About Me
I am a mid-twenties white American male
living with my wife April in Augusta, GA. I currently attend the
Medical College of Georgia, and I will complete my doctorate of
medicine degree in 2009. I grew up in Harris County, GA; and most of
my immediate family still lives there. I obtained my undergraduate
degree from Georgia Tech in 2003 in biology, and I taught high school
science for two years in Griffin, GA from 2003–2005. My hobbies
include shooting and hunting, playing and listening to music,
exercising (especially playing tennis), tinkering with computers,
playing video games, working on home improvement projects, and
dabbling with art (especially calligraphy).
Biography
I was born August 6, 1980 in Columbus, GA. I was raised in Hamilton, which is a small town about half an hour north of Columbus. I have a brother who is two years my junior named Toby. We were raised on a large tract of land we call "Ansley Farm," even though nothing is farmed there to my knowledge. My maternal grandparents built a house on the same piece of property, so I spent much of my time with them growing up and am still very close to them today. Because I was living in the country, my childhood hobbies naturally included outdoor activities such as fishing and hunting.
I attended to Brookstone School in Columbus from kindergarten through 12th grade. Brookstone is a private school with no particular agenda other than preparing rich kids for college. They do that pretty well. I was able to go because my mom taught there, which significantly lowers the cost of tuition. My best friends all graduated from Brookstone with me, but after graduation they all travelled in very different directions for very long distances. I see some of them from time to time, and we mostly keep in touch through the internet.
After high school, I went to Georgia Tech and majored in Applied Biology. Other than school itself, my main activities revolved around the Georgia Tech band. I made a few close friends there, and fortunately they're still close enough for me to see every now and then.
I married April, whom I met my senior year in high school, the month after I graduated from college in 2003. That's the best decision I've ever made.
After graduation, I taught science at Spalding High School in Griffin, GA. My goal was to support April and myself while she finished her Master's degree in social work at Georgia State University. Teaching was deceptively difficult and almost always thankless. I consider it a form of public service more that a job, which is what kept me going back every day.
I was accepted to the Medical College of Georgia in 2005. I will graduate in 2009.
Beliefs
This stuff is subject to change. I hope that's because I actively question my beliefs and change them when another option seems to be a better fit. I hope it's not because I'm weak-minded or subject to "flip-flopping" based upon the opinions of those around me. In reality, it's probably some of both.
Religion
I very highly spiritual but only somewhat religious. Religion almost invariably gets mixed up with making the irrational rational; spirituality acknowledges that there exists something wonderful beyond rationality. That something can be called "God," but the "God" you hear about in most churches is usually a caricature or outright misrepresentation of the real thing.
I am a Christian, and I was raised as an Episcopalian. I don't currently attend church regularly, but I do like the Episcopalian philosophy that faith in general is much more important than the smaller nuts and bolts that constitute religion. I've considered becoming a Quaker for this reason, but it turns out that Quaker meetings are somewhat scarce in Georgia.
When I think about Christianity from an analytical prospective, not very much of it makes sense. Many aspects are contradictory, historical evidence is often at odds with Biblical claims, and even amongst Christians there is a lot of disagreement (how else can we explain the hundreds of denominations?). To reconcile a belief in Christ despite these facts, I had to turn to a discussion about the philosophy of Kierkegaard I had in college: The point of Christianity is not based upon making it seem plausible; the point is the ability to have faith in Christianity despite its extreme implausibility. It's very easy to say, "I can't be a Christian. It doesn't make any sense." It's much more difficult—and rewarding—to say, "Even though it doesn't seem to make much sense, I believe in Christianity for the sake of having faith."
That said, I have my reservations about much of religion. Look around: it is used as an excuse war, murder, and other bad decisions every day all over the world. Others might say that it also spawns beneficial behavior such as charity, which is true, but many charities are not based upon religion and contribute as much or more in terms of measurable aid.
Politics
I do not identify myself with any political party. Humanitarianism, social equality, and the preservation/enhancement of individual rights are the driving forces in my political outlook. I hope that my positions are pragmatic—I dislike positions that are idealistic but have no chance of being implemented. Rather than trying to generalize, I'll give my opinion on a variety of issues:
Healthcare
Mostly unregulated capitalism, despite its problems, seems to be the best way to handle most financial situations that exist. Healthcare is a big exception because it doesn't have the same properties as a typical supply/demand-type product. One doesn't walk into a doctor's office knowing how much it's going to cost, so it's not something that can be accurately budgeted. In addition, medical care is crucially important to those who need it; therefore, the idea of choosing what to buy doesn't really apply.
More importantly, over a fifth of the country is un- or underinsured, and the numbers are on the rise. Because our country has the ability to provide healthcare to everyone, and because healthcare is so crucially important to everyone, it's unconscionable not to provide to everyone. It's easy for someone who is healthy and well-insured to say, "tough luck, you should've planned better" to the uninsured and the sick, but it's not that simple. The vast majority of the uninsured have full-time jobs and are not "welfare queens," but health insurance is not available to them within the amount of money they earn.
