To the One Who’s Just Entered the Silence
Dear Young Medic,
I know the smell hit you first-sharp, metallic, unforgettable. Then the sight of the cadaver, lying still, as though waiting for you to speak first. You didn’t. You couldn’t. Neither did I, that day.
I remember gripping my scalpel with trembling fingers, heart racing like I was about to commit a crime. The silence in that room was deafening. I questioned everything-Why medicine? Why this path? Why me?
But here’s what I learned: the mortuary is not a place of fear. It’s sacred ground. That lifeless body taught me more than any textbook ever could-about courage, reverence, and the weight of human life.
Years later, I still remember his face. I never knew his name, but I owe him everything.
So if you’re scared, it’s okay. If you feel like running, take a breath. Stay. Learn. Let the silence teach you.
Because this-this strange, cold beginning-is how we all started. And it’s how we learn to truly honour life.
In grace,
An Elder😇