Rooms

Dr. House: Are you going to base your whole life on who you're stuck in a room with?
Eve the Patient: I'm going to base this moment on who I am stuck in a room with! It's what life is. It's a series of rooms, and who we get stuck in those rooms with, adds up to what our lives are. ("One Day, One Room")

Last night I watched 8 hours of "House." Generally, while it's a good show, I don't really get into it. I can watch an episode or two... but not 8 hours. Dr. House tends to eventually get on a person's nerves. Nevertheless, I did watch it last night, and I saw an episode I have seen a few times before but had never really paid attention to. Last night, it really captured my attention, though.

For those who haven't seen it, the episode is in Season 3, and is called "One Day, One Room." Spoiler alert: A young woman comes into the clinic to be tested for STD's. House realizes the young lady has been raped, and tries to get out of treating her. But, she will only be seen/treated by him, and even tries to kill herself in an attempt to get his attention so he'll agree to help her/talk to her. It works. And from that point on, they have a constant struggle... House doesn't want to be there, Eve (the young woman) won't see anyone else; House wants her to tell him what happened, Eve just wants to talk about anything else; House thinks she should get an abortion, Eve insists she can't because abortion is murder and murder is a sin; and the list of conflicts goes on. And yet, they continue to have this relationship - this bickering back and forth.

This dialogue between the two of them is what caught my attention - particularly the lines above regarding life being a series of rooms.

"It's what life is. It's a series of rooms, and who we get stuck in those rooms with, adds up to what our lives are."

Who would you want to be stuck in a room with? Of course, we generally don't get to choose who we get stuck in a room with. But, such as the case with the woman in the episode, sometimes you can choose. And you're going to want to be stuck in that room with people who help you, those who build you up rather than tear you down. For her, she wanted House in that room with her - she knew there was a pain within him that was similar to her own, and believed that he was what was best for her at that given time.

But, on the same hand, sometimes we need to be stuck in a room with those who need our help. There are those whom we can help build up. There are those who need us for at least a moment - "one day, one room."

And what about those times when we don't get to choose? We get tossed in a room with people who don't seem to care, who hurt us and want to tear us down. We need to make the most of these times. We need to offer our prayers and love and take the opportunity to show God's love to these people. We need to welcome these moments and these people into the room with us. Every person, every moment, every room has the potential to make our life better and more fulfilling. They also have the potential of making our lives more miserable and painful. It's all in what we choose to do with these moments, these people, these rooms.

It's also important to note that who we are stuck with in one room may not be the same as the next room. How many of us have had people we love, those who've changed our lives for the better, those who've helped us out when we needed them in that moment, only to have them leave the next day (or month)? It hurts, but when someone is stuck in a room with us who makes such an impact, while they may no longer be in the room in the future, the memories they bring and the love they give and the lessons they teach - those shape who we become. This is the same for those who bring us pain - but this shouldn't be looked on as a bad thing. All lessons and memories, whether good or bad, shape us. It is up to us how we let those memories shape us - do they mold us into something jagged and ugly, or do they turn us into something softer, more lovely and loving?

With all I have been through in my life, I can honestly say that I appreciate every room I've been in, and every person I have been stuck with in those rooms. No, they haven't all been good rooms or good people. There have been dungeons and abusive masters. There have been deep dark wells, where the only person in the room is myself. But, these dungeons and dark wells have shaped who I am today, for better or worse, and have been instrumental in teaching me how to live and love.

Eve: [discussing abortion] Every life is sacred.
Dr. Gregory House: Oh, talk to me! Don't quote bumper-stickers! 

Dr. House, upon finding out Eve was pregnant from her rapist, tries to talk her into abortion. She is very adamant that she can't have the abortion because it's against God. But this is her only argument. She doesn't go much further than saying "every life is sacred." House's reply is a reply I have often had when it comes to religion. "Don't quote bumper-stickers!" Belief in God shouldn't be just a bumper sticker. You shouldn't just quote religion or the Bible. You need to feel it. You need to know it and believe what you're saying. You need to explain, at least to yourself, why life is sacred, and why abortion shouldn't happen - and not just from a medical standpoint. What does it all mean to you?

Just telling me "God loves you" isn't always enough. I sang "Jesus loves me" in Sunday School. On a good day, I know God loves me. But on a bad day... on a day when I'm depressed and hurting, tell me why. Why does he love me? How does he love me? Why should I believe it? Don't just quote a bumper sticker.


There are many other quotes from this one episode which are thought provoking...

On dealing with pain:

Eve: Time changes everything.
Dr. Gregory House: That's what people say, it's not true. Doing things changes things. Not doing things leaves things exactly as they were.

On judging others:

Dr. Gregory House: I'm wearing a rumpled shirt and I forgot to brush my hair this week. You have Athlete's Foot in your nose. I'm ready to be judged.

On how to help someone going through a traumatic experience:

Dr. Wilson: Tell her the truth.
Dr. Allison Cameron: [Cut to Cameron] Tell her your life has been good.
Dr. Gregory House: It hasn't been.
Dr. Allison Cameron: Tell her anyway. She wants hope. She wants to know that what happened to her wasn't the norm. Things can be okay, which means maybe they can be okay for her again.
Dr. Eric Foreman: [Cut to Foreman] Tell her your life sucked.
Dr. Gregory House: It didn't.
Dr. Eric Foreman: Tell her anyway. She wants to know she's not alone. She wants to know she's gonna survive this, that other people have been through this and worse and come out the other end. She wants to know she's gonna heal. Act like... you healed.
Dr. Robert Chase: [Cut to Chase] Tell her... Keep her asleep.
Dr. Gregory House: Thanks. You've all been a huge help.

Not really helpful...I just like this one:

House: I'm evil.
Eve: Evil people don't say they're evil.
House: That sounds like an easy loophole.

Just a good quote on mankind:

House: We are selfish based animals crawling across the earth, but 'cause we've got brains, if we try really hard, we can usually aspire to something that is less than pure evil.

Again, just another one I like. But, it is a good one on where to put your focus when helping someone:

Eve: Do you think the guy who did this to me feels bad?
House: That'll help you? It'll make you feel better?
Eve: Why do you always do that? Ask why I'm asking questions instead of just answering the question?
House: Because the answer doesn't interest me. I don't care what he's feeling. I'm interested in what you're feeling.