“There is nothing so annoying as a good example!!” — Mark Twain (1835-1910)
I recently returned from my fellowship program’s annual medical mission to Vietnam. These missions are a highlight of our academic year, as they provide unique opportunities to practice acute-pain medicine and regional anesthesia in challenging medical environments.

Like most Americans, I was shocked and horrified at the Boston Marathon bombings that ripped through the event on Monday, April 15, 2013, at 1450 (2:50 p.m.). It was difficult to process the images of explosions and injuries coming out of Boston that I personally associate with distant lands and conflicts.

This is my own modification of the famous “It’s hard to soar with eagles when you’re surrounded by turkeys.”

Hippocrates, known to every new medical student through the Hippocratic Oath, is considered to be the father of Western medicine. Specifically, he is credited with developing the medical theory that human disease is a manifestation of the natural world and not the result of some superstitious belief or punishment by offended gods.

I have been reflecting on the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States - the right of the people to keep and bear arms. The right to own weapons is a fundamental part of our collective history as Americans.

I believe it is healthy and proper to reflect on the past year, as the new year dawns. As I ponder this editorial, the specter of the impending “fiscal cliff” looms large in the news, following, perhaps, one of the more contentious presidential elections in history.

Arguably, war and man’s increasing sophistication when it comes to harming one another are the least attractive attributes of the species. The next war, like death and taxes, seems an inevitable part of the human condition as we close 2012 experiencing the longest conflict in American history.

The recent General Services Administration (GSA) Las Vegas conference scandal, involving clowns and a mind reader (I could not dream this stuff up if I tried), must seem like manna from heaven for the likes of John Stewart and Stephen Colbert.

“There are two kinds of fools: those who can’t change their opinions and those who won’t.” – Josh Billings (1818-1885)

“Pain is weakness leaving the body.” – Anonymous

I do not think it is possible to spend any time in the military without hearing this quote at least once. A friend recently purchased a T-shirt at the Pentagon with the adage proudly displayed. It is a mark of pride among servicemembers that they can endure hardship and harsh conditions with stoic acceptance.