The Price Of Principles

Rather honestly, I do not mind hearing it from time to time. The sensible words of Plato, Aristotle and Aurelius became invaluable tools in my self-development in adolescence and early adulthood.Over a prolonged period of time, and not without substantial problems along the way, I finally found myself in a reasonably beneficial position in life. That is to state, I was not fully immersed in survival mode throughout most of my waking hours.For the first time in my life, I might reasonably set my sights on a goal.I aimed at the greatest target I might think of; my childhood dream of becoming a medical doctor.It was my moonshot.A Hard Pill To SwallowThe career of a medical doctor, and the course to becoming one, is a rather distinct human experience that can not be properly articulated to an outsider. And whatsoever I shall see or hear in the course of my profession, as well as outside my profession in my intercourse with males, if it be what should not be released abroad, I will never ever divulge, holding such things to be holy secrets.Now, if I bring out this oath, and break it not, may I gain for ever reputation among all guys for my life and for my art; however if I break it and forswear myself, may the opposite befall me.-Hippocrates of Cos, The Oath (Translation by W.H.S. Jones)I took my oath seriously.I brought around a copy of the text with me in my wallet at all times, the way some people do with pictures of their grandchildren. Instead, it recommends that particular actions, attitudes and behaviors will be favored on the whole, at scale, over time– the end result is a system of institutionalized corruption and cowardice.The next layer of the onion includes the handling of those who do dare act versus the systems incentivized actions, habits and attitudes.There are lots of prominent examples that we can point to, such as the academic and medical experts who signed the Great Barrington Declaration, Dr. Robert Malone, and Dr. Peter McCullough, to name a few.Many of us did not have to look that far to witness the treatment paid for to dissidents.Where The Rubber Meets The RoadI was thrust into an uphill fight versus overreaching public policy prescriptions, battling for details openness, patient autonomy, notified authorization based on clinical rigor, logic and thinking, and individual liberty.The resistance to my position was intense.

This post initially appeared in Bitcoin Magazines “Censorship Resistant Issue.” To get a copy, visit our store.Look Ma, No HandsIve desired to be a medical professional for as long as I can remember.When I was 7 years of ages, my dad purchased me a bicycle for my birthday. He wheeled it into the living room with childlike interest, sure that he will score a lots of dad points.The bike was spotless. It had all the bells and whistles a kid might imagine; it was the example that would make any kid in the area jealous.I took a long look at my dad, now knelt in front of me with a smile tattooed on his face, then at the bike and lastly back at my father again.I summoned up a sigh and shook my head.”I cant ride this bike. I desire to be a doctor. I dont wish to ruin my hands.”My mother loves to inform that story. Rather honestly, I do not mind hearing it from time to time. Aside from being a vivid tip of my childhood ambitions and supplying evergreen home entertainment, it is one of the last memories I have of my dad. He passed away right after, at an unfortunately young age, from a cardiac arrest caused by an undiagnosed, treatable medical condition.This catastrophe seriously impacted my formative years. My youth and teenage years were marred with a continuous stream of tragedy, grief and trauma, punctuated by brief minutes of break. Unsurprisingly, it took rather a toll on me. As an outcome, I found myself on a course of nihilism and self-destruction. I was aimless, hopeless and helpless.My future was bleak.And then, I caught a break.To The MoonTo get away the severe realities of the outside world, I invested an inordinate amount of time in the school library. I read everything I could get my hands on, from Twain to Tolkien to Dostoevsky. It wasnt long prior to I stumbled upon the ancient philosophers. I was captivated by the ageless nature of the human condition and the shared experiences of individuals across time and area. The sensible words of Plato, Aristotle and Aurelius became important tools in my self-development in teenage years and early adulthood.Over a prolonged amount of time, and not without considerable problems along the method, I finally discovered myself in a reasonably favorable position in life. That is to state, I was not totally immersed in survival mode throughout most of my waking hours.For the very first time in my life, I might realistically set my sights on a goal.I intended at the highest target I could consider; my youth imagine ending up being a medical doctor.It was my moonshot.A Hard Pill To SwallowThe profession of a medical doctor, and the path to turning into one, is a rather special human experience that can not be sufficiently articulated to an outsider. Nevertheless, that wont stop me from trying.First and foremost, it can be more accurately explained as an occupation– like priesthood– rather than a common task or