FIRED
NEED A JOB
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Unemployment Fever
“To eat, you must sweat first. If you want self-government, you must learn to govern yourself first. If you want to deserve anything, you must learn to serve others first.” Growing up, I looked at that quote every morning, hanging on the wall above our breakfast nook. My immigrant parents came to this country with nothing but their strive and determination and they made sure I understood that hard work would contribute to a functional and successful society. From a child’s standpoint, they put it in a way I could understand: “You want those jeans? Ok, go learn 50 S.A.T. words and we will get them.” Or, “You want to sleep over at your friend’s house? Ok, do 50 math questions and I’ll drop you off.” My sister and I knew that we would have to expend intellectual labor to fulfill our social or recreational desires. This quote evolved over the years to mean more. Today, those teachings are still imprinted upon me, and I set up goals and rewards for myself and my kids all of the time. When I lived in India from 1996-2003, I saw much social inequity and poverty. When someone on the street asked me for money, locals would advise me not to give it, stating things like - “God gave them arms and legs, a beating heart and brain, give them an opportunity to use it”. Part of that made good sense to me, but another part knew that there was so much more to it than that. Some people are born with so much privilege that they don’t recognize - education, full bellies, generational wealth, and a supportive family.
6 CENTRAL COAST PHYSICIANS
PRITI GAGNEJA, MD, PRESIDENT
Summer 2021
