The everyday mystery of Bob and John continues to tantalize me. Whenever I can, I share their story with trainees to show the limits of our knowledge. Yet the word mystery makes it out to be something that deserves to be solved, that there is a gnawing void that needs to be filled with information. After so much thought and reflection, I’ve realized this void is inevitable because every time we encroach upon the expanse of unknowability in the world, we become more acutely aware of our ignorance and insignificance. In so doing, a larger and more enigmatic void presents itself. That, fundamentally, is the beauty of the immune system and our world at large.
So I thank Bob and I thank John for entering my life. In coming to clinic with an everyday mystery, they have left me with an everyday opportunity to look at the universe and be infinitely grateful that I get to experience it as a rheumatologist.
Bharat Kumar, MD, MME, FACP, FAAAAI, RhMSUS, is the director of the rheumatology fellowship training program at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, and the physician editor of The Rheumatologist. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @BharatKumarMD.
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