The Human Face of War

The editorial piece is a beacon of hope in this age where people consider it mandatory to take sides. It is commendable that the esteemed journal decided to give a platform to all the sides of a conflict and that the journal's priority is dissemination of views and points of concerns related to Patient & Doctor care without any biases. It takes a high level of understanding and psychological maturity to think beyond man made dichotomies or what the politics and media want us to see. Some people might think of it as weakness to not take any sides, but in reality it takes a great deal of strength to listen equally and consider everyone as equal human beings. The statement "It is easy when reading news stories, walking by protests, or listening to politically charged discussions to forget that there are regular people living in this war zone" should make all the readers think of how ignorant we sometimes become even though we are part of this noble profession. Upholding our highest level of professionalism demands us to look at people without any superimposed man made labels of ethnicity, caste, creed, color, good or evil. A patient is simply that, a patient, and a Doctor saving lives is a Doctor saving lives, no matter what other identities people put on them. Hate and dislike affect our professional capacities in lots of subtle ways and we never realise it. On social media we are sometimes quick to take sides and spread our views about any issue without realising its impact on the current diaspora of our patients, we forget that the real concern should be the patients and our colleagues who are actually suffering. The world is in dire need of media that appeals to basic humanity, gives space for humane non-inflammatory dialogue and influences for the better, and i see Annals of Family Medicine taking great stride in that direction.