Introduction
This I Believe was originally a five minute program, hosted by journalist Edward R. Murrow from 1951 to 1955 on CBS Radio Network in USA. The show encouraged both famous and everyday people to write short essays about their own personal motivation in life and read them on the air. This I Believe became a cultural phenomenon that stressed individual belief rather than religious dogma. In 1952, the first of the two volumes of This I believe essays were published. It went on to sell over 100,000 copies in hardcover. The Voice of America and BBC radio broadcasted the program throughout the world. The show ended in January 1955.
I am a 78 –year old Indian-American retired physician. This essay expresses what I believe.
A- I believe in a loose-knit family
I grew up in a village, in the state of Odisha, India in a joint family consisting of my paternal grandmother (grandfather was dead), my parents, my uncle and aunt. I am the youngest of the three brothers. When I was about 7 years old, our parents and our uncle and aunt divided the house and property equally and started cooking separately. We became a nuclear family.
As a child I received lots of love and affection from my parents, multiple uncles and aunts and two grandmothers. During my entire childhood, I was never physically punished by my parents or teachers. A stern look from my father was enough to correct my unruly behaviors. As a pediatrician I have never believed in physical punishment. It does more harm than good.
Our parents were small scale farmers (five acres of non-irrigated land) but somehow decided to educate all three of their children. They produced enough paddy, vegetables and sugarcane for our family’s need and some surplus to sell. But they never had enough cash, especially when all three of their children had to stay in hostels for studying. When I was in the 5th grade, my eldest brother got a job in the Indian Postal Department. After that, our family’s financial situation improved by our village standard. My eldest brother financed my education from the 5th grade until I graduated from the medical school. I also got merit scholarship from middle school through medical school. That was quite helpful.
My parents and my brothers made sacrifices for me. Without the financial help from my brothers, I could not have afforded to attend AIIMS at New Delhi, an expensive city. Later on, when I came to US for higher study and got a job and saved some money, I was able to help my brothers to expand their pharmacy business and help them build a nice house in Sambalpur, Odisha. We (my wife and I) have also been able to provide financial help to both sides of our extended families.
I don’t believe in the old style, conflict infested, patriarchal and mother-in-law dominated joint family. However I do believe in a loose-knit extended family, where brothers and sisters, parents and grandparents, uncle and aunts support each other in good times and bad times.
B- I believe in getting the highest level of education possible
Our village had an elementary school. My father had third grade education and knew how to read and sign his name. My mother was illiterate but quite smart. I had to stay in hostel starting from middle school and through High School, Premed and Medical College. I was a good student. Based on an all India exam, I was admitted to the AIIMS, New Delhi, the best Medical College in India then (1964) and now (2023). In 1970 I came to US for higher study and stayed. In USA, I became a pediatrician and neonatologist (specialist for premature babies) and an adjunct professor in a Medical College. In America, I did well professionally as wells as financially. After my retirement from active practice, I went back to college (attended night and week-end classes) and got dual master degrees in Public Health (MPH) and Hospital Administration (MHA).
Multiple studies have shown that in general, people with higher education have higher life- time earnings than people with less education. Based on my personal experience I am a strong believer in higher education, more the better.
All developmental experts agree that the potential benefits of girls’ education is even greater than that of boys’ education. The benefits of girls’ education are many: decrease pregnancy rate, increase productivity, reduction of under- 5 mortality rates, gender equality in family decision making and many more. My wife and I are spending our limited surplus money in promoting education, especially girls’ education in Odisha, India, since 1990.
C- I believe in healthy life-style
Health and diseases are due to our specific genes as well as our life-style. We have no control over our inherited genes but we do have some control on how we live. Recent studies are showing that some bad genes can even be modified with a healthy life-style.
I don’t smoke or drink. Even though it is recommended that every adult should do 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week, I exercise almost every day- biking, swimming and doing muscle strengthening exercises. Usually we eat a diet of whole grains, plenty of vegetables and fruits, some eggs, fish, yogurt and occasional meat. I watch my portion size. I had gained 22lbs (9.9kg) over 32 years. In 2004, I lost 20 lbs. (9kg) and have been able to keep it off so far. My BMI(Body Mass Index) is 22, which is normal.
