In the captivating narrative “Life on the Ground Floor”, Dr. James Maskalyk shares original and unique experiences within his medical career that highlight the systematic inequalities and struggles that hospitals face as a whole. As the book dives deeper into the author's profound anecdotes and personal reflections, the reader comes to understand that health care around the world is plagued with disparities based on underlying systemic problems. These underlying problems tend to linger around in the fundamental principles of what society calls morals and are often hard to remedy due to it being so institutionalized within our social construct. A majority of inequalities and disproportionate treatment of individuals are often a result of these…show more content… Reflection upon past perspectives can help an individual comprehend that self-learning principles may not be objectively just. By understanding how our implicit biases are a hindrance to a true unbiased perspective, we open ourselves to a broader and rational view of society. Life on the Ground Floor explores these perspectives through the eyes of Dr. James Maskalyk. He mentions that “There is a healing that can happen without ever touching someone” (Maskalyk 94). In other words, Maskalyk implies that the rejuvenation of an individual does not have to be indicated by physical markers, but can also be demonstrated through mental regeneration. Metaphorically, this quote infers that the healing represents the process of unlearning a biased perspective. Additionally, it infers that an individual may only unlearn a biased perspective if they are able to accept the flaws in their bias. The most significant piece of this quote is the emphasis on “without ever touching someone” (Maskalyk 94). This portion of the quote highlights the most important fact that an explicit or implicit bias can only be learned through personal reflection and acceptance, not through peer
