And now for something completely different:
From the beginning (1973) I was fascinated by the incredibly broad and varied experiences that bring people to death. I was astounded by actually being present AT the transition. I was moved by seeing "the Great Leveler" in action, suddenly transforming hard-butts into real human beings. To be able to intervene and go head-to-head with death, in some cases feeling in a Tug-o-War with God, and then actually winning makes heroin feel like aspirin. To look in to someone's eyes and see that, indeed, I was their last hope and actually feeling that sacred trust as if it were my own life I was saving stripped away any idea of superiority, and taught me that the ONE thing we all have in common is "we only wish to live."
It's a "Don't get me started!" sort of thing, because the twelve years I spent as Medic defined just about every part of my life since in an exploration of the healing arts. You are sitting on a Gold Mine of humanity, both theirs, and yours.
I'd love to hear more about what human beings who happen to be medics experience in the back of an ambulance. The Flesh Mechanic side of the (truly!) Business is accurately provided here and doing a great service for everyone because that's the part of being human that gets the job done. But I'd like to see us broaden our sense of ourselves in an incredibly demanding AND rewarding profession.
Thank you for this and so many other threads that speak to these experiences!