Regular exercise (physical activity) has several health benefits: weight control, blood pressure control, prevention of type-2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, some cancers, and depression. It promotes better sleep and improves brain functions. One of the easiest and the best exercise is walking in nature, 30 minutes a day, especially for seniors.
D- I believe in reading books
I have been a reader all my life. I finished “The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes” during my 10th grade summer vacation. After my retirement I have been able to read lot more books. I visit our public library about every two weeks and borrow 5-6 books at a time. I visit our Barnes and Noble Book store at least twice a week. I read all kinds of books: books on politics and current events, some history books, rarely biography and some novels. The best novel I have read was “War and Peace” by Tolstoy. It is a very thick book. I read it when I was 58 but enjoyed it very much.
I read a lot, and I really like books. All kinds of books. With a book in hand I am never bored. When I am not busy doing other things, I read. Books have given me lots of pleasure, information, knowledge and hopefully some wisdom.
E- I believe in being kind to all
I believe in modern science. Our universe is vast and mysterious as seen by NASA’s Hubble and James Webb telescopes. There are billions of stars in the universe. According to our present knowledge, our universe began with an explosion of space itself- the Big-Bang, about 13.8 billion years ago and not 7000 years ago as written in the Bible. I believe in Darwin’s theory of evolution that species of organisms including humans arise and develop through natural selection. I understand that each culture and civilization has its own story of creation of the universe and how human beings were created. But all of them are mythologies and not science.
Even though religions differ among themselves on the names of their gods, ritualistic practices, doctrines and dogmas, the core ethical teachings among them are similar. All religions emphasize ethical behaviors: truthfulness, taking care of the parents, not killing, not stealing, charity and kindness. I believe in the Golden Rule: treat others as you would like to be treated. The idea dates at least to the early Confucian times (551-479BCE). The concept appears prominently in Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
I have read all the major scriptures: The Vedas, The Upanishads, The Dhammapada, The Analects, and Tao-te Ching, The Bible and The Koran (all in English). I have written a thick book on world religions titled, “Religious Thoughts, Scriptures and Quotations” (1996). Based on my readings and life experiences, I have come to this conclusion. You may or may not believe in religion, God or gods, scriptures, rituals, gurus, and swamis (I do not) but be kind to all, that include the animals. That is all the religion you need to know and practice.
F- I believe in community service
Community service is something you do to benefit your community. For Bill and Melinda Gates it is the whole world. For most of us it, it is the community we live in. Size does not matter. We should do something for the betterment of our community in regular basis: volunteering, coaching a children sport team, tutoring a child, or feeding the hungry. Giving money to charity is good but serving the community is even better. “For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required” (Luke12:48).
G- I believe in planting trees
We planted five trees in our backyard in USA, 44 years ago. Those trees have grown to be more than 150 feet (about 45 meters) high and provide plenty of shade to our house. When I seat and read in our deck, I feel like, I am in a Jungle. Trees are good for our environment. They provide us and other creatures with fruits and nuts. They produce oxygen and sequester carbon dioxide, prevent soil erosion, increase property value and make the community look beautiful. I am a big proponent of tree planting. Our family trust (S-B Trust) has been planting trees in Bhatli block in Bargarh district in Odisha, India, since 1988. So far we have planted more than 600,000 trees in schools and colleges in that area and the planting continues.
Conclusion
I believe in a loose-knit extended family whose members care for each other and help each other out when needed. I believe that one should get the highest level education one can get. I am a strong advocate of girls’ education. I believe in eating a healthy diet, moderate in amount, not smoking or drinking and exercising daily. I believe in reading books, all kinds of books. I believe that one may or not be religious but must be kind to all. I believe in community service. I am a great believer of planting tree, especially fruit trees.
PS- Dr Saheb Sahu is a retired pediatrician who was born in village Mulbar, Bhatli Block, District Bargarh, Odisha, India. He was educated in Mulbar Elementary School, Kamgaon Middle School, C.S. Zila School, G.M. College (Sambalpur), and AIIMS (New Delhi). He and his wife migrated to US in 1970 and are settled there. They have two sons, two daughter-in-law and four grandchildren. Dr Sahu is an author of 16 books and booklets. His essays are published regularly in Odishawatch.in
