These days we are surrounded on all sides by rampant cynicism. Many people distrust institutions, community, the academy, business, and government. But this distrust often leaks over into a general attitude that says nothing can turn out well, everyone is out for him-or-herself, and humans default to generally selfish behavior. But I'd like to share some information about a man who punctures all of those stereotypes of selfishness by the gift of his work and life, measured out day after day, year after year, aiming to make things better. He has not always succeeded, but he never stops trying - and he has a long list of stunning successes; he is Dr. Paul Farmer, physician and medical anthropologist. Read especially the first article, and if you only have a few minutes, scroll down to near the end of the page and watch the 7-minute-plus video of Tracy Kidder talking about Paul Farmer. When next you are faced with cynicism, remember this story. There are several links below, each with different parts of the story, some going back quite a few years, and some from 2016.
http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/far1bio-1
http://www.pih.org/blog/dr.-paul-farmer-takes-questions-on-reddits-ask-me-anything
http://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2001/jan/28/life1.lifemagazine10
http://harvardmagazine.com/harvard-in-the-news/haiti-rwanda-farmer
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