At the mental hospital Patch is able take the time needed to make a clear choice on what he will do with his life with his head and his heart. Arthur Mendelson, one of the patients at the hospital, shows Patch how to look beyond the problem to find his answers. Later on that evening he helps his roommate Rudy kill the imaginary squirrels. It is at that moment that Patch realizes the answer that he has been searching for. He realizes that he wants to, “help people, learn about people, and listen to people”. Rudy and the other patients at the mental hospital helped him to help himself. He was able to forget about his own problems while helping others forget about theirs. He checks himself out of the hospital to fulfill his dream.

Patch clearly shows us how he was able to incorporate the are four criteria of the discernment process. Patch was able to accept other people around him as they were. At the hospital and with his classmates, he treated everyone with respect and dignity. He gave to all who needed help even when he needed. He opened the clinic with the help of Arthur but sacrificed being paid and his sleep and study time to help the sick. This helped Patch to be in communion with his world. He was able to feel apart of something special.

Listening to his heart is also something that Patch did well. He shows this when he goes to the hospital and sees the woman being denied to see her daughter because she has to fill out medical forms. This encounter causes Patch to imagine “Gesundheit”, a hospital where treatment is free, and humor is used to heal pain and suffering, a community where joy is a way of life and love is the overall goal. Patch was authentic with his intentions, because of this he was free from bondage of worldly possessions and any attachments. He wanted to help people without concern for money and status that comes with being a doctor. Through helping others Patch was able to experience bliss and joy, feeling apart of something bigger than himself, and God’s wisdom.

Patch faces a challenge when Corinne is murdered and decides he wants to leave because he feels that he is a failure. This demonstrate

Some topics in this essay:
Arthur Mendelson, Thomas Aquinas, Adams Hunter, God Corinne, patch able, discernment process, mental hospital, patients hospital, medical school, patch adams hunter, helping forget, help people, Patch Adams, hospital classmates, adams hunter, hospital patch,