The Reasons They Do It

The Reasons They Do It

Two tables away in a small college
café where I take my lunch, two men, both
donning sweaters in a sixty degree
spring, discuss things I do not own (such as
multiple cars, multiple homes, children),
and professions I am not in (such as
law, medicine, practical vocations).

It was during their brief exchange on the
psychology of med school (neither of them
revealed themselves as doctors), that I tuned
in to steal this snippet:  No one wants to
be a general practitioner; they
all want to be specialists, because that’s
where all the money is.  Uh-huh, trust me.

I here recall a friend, currently in
classes, thinking not of the cash in which
he’ll be swimming, but rather of his up-
-coming pathology exam Tuesday.
If asked why he chose to specialize, why
he’s not going into primary care,
his answer would not be money.  No, his
reasons are far more direct, in his own
words why:  I just want to cut people up.