Kalanithi's Bento Box

Hello. I can assure you that this is going to be one of the blogposts of all time.

Today, I'm going to write about When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. After reading this book, I gained a newfound appreciation for doctors. Don't get me wrong; I already had a high level of respect for doctors to begin with. I mean, after all, they are the most educated citizens in our country. But Kalanithi's perspective on life and his search for what makes life truly worth living is something philosophical.

The (pretend like they're real) binoculars represent Kalanithi's search for the purpose of life. Throughout the novel, Paul was a meticulous planner, who carefully planned out a future for him and his wife, where he would be able to explore the worlds of both literature and neurology in order to find what made human life so special. Especially after getting diagnosed with cancer, Paul continued to make the most of his time left on the Earth by accomplishing his mission.

The baby represents Paul's daughter, who he was only able to spend 8 months with. However, at this stage in Paul's life, the baby was all he needed. Some of his final words, the message he leaves behind to his daughter, is "do not, I pray, discount that you filled a dying man's days with a sated joy, a joy unknown to me in all my years prior."

The feather, which is also present on the cover of the book, represents the "airiness" of how people perceive life. Life is compared to breathing is the title, as just like breathing, people treat life as if it's an automatic process. We never take the time to appreciate life, and instead, treat it as something for granted. It isn't until we're about to lose it that we truly appreciate just how great life is.

Finally, the mallet represents the malleability of Paul. He is an adaptable man, and he constantly has to change plans and visions based on the road bumps that come along the way. He has gone through the pressures of being both a neurosurgeon, as well as a cancer patient, but even with these challenges, he comes out of them stronger than he was before.

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