profession. Thoroughly planned life choices are made from a really young age to set the expert wheels in motion for a lifelong commitment to the craft. There are an apparently unlimited set of hoops to leap through. Excellent scholastic marks and SAT ratings are needed in high school to contend for limited positions at an elite university. Excellent academic marks and MCAT scores are required in university to contend for restricted positions at an elite medical school. Once again, exceptional academic marks and strong letters of recommendation are required in medical school to compete for restricted positions in a residency program. Awaiting you on the other end of that brutal endeavor is an even more grueling one with residency, licensing tests and board accreditations. Any time not spent in the class, medical facility or buried in books, is dedicated to working additional health care tasks, carrying out scholastic research study or getting involved in after-school activities to strengthen the résumé and outcompete other potential prospects for the minimal spaces on every called of the professional ladder. The unrelenting pressure to perform and the immense duty of having other individuals lives in your hands day after day would take a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual toll on any human being.It is a journey that typically spans from teenage years well into the adult years. While an individual grows and establishes dramatically during this critical period of life, they need to stay steadfastly concentrated on a rigid profession path to reach the preferred location. Missed family gatherings and wedding events of pals, fractured relationships, numerous countless dollars of financial obligation and general life instability are the standard. I would actively dissuade a career in medication for a lot of potential onlookers, with rare exceptions.First, Do No HarmTaking the Hippocratic Oath was among the proudest minutes of my life.It marked the conclusion of the journey of becoming a medical physician and set a criteria regarding what is to be expected of me going forward.Many laypeople have never read the complete text of the Hippocratic Oath, and a few of my coworkers appear to require a refresher, so I have actually included it below: I swear by Apollo Healer, by Asclepius, by Hygieia, by Panacea, and by all the goddesses and gods, making them my witnesses, that I will perform, according to my ability and judgment, this indenture.to and this oath hold my teacher in this art equivalent to my own parents; to make him partner in my livelihood; when he needs money to share mine with him; to consider his family as my own brothers, and to teach them this art, if they desire to discover it, without cost or indenture; to impart precept, oral guideline, and all other guideline to my own sons, the boys of my instructor, and to indentured students who have taken the Healers oath, but to no one else.I will use those dietary programs which will benefit my patients according to my biggest ability and judgment, and I will do no damage or oppression to them. Neither will I administer a toxin to anyone when asked to do so, nor will I recommend such a course. Similarly, I will not offer to a lady a pessary to trigger abortion. But I will keep pure and holy both my life and my art. I will not use the knife, not even, verily, on patients from stone, but I will offer location to such as are craftsmen therein.Into whatsoever houses I go into, I will enter to assist the ill, and I will avoid all intentional wrong-doing and harm, particularly from abusing the bodies of man or lady, bond or free. And whatsoever I will see or hear in the course of my occupation, as well as outdoors my occupation in my intercourse with men, if it be what ought to not be released abroad, I will never ever disclose, holding such things to be holy secrets.Now, if I carry out this oath, and break it not, might I get for ever track record amongst all men for my life and for my art; however if I break it and forswear myself, might the opposite befall me.-Hippocrates of Cos, The Oath (Translation by W.H.S. Jones)I took my oath seriously.I carried around a copy of the text with me in my wallet at all times, the way some individuals do with photos of their grandchildren. With time, I had read it sufficient to be able to recite it at will and did so routinely as a form of meditative practice and a routine reminder of my duty to my patients.Throughout my medical training and practice, I continued to pursue a self-motivated education outside of the class. Thomas Sowell and Dr. Ron Paul, in particular, caught my attention. The concepts of social and financial rewards, individual sovereignty, complimentary speech and sound cash resembled water to the seeds that had actually been planted in the fertile mind of my youth. Ultimately, the deep expedition of these concepts made me a better doctor by reinforcing my understanding of the deep-seated failures of the health care system I ran in and solidifying my commitment to client autonomy and notified consent.Even so, I discovered myself swimming versus a heavy current. The healthcare system, significantly overrun with governmental middlemen, from hospital administrators to pharmaceutical business to insurer, has actually