Knowledge Vs. Wisdom

Michael Dang
Hon101
Post #10

Knowledge is the accumulations of facts and information that is gained from studying and experience. It can be obtained from a classroom and learning institution. On the other hand, wisdom is the ability to discern and judge which aspects of knowledge are true, right, and applicable towards life. It helps give a deeper understanding of how to live by providing meaning from knowledge. 

Through the many occurrences and events that happen during the book, I think Gawanda moves from knowledge to wisdom as he sees flaws in the medical system. He observes that doctors are knowledgable to cancer and claim they know how to treat it, but they don’t know how to factor in a person’s interest and how that person wants to live their life. Usually, many doctors just list a number of possible treatments and ask the patient which one they would like. But these doctors don’t consider how the patient could end up happy through this process. They don’t go over which treatment plan could lead to the best possible life for a patient. As Gawanda stated, sometimes doctors are afraid of doing nothing. They always think that some form of surgery or medication is needed, and that it’s their responsibility to act in whatever way they can. This leads to them prescribing any experimental treatments that aren’t proved to be effective. But Gawanda soon finds out that this is the wrong way to approach the situation.

In the world of cancer and terminal illnesses, Gawanda discovers that wisdom needs to be heavily utilized in the process of treatment. The ultimate life changing moment for him is when he discovers that his father has cancer. Luckily enough, Gawanda and his family seem to make almost all the right decisions concerning his father’s condition. His father refused early surgery upon his spine, allowing him to enjoys many months where he was able to play tennis, work on his service projects, and help improve his college. His father valued being functional and having a purpose to live, and he seemed happy. But eventually, the doctors recommended radiation therapy for preventive treatment. This turned out to be a terrible decision as his father had burn marks and severe irritation. It was as if the treatment itself made his father’s condition worse. So in the end, Gawanda’s father decided to withdraw from any surgery or treatment. He just wanted to live a happier life with his family at home and eventually in hospice care as well. This seemed to be the right decision as his father seemed to really enjoy his last few months. It was certainly better than being in the ICU and breathing through a tube. Even for some of Gawanda’s patients such as Sara and Douglass, doing nothing like Gawanda’s father seemed better compared to unhappily suffering through treatment.

Gawanda learned that wisdom is key in deciding how to treat patients. It’s important to be able to understand what a terminally ill patient is going through and how they can still have purpose in their life. Patients still need to be the author of their own life.