Nothing comes easy in this world. If we want something, we have to reach out and claim it. One of my teachers once told me, “The synonym of life is struggle.” He would ask, “Ever noticed how a new born baby isn’t born if it doesn’t start struggling for its life within the mother’s womb? Ever thought why it cries as soon as it is brought out into the world?” This has left a lasting impression on me. It helps me accept the difficulties I face in life. It gives me the courage to deal with it and the sanity to take it with a grain of salt.

I’m a medical student. So every time I tell people about my field of study, they ask me, “Oh! It must be really difficult, no?” If it is a distant relative or an acquaintance, I give a fake laugh, scrunch up my nose and give a nod in agreement. However, if it is a friend of mine or a junior I’ve known since my school days, I tell them “No. It’s the same as any other field. Perhaps, I have it easier than you do.” If I say the same to my acquaintances, they get perplexed. Many think I’m being sarcastic or even “faking” humility when in reality, I’m not.

Sure, aspiring and training to become a medical student isn’t easy. But we have to think about the other professions too. The ones who fight social injustice, corruption, environmental degradation, unstable economy and so on. There’s so much to fight for! That’s why I question myself. How about those who are studying Social Work? Environmental Science? Business Administration? Law? I don’t think it is “easy” for them either. I can’t imagine myself studying for my exams whilst maintaining a job at an NGO/INGO and taking active part in activism against the current social ills. I know I can’t go through the gruelling task of reading law textbooks. I’m bad at crunching numbers. Profit, loss, debit, credit are all alien to me. I don’t know the first thing about fashion or about designing clothes for people.

All of us have the same struggles in college. We’re late for class, we miss lectures, we can’t concentrate, we fall asleep until a friend gives a nudge or the teacher calls us out. Most of the time, none of it makes sense. The deadlines are always close; we never seem to be able to finish studying for an exam. We pass. We fail. We’ve all been there. We’ve all experienced the frustration, the panic attacks, the gripping fear of failing. So why is it people struggle to believe that my academic experiences are no different than anyone else’s?

Times have changed. The challenges we face today aren’t the same as those our parents faced. We can’t just be happy with our degrees. Sure, it might help us get a “job” which we need to “sustain ourselves”. But is it all we want, really? Most of us grew up regurgitating our aims in life. Some of us grew up to achieve it. Most of us find ourselves at cross roads wondering which direction to take. At the end of the day, just like my teacher said, we’re all here to struggle. The only difference is we struggle with different things at different times of our lives. While one friend is excited about the upcoming semester, another might be dreading it. Calculating huge amounts of money may be a tedious task for me but a piece of cake for my friend. When she struggles to understand medical jargon I might be able to explain it to her in layman terms.

The way I see it, it’s all about balance and coexistence. We live in a society. A successful society is one where people can rely on each other. Interdependence is a fundamental feature of every society. In the long run, none of this will matter. A few years from now, we won’t be talking about how easy or how difficult it is to pass MBBS, BA, CA, CS, BSW exams. We’ll be meeting under various circumstances as humans trying to help each other. 

So, the next time you see a medical student who says “It is not as difficult as they say it is.” Please bear in mind it is because we realise that everyone is struggling to make peace with this gift called life.

Karki is a medical student at Jalalabad Ragib Rabeya Medical College, Bangladesh