surgically dismantled the core of medical practice, the doctor-patient relationship.The increased intricacy of the system has made it delicate by nature. Cracks in the system have actually appeared previously, with the opioid crisis functioning as the most recent prominent example. We continue to paper over the fractures instead of address the underlying issues plaguing the system.Kicking the can down the roadway, the favored method of the bureaucratic decision-makers works all right … till it does not. 2 Weeks To Destroy Your LifeIt was a common weekday morning.While scrolling through my Twitter feed and having my morning coffee, I found myself transfixed on one strange video after another of individuals unexpectedly collapsing in the streets of China, picked up by a group of individuals dressed in hazmat matches. Though much of the details originating from China at the time ended up being false information or even straight-out propaganda, the scenes were undoubtedly surprising in the moment.It is my firm belief that the following two years in the timeline of events will be looked back upon by future generations as an outright failure of public law, a complete neglect for client autonomy and notified permission, and a series of abhorrent human rights offenses. The crux of this text will not focus on relitigating the Science ™ of masks, lockdowns, curfews, treatment alternatives and vaccines. Instead, it will concentrate on the broader subjects of free speech, censorship and the state of our trusted institutions, as told through my experience as a medical and scholastic medical professional throughout the COVID-19 crisis.A Perfect StormCharlie Munger when famously quipped, “Show me the rewards and I will show you the outcome.”With the beginning of COVID-19, all of the rot that had been festering below the surface for decades upon decades was suddenly exposed to the light for all to see. The perverse reward structures, spurred on by the Cantillon effect of a fiat currency system disproportionately favoring unique interest groups near the cash spigot, were on full display.On an institutional level, pharmaceutical companies were incentivized to press their items to market with speed and volume for the sake of earnings; a sensible approach for any business. In theory, they are implied to be regulated by governing bodies like the CDC and FDA, to name a few. In practice, these governing bodies enabled and encouraged negligent behavior by demonizing early treatment options and the repurposing of inexpensive, safe, easily available drugs such as Hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin, unwinding standard security and efficacy testing requirements for novel vaccines, and unshackling the makers from the liability security traditionally put in location to safeguard consumers.Hospitals started to focus the majority of their attention on COVID-19, a reasonable technique. To do so, nevertheless, they minimized or got rid of considerable parts of other services to accommodate the effort. The unintended effects, which include the likes of undiagnosed cancers due to canceled screening appointments, may never ever fully be represented.”There are no options, only trade-offs.”-Thomas SowellFurthermore, numerous medical facilities were incentivized, mainly through government financing, to control data and overcount COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths. This, in turn, fed the news media fear machine and affected decisions downstream from resource allocation to public policy decisions.Academic organizations, whose research is moneyed in big part by government grants and special interest groups, were incentivized to toe the party line and serve as a mouth piece for the state.Governments, as constantly, are incentivized to expand their rule over its citizenry and serve the special interest groups battling and clawing to get closer to the levers of power bestowed upon the state by the money printer.On a private level, employees in the health care system, such as academics and medical professionals, are incentivized to fall in line. Consider that the average individual on these profession tracks spends over a years of their lives and hundreds of countless dollars in trainee debt on their education and training, just to discover themselves at the bottom of a rigorous hierarchy. By speaking out and triggering a stir, those at the bottom of the totem pole, encumbered financial obligation, danger losing their newly attained, highly specialized careers with couple of alternative profession prospects on the horizon. Meanwhile, those at the top have invested decades climbing the profession ladder and would be compromising comfy positions, high-paying incomes and elevated status among their peers by speaking out. Silence through worry or comfort is silence nonetheless.None of this is to suggest that all individuals in the system will act according to incentives at all times. Rather, it recommends that particular actions, mindsets and behaviors will be favored on the whole, at scale, with time– the end outcome is a system of institutionalized corruption and cowardice.The next layer of the onion involves the handling of those who do dare act against the systems incentivized actions, behaviors and attitudes.There