"I believe that we are on planet Earth not for ourselves, but for each other."
Coming across this gold nugget on a Monday morning was one of those "a-ha, life' sa pleasing mystery" moments, as I'd last heard about SA's Dr Paulo de Valdoleiros about two years ago — the "walk-in" health professional whose patients pay him only what they can afford.
I chanced upon a BBC interview with the good doc this week, and the gold nugget quote is what he opened with.
Known as the Walk-In Doctor, he caused a media frenzy when his Bloemfontein medical practice opened under quite unorthodox conditions, thanks to his utterly pioneering attitude towards health and humanity.
At the time, Bloemfontein Courant's Sazly Hartzenberg explained his philosophical approach:
"At the practice, the patient walks in, gets examined by [him], and he gives them basic medication.
"The patients then head over to the secretary, where the patients pay what they can afford.
He [Valdoleiros] explained that the idea with the practice was not to make history, but rather to make people think differently."
Even better, no bookings are required, though patients are more than welcome to give the practice a call if they're on a schedule.
Another incredible aspect of this story is that he graduated only at 51 as his family had not been able to finance his childhood dream of becoming a doctor.
So, at 45, he pursued his passion.
I've never met the man, but I've seen his type — rarely, too rarely — on social media every so often.
You know them well, fictional or real, and in an ideal world, you want them to win.
I've often wondered why we put up with the world the way it is.
Something's not working for most of us — but it's staying cushy for the rest (and that includes any member of the ruling class, from royalty to political puppet).
The monetary system, and dog-eats-dog mentality that insidiously weaves its way through our waking thoughts and actions, are obvious problems.
So many have tried, so often, to buck the system, change the world, sing it into peace, equalise everybody under the sun — but things just seem to slide back into inflation, bloated banking fees, corruption and that ever-present milked cow, tax collection.
But I imagine a world full of walk-in doctors and other professions — places where you pay what you can afford; and the world trusts you enough to be honest.
Perhaps the solution to manifesting this idyll is to be brave enough to be the one person who simply starts it.
