I will be honest. Living out of medicine alone is not for me. At least this is what I feel now. I am simply unable to live in that world alone. Basically, and giving it a bit more thought, I am unable to live in a medium of “exclusivity policy” anywhere. I think it is uncomfortable, claustrophobic and even disabling. Perhaps this is the reason I choose to leave this cocoon (beware, it is a huge cocoon) and explore other worlds. Music is one of them. In fact, it is the largest. My other worlds are politics, philosophy, life. But let us talk about music….

I have been in contact with this world from a very early age, on the one hand encouraged by my parents, and, on the other, by the enthusiasm that circumstances aroused in me. By this I mean that this was not the result of a “rational” analysis of the various options of leisure activities that made me get into music. It could have been football or painting, but it was not so. Fortunately, I think I was lucky.

Let me explain the motive for being so satisfied: in all its diversity, music is the mirror of the world, and a solid foundation for the establishment of parallels that can make us understand society better, alongside its characteristics, strengths and flaws. The analysis of sound, which survives only when sustained; the band or orchestra, in which the role of each person is well defined, requiring perfect coordination and understanding in order to attain a common end; or the dialogue that we are able to distinguish between two melodic lines that respond to each other, sometimes overlapping one another but always, and I repeat, always, listening to its interlocutor. All these ideas can be associated to reality and I believe that they should be examples to follow in our everyday life.

However, and back to that particular reality, choosing this way of life, which revolves around studying medicine, and having music and choir practice as parallel activities is not exactly easy. In fact, anyone who is committed to a goal undertakes a major effort in terms of organization (something I confess not being an expert in) and this requires prioritizing. In short, we need to give up some occasions of dolce farniente and a few leisure moments that give us immediate satisfaction and which are no doubt important but sometimes cannot be enjoyed.
Nevertheless, this effort, which some people will describe as “sacrifice”, is clearly overcome thanks to the satisfaction that practicing music gives me, alongside the recognition of the public and of my closest friends, not to mention the intellectual pleasure it gives me to learn the aforementioned dichotomies between music and life.

I shall end now, but not before going back to my point of departure: I could never live out of medicine alone, the same way I could not live without music. My path lies between these two worlds. My stance stands next to that of the well-known Portuguese doctor, Prof. Abel Salazar, who, in a master sentence, demonstrated how, in fact, everything is connected: the physician who only knows about medicine, does not even know medicine. 
Afonso Moreira
Lisbon Medical Faculty Students’ Association (AEFML)
geral@aefml.ul.pt