thehealseekers.com

Occasionally, life presents us with objects that appear to have been orchestrated into our awareness by the very universe itself, as conduits bearing profound messages. This is a short story about one such encounter.

I recently found myself facing an unexpected task: invigilating a group of health science students during an examination.

Initially, I despised the idea of spending three hours merely observing students carve out their destinies through a conventional exam. This wasn’t how I had envisioned utilizing my precious Wednesday morning hours.

However, bound by a clause in my contract that reads, “And any other duties assigned to you by your supervisor,” – a subtle way of obliging someone to undertake tasks they might otherwise avoid – I begrudgingly complied.

Through experience, I’ve learned that when faced with an inescapable situation, it’s best not to swim against life’s current. The wisest approach is to flow in the direction that life propels you; within its currents often lie unforeseen opportunities.

As it turned out, my intuition was spot on.

While distributing examination sheets to the students, my attention was unexpectedly ensnared by a captivating crystal box on a table, right there in the Albert Cook Library, where the students were about to write their exams.

Once I had distributed the exams and instructed the students to begin, I promptly approached the crystal box. Trusting that master’s students were above engaging in exam malpractice – they didn’t need me hovering over their every move.

This allowed me to let them complete their exams in peace while I stood before the enigmatic crystal box that featured a portrait of Dr. Albert Ruskin Cook and also held a portion of his ashes.

Having never encountered the remains of a deceased person before, you can imagine my astonishment – an observer might have thought I’d seen a ghost.

However, it was Dr. Cook’s brief biography that truly caught my attention and ignited my curiosity. It conveyed a subtle yet potent message that read:

Dr. Albert Ruskin Cook was born on 2 March 1870 to W.H. Cook, a general practitioner in Hampstead, UK. In 1896, he left the UK and arrived in Kampala, Uganda, on 22 February 1897, commencing his missionary work and treating native patients.

Within three months of his arrival in Buganda, Dr. Cook established Mengo Hospital.

In response to mounting pressures, the staff recognized the necessity for locally trained personnel, leading to the initiation of a school for medical assistants in 1917.

Over time, this medical school transitioned into Makerere University College of Health Science under government administration.

Contemplating how a single individual, through dedication and action, ignited a revolutionary change in a nation, I realized the profound impact one person can have.

Right there, in that room, the students were writing their exams in a school whose inception was rooted in one man’s vision and determination, years prior.

While others subsequently contributed to the school’s evolution into its current prominence, the point remains: one person initiated a chain reaction that enabled numerous students to graduate, becoming doctors, nurses, and surgeons who have positively transformed their country through service.

The reason this encounter struck me so deeply is that it reinforced a fundamental truth – great achievements arise from humble beginnings.

Though I lack insight into Dr. Cook’s daily routines in 1897 or his approach to building a hospital and medical school, I’m inclined to believe that he tread his path one step at a time, meticulously pursuing excellence.

If he could witness the legacy of his endeavors, I’m confident he’d feel immense pride.

When you think about it, it’s the cumulative efforts we invest daily toward our goals that truly matter. Because monumental achievements are invariably fashioned by incremental and consistent endeavors.

The great philosopher Lao Tzu eloquently encapsulated this sentiment in the adage, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”

Actionable Takeaway:

Embedded within our universe is the powerful law of cause and effect. It asserts that every action in the universe begets an effect – a consequence. Every consequence, regardless of scale, traces its lineage to an originating cause.

Dr. Albert Ruskin Cook stands as that incipient cause, whose endeavors reverberated across time, birthing Mengo Hospital and Makerere University College of Health Sciences.

Realize that whatever endeavor occupies your attention in this present moment, will invariably generate effects – both immediate and far-reaching.

Your duty isn’t to obsess over the effects your efforts will culminate in. Instead, it’s to execute the tasks you’ve been entrusted with, and those you pursue out of passion, diligently and conscientiously.

Because, whether you’re conscious of it or not, you’re standing on the side of “Cause” in the cause-and-effect equation, where your actions will inevitably yield an “Effect.”

Our minds possess an innate forward-thinking and hopeful component, that’s always seeking to harness opportunities and cultivate potential. So, don’t shy away from ambitious dreams, but anchor them in daily actionable steps.

These steps will guide you toward your objectives, which possess the potential to profoundly influence future lives.

And perhaps one day, your legacy will also be enshrined somewhere in a crystal box with a bio that reads: “She came, she executed, she conquered!”