For these reasons, I fully support efforts that would ease the burden on those without insurance and move the healthcare system toward a socialized system.
Education
For whatever reason, I've been interested in the evolution/creationism scuffle since I was in college. I strongly believe that if we're going to teach biology, it needs to be done right by including evolution. Amongst scientists, this isn't an issue that's subject to debate; it's simply the best-fitting explanation based upon the date available. And although nothing in science is ever proven beyond the shadow of a doubt, the data supporting evolution is just as strong as, say, the theory that matter is composed of atoms or that Earth rotates around the sun.
I don't have a problem with creationism itself, but if it's going to be included in school it should be a part of a social studies class, not a science class.
Abortion
I'm reluctantly pro-choice. I say "reluctantly" because the really adamant pro-choice crowd makes my skin crawl. I've heard one abortion provider state that she felt it was "an honor and a pleasure" for her to perform abortions. Abortion is the taking of a life, and nothing about it should be honorable or pleasurable.
So why am I not pro-life? I've also heard one longtime abortion provider talk about the state of affairs before the legalization of abortion. If legal abortion isn't an option, illegal abortions happen, and the results are dangerous and costly.
I'm also pro-choice in the sense that I feel that physicians are obligate sources of information: when a patient goes to the doctor, it is unethical and unprofessional to withhold information regarding possible treatments, even if one of the options is unpalatable to the physician. A physician who objects to abortion obviously should not have to perform abortions, but abortion as a treatment option cannot be withheld based on personal objections.
A short digression: It it a shame that abortion is deliberately avoided as a subject in many, if not most, medical schools including the Medical College of Georgia. I hope to see that change before I graduate. I do not want to perform abortions, but I am offended that medical information is being withheld from me by the very institution designated to train me to be a competent physician.
And finally, I must label myself pro-choice simply because there are certain situations—rape, for instance—where the alternative to abortion may be even more unpalatable than abortion. In these situations, and many others I of which I have not conceived, women deserve the right to choose.
Guns
First of all, gun ownership is a fundamental part of what America is, and I don't believe the country will stand for absolute gun control simply because it's too deep-rooted into our culture. That said, my opinions aren't based on 2nd-amendment rights per se.
This is an issue that both the "gun control" and "gun rights" lobbies get wrong. If arguing for the safety of society, the truth is that gun ownership by some makes us safer, and gun ownership by others makes us less safe. A gun—anything from a pellet gun up to a howitzer—in then hands of a trained and well-intentioned citizen makes everyone safer. But any gun in the hands of someone without proper training or with the intention of causing harm is a threat.
Some people would say that the removal of all guns would be the safest of all, but I disagree because (a) it leaves the government with absolute power and (b) it makes the US look like a weaker target to the rest of the world. But the best reason not to attempt to take away everyone's guns is because it won't work. The guns that got confiscated would owned almost entirely by well-intentioned citizens, whereas those who use guns for crime would keep keep the guns they have and continue to smuggle them into the country. In addition, they'd be more willing to commit crimes because they would know that their targets were unarmed.
The gun control argument that the police can protect us is also not true. I have a great respect for the law enforcement, but the fact is that if someone is going to commit a crime, they're going to do it in the absence of the police and the crime will have been committed before the police can show up. Therefore, self defense is a valid reason for citizens to own and use firearms.
My main disagreement with the "gun rights" lobby has to do with the fact that politicians with a bunch of undesirable additional characteristics seem to get supported. Support of gun ownership is not the same thing as being a Republican or a conservative, and it's a shame that the issue is portrayed this way. When I vote, a politician's position on firearms is not the only position I'm interested in, and I'll support anti-gun politicians that make a lot of sense on other issues.
George W. Bush
I support the president in the sense that I support whomever is the elected leader of our country, but that's about as far as my approval of Bush goes. He's arrogant, stupidly idealistic, short-sighted, unapologetic even when he's made huge mistakes, and willing to sacrifice just about anything in favor of benefiting his constituents. On the other hand, I think he means well, for whatever that's worth.
The Iraqi war is one such example of his stupid idealism: we invaded a country that was admittedly unsavory, but rather than improve the situation our country has made it worse than it was to start with and destabilized political relationships around the world. On the other hand, I agree that we can't leave now that we're there: it's our responsibility to do whatever will best put back together the country that we broke. The only way I'll change my opinion on that is if I start to feel that leaving is what's best for Iraq.
Goals
My only real goal is to enjoy myself. I try to do that by being intensely aware of myself and my surroundings. I don't believe that whatever happens in the future will make me happy; instead, I'll do what I want to do and I'll be happy right now. Everything I do beyond this is a hobby. That said, I do have a plan for the future. It's not important to me if the plan unfolds the way I see it now or not. My career objective is to become a primary care physician in Heard County, GA. This is where my wife's extended family lives, and it's fairly close to my family as well. We want to have kids, horses, and woods.