New Delhi:
To help people live healthier and more fulfilled lives, Dr Vivek Hallegere Murthy, 19th and 21st Surgeon General of the United States shared a ‘parting prescription’ in which he emphasised building a community. The parting prescription addresses a “foundational-and urgent-question” that Dr Murthy has grappled with: What are the root causes of the pain and unhappiness so many are experiencing? The answer, he believes, lies in rebuilding the community.
NEW: Today, I am issuing my Parting Prescription for America: my final reflections as I complete my time as US Surgeon General. It addresses a foundational–and urgent–question I have grappled with: what are the root causes of the pain and unhappiness so many are experiencing? pic.twitter.com/9jPYI6UDex
— Dr. Vivek Murthy, U.S. Surgeon General (@Surgeon_General) January 7, 2025
In his prescription, Dr Murthy recalled how his father never felt “empty” until he left his village in India. “It was a remarkable statement from a man who grew up with no running water or electricity, and whose family scarcely had enough money to put food on the table each night. Yet what they lacked in wealth, they made up for in community,” he wrote.
From sharing food to visiting a friend who lost a loved one to simply showing up for others, Dr Murthy’s father learnt the power of community while growing and ensured he practiced it and passed it on to his two children.
“Through their care for patients over the years-which involved everything from house calls to hospital visits to late-night phone conversations when someone fell ill-they reminded us that when we find our purpose in contributing to the lives of others, life isn’t always easy, but it is immensely gratifying,” he wrote, thanking his parents for giving him the formula for fulfilment and well-being.
The three core elements of a community – relationships, service, and purpose – are a triad of fulfilment. While ‘love’ is the one core virtue, he said.
“They (core elements) can also significantly influence health outcomes, including premature mortality, heart disease, depression, and anxiety,” he added.
Together they create an ecosystem for meaning and belonging.
Dr Murthy clarified that we don’t have to be fulfilled by one single community. Most of us need a few different communities to feel whole and these communities can evolve and overlap.
“Half of young people and a third of adults struggle with loneliness; formal and informal service have remained low; and an alarmingly high number of young adults say they have low or no meaning or purpose in their lives,” he wrote on X.
To address this, Dr Murthy suggests rebuilding the community and recentering our lives around relationships, service and purpose. He also recommends rethinking what defines success and a good life and building our lives around that.
“Community is a force for health and fulfillment. It is an antidote to division and despair. We need it more than ever,” he wrote as he signed off.