are many popular examples that we can point to, such as the medical and academic experts who signed the Great Barrington Declaration, Dr. Robert Malone, and Dr. Peter McCullough, to name a few.Many people did not need to look that far to witness the treatment paid for to dissidents.Where The Rubber Meets The RoadI was thrust into an uphill struggle against overreaching public law prescriptions, battling for information openness, patient autonomy, informed authorization based upon scientific rigor, reasoning and reasoning, and specific liberty.The resistance to my position was intense. Censorship against health care specialists can be found in numerous kinds; deplatforming, coercion, intimidation and even direct hazards to professions and livelihoods.The medical facility administration given out verbal and written warnings of all sorts. Suspensions were distributed after it was discovered that family members of health center patients were covertly being enabled to visit their passing away loved ones, regardless of having actually taken the precautionary measures of testing all parties involved and abiding by stringent masking rules. The ruthlessness of this particular policy still discomforts me.Meanwhile, in the scholastic world, I discovered myself in the eye of yet another typhoon. The Public Health department acted in an advisory capability to the federal government and helped shape lots of critical public policy choices, including mask mandates, lockdowns, travel constraints and vaccine mandates. What struck me most about this experience was the complete indifference to scientific rigor and scholastic discourse. The department heads and government intermediaries were in lockstep, and no amount of reasoning would break that bond.As the pressure to conform began to ramp up, navigating increasingly intricate circumstances stuffed with moral dangers ended up being challenging. I unexpectedly discovered myself at a specifying crossroads. Doctors were being ordered to promote for a specific medical alternative for all clients, despite age, sex, comorbidities or general threat profile– a proposal that would have been thought about ridiculous, antithetical to one of the most fundamental tenets of medical practice and premises for malpractice in any other circumstance.As a medical professional, my role is not to make choices for my clients. It is, instead, to provide my clients with an ordinary of the land by communicating threats and advantages, providing the tools to make an informed choice on their own behalf. Obviously, they might pick an option that I would pass by. So long as they do so with the proper understanding of the trade-offs, I have actually done my due diligence. It is not my task to play God.Once medical professionals were no longer allowed to interact truthfully with patients, the circumstance ended up being untenable.On the one hand, abiding by the orders would allow individuals to keep their professions undamaged. On the other hand, the title of physician would now use in name just, as it would need a clear offense of the sacred oath.Dereliction of my responsibility to my clients was not an option, so I ignored it all.I do not regret my actions.Crash LandingIn one fell swoop, I lost everything: my career as a medical physician, my position in academia, my earnings, my future earning capacity, the respect and adoration of my associates, and many relationships with buddies and loved ones who vehemently disagreed with my positions. I plunged into total turmoil. I discovered the inmost depths of individual hell a person could come across on this side of the Earths surface area. I do not want this fate upon my worst enemy.The abrupt nature of the experience brought to mind the practice of Tibetan monks wiping clean intricate sand mandalas to begin anew from nothing, though I am reasonably specific that the monks do not do so with a number of numerous countless dollars in debt.Much like in my teenage years, I discovered myself on the course of nihilism and self-destruction. This time around, nevertheless, the stakes were much greater, as several brushes with deaths door can attest.In an act of desperation, I once again relied on the ancient philosophers for guidance.The Death Of SocratesThe story of Socrates trial and death, as told by Plato in 4 dialogues (Euthyphro, Apology, Crito and Phaedo), is a tale that stands the test of time.In 399 BC, Socrates was prosecuted on charges of impiety against the pantheon of Athens and corruption of the youth of the city-state. His trial defense was not successful, and he was sentenced to death by toxin hemlock by a jury of his peers. Execution was generally brought out swiftly after sentencing, Socrates discovered himself imprisoned for a month due to the overlap with a sacred celebration in Athens, during which no executions were to be brought out. By all accounts, he had every opportunity to escape, and his fans frantically pleaded with him to do so. Socrates eventually decided to stay.I will enable Plato to inform the remainder of the story, for I can not possibly do it justice.”Go,” said Socrates, “and do as I state.”Crito, when he heard this, indicated with a nod to the kid servant who was standing close by, and the servant entered, staying for some time, and after