Address to the Medical Class of 2005
Stephen P. Spielberg, MD, PhD, Dean
June 10, 2005
This afternoon, we begin a three-day celebration for the Class of 2005 of Dartmouth Medical school, celebrating their achievements here and anticipating their contributions to the health and well-being of our country and our world in the years to come. We will hear a recurring theme of service throughout the events of the next days, of national and international needs for improved knowledge of the biology of health and disease, and the imperative for improved delivery of health care to all those in need.
I had the great pleasure of attending our son’s graduation from Princeton last week, and heard a remarkable baccalaureate ceremony presentation by the Nobel Laureate author, Toni Morrison, that put the dilemma of 21st century graduates into context. She said, in part:
“Don’t settle for happiness, because it’s not good enough anymore. If happiness is the sole reason, …pursuit of personal success devoid of meaningfulness, free of a steady commitment to social justice is more than a barren life; it is a trivial one. Looking good instead of doing good… . There is serious, hard, ennobling work to do.
…You are blasted by media designed to alter you from citizens to consumers, from individuals to groups, from a yearning for maturity to a desire for eternal childhood. But you do not have to accept the media,… or labels; you can refuse to be labeled as generation X or Y, as minority or majority, as red states or blue states, as this or that class. Every true hero and heroine breaks free from his or her [label or class]…to serve a wider world”.
“Don’t settle for happiness” – a remarkable challenge to life in our times. Yet I think there is something different about our profession, about medicine that can lead to a more integrative approach to life, while still upholding the vision that Toni Morrison so eloquently set forth. In our early school years, we often used language differentiating “school life versus social life” or later “work life versus family life” as though we should be parsing out aspects of life – toil in part, fun in part. A more integrative, and perhaps satisfying view of life is neither unique nor even new. Isaiah, when challenged about how to find meaning in the universe commented:
“Loosen the bonds that bind men, let the oppressed go free, break every yoke. Share your bread with the hungry, take the homeless into your home, clothe the naked when you see him, do not turn away from those in need. Then cleansing light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wounds shall be healed. …Your light shall shine in the darkness, and your gloom shall be as noonday.” To Isaiah, clearly, happiness, satisfaction and meaning are integral to the very process of doing good.
The hallmark of our profession is excellence, achievement not in the service of self-aggrandizement or ego, but in service to those in need. We find joy and happiness in the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, and even more in how it can transform the human condition. We are blessed to be able to use our intellect, to use the education we are privileged to participate in, to work, toil and struggle on behalf of our fellow humans as our greatest source of joy. The serious, hard, ennobling work we engage in as physicians and scientists is indeed a source of happiness and worthy of celebrating as we will over these next days.
And it is thus entirely fitting that this Awards Ceremony celebrates excellence, achievement, courage and joy in the adventure of medicine.
We hear much about “balance” in life these days. I would posit that our professional lives per se can provide much of that balance. But there is indeed more to life. As a pediatrician I was early exposed to the concept that we take our work, our patients, the welfare of all children very seriously, and ourselves not very seriously at all. It is okay in our world to go on rounds with a pull-toy. We also learned early how much to value and rejoice in our own families as we helped others. I congratulate you all, and wish you every success in your integrated pursuit of excellence, service and happiness.
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