As the sign indicated, the display had 77 tee shirts, one each for the 77 children who were killed in the Chicago school system during the 2010–2011 school year. Under the words “Stop the Violence. Invest in Life.” were the names and ages of each child who died. There were Jesus, Joi, Vincent, Kubira, Darnell, and 72 others. The youngest had been 13. Suddenly, I thought of a horrible scene in which the heads of slain soldiers sit on spikes amidst the desolation of a smoking battlefield.
The world has always been a strange place, uncertain on how to strike the balance between violence and life. For those of us in medicine, however, the value of life is always paramount and that is why it is wonderful calling. When it comes to the individual, we want to invest in life and stop the violence, whether from illness, poverty, or the horrible destruction of shoot-outs in the playgrounds and hallways of inner-city schools. I hope that, when you were in Chicago, you were able to see this moving exhibit and reflect on its powerful message.
A Final Farewell
The clock is ticking and it is now time to conclude this “Rheumination.” Not surprisingly, I am again feeling angst as I try to scale the high cliffs of memorable words. Instead of scouring my mind for some profound ideas or bon mots, however, I have decided to fire up Google for help and go to one my favorite places to find wisdom: sports. Being a loyal fan of New York Yankees—despite them breaking my heart by losing to Detroit in Game 5 at the Stadium—I will end this “Rheumination” with a quote from a great philosopher and Hall of Famer from the Bronx Bombers, Yogi Berra. In one of his most famous quotes, Berra said, “You can observe a lot just by watching.”
For five years, I have been watching rheumatology and recording my observations on these pages. I have watched in many places around the world, observed an incredible amount, and had a wonderful time trying to share my experiences with you, my dear readers. To paraphrase another great Yankee who had a bad break in life, I have had a great break in editing TR, and often feel I am the luckiest rheumatologist on earth.
So, dear readers in America and around the world, adios, adjø, au revoir, auf wiedersehen, shalom, sayonara, zai jian, and y’all come down to Durham and see us some time.