that came out with the male who was going to administer the poison. He was carrying a cup that included it, ground into the drink.When Socrates saw the guy, he said: “You, my excellent man, given that you are experienced in these matters, should tell me what requires to be done.”The guy responded to: “You require to consume it, thats all. Walk around up until you feel a heaviness in your legs. Then lie down. By doing this, the toxin will do its thing.””I understand,” he said, “but definitely it is allowed and even appropriate to hope to the gods so that my transfer of house from this world to that world ought to be fortunate. So, that is what I too am now wishing. Let it be by doing this.”And, while he was stating this, he took the cup to his lips and, quite readily and cheerfully, he drank down the entire dosage. Up to this point, the majority of us had had the ability to control fairly well our urge to let our tears circulation; today, when we saw him consuming the toxin, and after that saw him complete the beverage, we could no longer hold back … So, he made everybody else break down and cry– other than for Socrates himself. And he stated: “What are you all doing? I am so shocked at you. Due to the fact that I did not want them to lose control in this way, I had sent out away the women generally. You see, I have actually heard that a male needs to concern his end in a way that calls for measured speaking. So, you should have composure, and you must endure.”Then, he took hold of his own feet and legs, stating that when the toxin reaches his heart, then he will be gone. He was beginning to get cold around the abdomen.Then he discovered his face, for he had covered himself up, and stated– this was the last thing he said– “Crito, I owe the sacrifice of a rooster to Asclepius; will you pay that debt and not neglect to do so?””I will make it so,” stated Crito, “and, inform me, exists anything else?”When Crito asked this concern, no response returned any longer from Socrates. In a short while, he stirred. The man discovered his face. His eyes were embeded in a dead look. Seeing this, Crito closed his mouth and his eyes.-Plato, Phaedo (Translation by Gregory Nagy)Ideas Are BulletproofSocrates last words, directed at his student, Crito, was a request to sacrifice a rooster to the god Asclepius.Asclepius, son of Apollo, is the god of recovery and medication. Both are referenced in the opening line of the Hippocratic Oath.There are numerous analyses regarding the meaning behind this last request.The most typical analysis presumes that the sacrifice was an offering of thanks to the god of medication for the remedy for the suffering of life.An alternative analysis presumes that the sacrifice to Asclepius, who had unique healing powers, consisting of the ability to bring the dead back to life, focused on the resurrection of an idea rather than flesh and blood.A discussion in between Socrates and among his followers, Phaedo, who was mourning the death of Socrates well prior to the drinking of the toxin hemlock, provides us some insight into the alternative interpretation of the sacrifice.Once again, from Platos “Phaedo”:”Tomorrow, Phaedo, you will maybe be cutting off these gorgeous locks of yours [as an indication of mourning]””Yes, Socrates,” I responded, “I think I will.”He shot back; “No, you will not if you listen to me.””So, what will I do?” I said.He responded: “Not tomorrow, however today I will cut off my own hair, and you too will cut off these locks of yours– if our argument [logos] pertains to an end for us and we can not bring it back to life once again.”What matters most to Socrates is not the death of the physical body, however the continued income of the argument, or logos (which literally translates to “word”). The principle of totally free speech and discourse was worth passing away for in his eyes.The determination to compromise whatever for the sake of concepts is the proof-of-work that the concepts were thoroughly cultivated in the first location and deserve adhering to in the face of adversity.Bitcoin Fixes ThisSo, where does that leave us?I am horrified at the damage triggered by negligent, myopic public policy decisions. I fear that the long-term physical, mental, psychological and societal repercussions will be difficult to appropriately measure but will certainly echo well into the future.Perhaps we can find solace in the exposure of the unhinged madness of the parasite class, the continued awakening of the cumulative subconscious and the strengthened willpower of the remnant.As for me, I discover myself jumping wholeheartedly into the great unknown, similar to Socrates.I have actually experienced an agonizing yet illuminating career death and ego death. After much contemplation, I have actually concerned terms with my decision.In completion, it was Bitcoin that renewed my sense of hope and optimism.It provided me with a safety internet and enabled me to ignore a possibly catastrophic scenario without jeopardizing my principles.It is my hope that a transition to a world on a Bitcoin standard will correctly realign rewards and re-center the focus of medication on the doctor-patient relationship.Until then, I will be devoting my life to bitcoin; an occupation that revolves around the well-being of others.