brain and body works. It’s amazing to think about all of the complexities of the human body, especially the brain. It controls everything, without our being aware of it. Also, it’s incredibly elastic and can have amazing recoveries after the most serious accidents. A kid at my high school last year had been in a car accident and was in a coma for 6 months, and a year later he was back at school learning to communicate and function in a social environment again. The brain is truly amazing and I can only imagine the information that will be discovered in the next ten year about it.
January 21, 2008 at 7:49 pm
I am so sorry to hear about that tragic day in the hospital, but I am glad everything is alright now. I have always known that I wanted to explore science and medicine in college. Medical school has always been my main goal, but picking a major was a hard decision. I chose biomedical engineering, but neuroscience came across my mind many times, and I still wonder what it would have been like if I chose that major. However neuroscientists will provide us engineers with new discoveries, so that we can develop the new technology.
January 22, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Its amazing how one event can change your life so drastically. The view you portray between life and science is very interesting and true. I have never thought of science as a controlling factor of my life; I always thought of it as something that helps us learn more and advance. The more I think about it, the more I agree that it is a struggle to understand and grasp science.
January 23, 2008 at 5:35 am
i really like your reason for wanting to go into your specific field. a lot of people just say they want to be a “doctor” because it’s what their parents pressured them into or they feel it’s the next step in their over-achieving life. you’ll definitely succeed in your profession based on all of the hard work you put towards school and classes.