"I am alive Right now!" How many people realize
this? Until I discovered, I had a heart problem my first year of junior
high, I had never understood how precious each heartbeat is! 
When I became
awere that I was truly alive, I found not only my own heartbeat, but
also the heartbeat of other living things. I do not want to forget this
awereness of life.
Last year over 30,000 people in Japan committed suicide. On the other hand, in third world countries, there are many people who want to live longer lives, but cannot because of disease and poverty. I have read the book, "If the World Were a Village of 100 People" says "50 people out of 100 would be suffering from malnutrition and one person would be dying of starvation." Hunger, poverty, war and suffering, these are a barrier to these people's will to live.
Dr. Tomoko Kanto, of the organization, "Doctors Without Borders", worked in a hospital in Madhu, Sri Lanka. At this hospital, the doctors often had to choose which patients they could help, and which were beyond their help. They worked under very primitive conditions with few machines and little medicine. In order to conserve oxygen for the patients with a chance of recovery, they had to turn off the oxygen for those who could not be helped. I was shocked by the facts. As I was born and raised in the developing country of Japan, Doctors never stop their life. This is common sense to us in Japan. It is ironic that in poor countries, people who are desperate to live must give up their lives; while in Japan, which has advanced medical technology, people will throw away their lives so easily.
Japanese people may be indifferent to life because they do not have to worry about the safety of their environment. But what if a natural disaster occurs? Then life changes in an instant.
This summer I took part in a student conference in Kobe that focused
on the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and the volunteer movement to help
people. It's been 12 years since that earthquake, when over 6000 people
lost their lives. Some people became trapped in their collapsed homes.
Help did not reach them in time and they died in the fires that broke
out after the earthquake. On the other hand, it was possible to save
other people who were also in desperate situation several days after
the earthquake. The rebuilding of Kobe has been led by the light of hope
that has not gone out even in desperate circumstances. I feel that to
live is the desire of all people.
Therefore, I have a dream. Even if I can only save one life, I want to become a doctor with an organization, which helps people all over the world. For the value of life does not depend on country or race. It also is not diminished even when there is a disaster. I want to make a world where the life of every person is respected until the end. For life is the most precious gift of all.