On reading about tuberculosis and Haiti and seemingly conceited physicians in Benin

“When others write about others who live on the edge, who challenge their comfortable lives, they use it in a way that allows a reader a way out. You could render generosity into pathology, commitment into obsession. That’s all in the repertory of someone who wants to put the reader at ease rather than conveying the truth in a compelling manner.”

Paul Farmer, Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder

There aren’t many times here that I feel like I’m really making a big change in these people’s lives. There aren’t many times I feel like taking a moment to pat myself on the back and congratulate the choice I’ve made of what to do with my life.

Mostly, my mind is occupied distracting myself from scratching mosquito bites.

I always thought the minute you thought you were influential was the exact moment when you were assuredly not being influential.

Paul Farmer, though, is one of those activists who is self-assured to the point of almost being cocky. (I’ve seen him speak, and he comes off even closer to the cocky side in person.) But when a man had devoted his life to the global eradication of tuberculosis, amongst other things, you still have to give him some credit. 

There is this fine line between having self-confidence and being self-centered. And I think people tend to judge others as wandering more into the latter rather than the former. But when you’re someone like Paul Farmer, someone who is making a tangible difference in the world, are you allowed to relocate to the far side more often?