Author Archives: JR Stanley

With the de facto focus on the things of life and the pursuits therein, whether trivial or meaningful, remembering death has been an important facet to life for centuries. The concept of memento mori, the reminder of death, has evolved over the years from actual skulls to pictures, to other tokens and reminders that deathContinue reading “Memento vivre”

Training, and the repetitions that are inherent in training, are essential not simply for establishing the ability to perform a particular action or procedure but even more, in learning how to troubleshoot the complications and inherent variations within a procedure.  The first step in overcoming a complication is recognizing that a complication has occurred. TheContinue reading “Complications: The Point of Resistance”

There are no passive bystanders, no actual flies on the wall. Every single person within a group changes the dynamics and direction of the group regardless of the size. Each individual changes the energy and changes the conversation. There is no option of simply being fluff, the innocent bystander, a passive observer. Whether as aContinue reading “What Do You Bring?”

“Tell me with whom you consort and I will tell you who you are; if I know how you spend your time, then I know what might become of you. “ -Goethe  The company one keeps is a critical determinant of the person that one is becoming. Those with whom one associates with change bothContinue reading “Company”

Neil Gaiman, the author of many notable books including American Gods, Sandman, Stardust, and Neverwhere was interviewed on the Tim Ferris show about many aspects of his personal as well as professional career. Writing is one of the interesting careers where one must balance a degree of creativity and inspiration with the raw grit andContinue reading “To Think or Write”

The ability to do something on demand, whenever it is needed or desired is the ability to actually perform the task in a useful and practical manner. The ability to produce excellent results on command is the difference between performance during practice and performance during the real thing.  There is a difference between being ableContinue reading “On Demand”

During the medical school admissions process, the last step before signing on the dotted line and committing to a specific school for medical training is an event called Second Look. This is an opportunity for prospective medical students to revisit the campus, meet with faculty and current students, ask any questions, and look at theContinue reading “Good System: A reflection”

Throughout the course of the Covid-19 pandemic there has been the constant question of the risk of infecting other individuals after coming down with Covid-19. Is it a specific amount of time? There have been varying times used from >20 days to 14 days to 10 days to 5 days, and in some cases, requestsContinue reading “The Tale of Tails”

Starting is the most difficult part. The first step of the journey is a step into the unknown. The first steps gives birth to all the subsequent steps.  As the proverb from Laozi goes, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”  The first step is not a giant leap, nor aContinue reading “Practice Starting”

The basic building blocks of life, the biochemistry that gives rise to cells, to tissues, to organs, to organisms, are shapes and charges. The first portion of this, shapes, are intuitive as modern life is dependent on tangible interactions with geometry on a daily basis. Whether it is arranging shelves in the refrigerator, finding clothesContinue reading “Shapes”