He is not a lesson; he is a reminder. I wrote once in a note for my organization’s website that his notoriety does not come from his speeches to the world’s powerful men, but from his attention to others—to ordinary people, the poor, and the uneducated. His behavior is not heroic; it is simply human. It is the violent atmosphere around us that makes us view it as extraordinary generosity. In fact, the man called « the M.D. » (standing for Medical Director) is someone who retains enough humanity to treat the Other as his own. When he speaks, he doesn’t seek to incite the masses. He talks about facts. When he addresses those in power, he does not accuse. He appeals to the shared responsibility of our common humanity.
In a civilization where violence is the means to achieve power, and where power is the only way to exist, people see a hero in a man who exists fully and powerfully without violence. He has no money, no army, no politics. His power is his humanity. What is striking is not merely that he survives in such a context; what is striking is that we have reached a point where we consider a man a hero simply because he loves the Other as himself.
People who approach him are captivated by his benevolence. Some are surprised by his innocence. Is it naive to refrain from leveling accusations? Is it naive to forgive human beings for being human? Or is it simply logical? It is easier to attach superlatives to his name: The Good Doctor, the healer of women, the Congolese hero. We use these titles to emphasize that he is exceptional, and by doing so, we justify our own complacency as just being « normal. » Yet, I learned from him that we all possess this capacity from birth. What his peers see as humility is, for him, his deepest nature. He is not a lesson; he is a breath of humanity. When I doubt, I like to talk with him. With simple words, he reminds me of who we are—naked without all the useless and noisy excess surrounding us.
So, when I am breathless and need fresh air, I don’t leave the polluted city. I go to see « the M.D. »
Zyphera 