First, my perspective towards life and death were performed a huge transformation. Before reading this book, I had never seriously thought about death. Before understanding the Kalanithi’s viewpoint, I had never approached life from the perspective that death is inevitable. Thus, the most important thing I learned from this book is the reflection on humanity. When the author was still a student, his thoughts was entirely rational. He believed all patients could be treated as ordinary objects. During this period, he misunderstood the most important aspects of being human, which are emotions and humanity. It was changed later when he became a doctor and began doing real operations, that he realized the importance of humanistic care. Even when technical skills reach a top level, it is precisely that responsibility of care that demands attention. I have always been a science guy. I feel that in my future studies, I should reach more emphasis on humanistic care rather than only focusing on theoretical knowledge.
If I had one question for the author, I would ask: What drove you to keep working on this book even while encountering serious illness? He shared his thoughts after being diagnosed with cancer and connected them to his past experiences. But these could have remained in his mind without being composed into a book.