I am Dr. Arif Ahmad, a busy cardiologist in Wisconsin, USA, double boarded in Cardiology and Electrophysiology. I am a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and a Fellow of Heart Rhythm Society.

This book is a labor of love starting with the first writing, The Optimist, in 2013 and gradually accumulating over the years. It is the World during these times from the perspective of a brown Muslim Pakistani American Physician, and then it is some more.

My weaving into the American society is a story in itself. Believing in the absolute equality of all people, I claim zero superiority over anyone else based on region, race, religion, or for any other reason. In the same breath, I refuse to become a second-rate citizen.

The American society, in its most honest state, lends itself well to these ideals. That I belong to a family of farmers and hunters helped me feel at home in the American Midwest. My farm, my own piece of heaven, completed this transition.

Believing that the best societies are the better examples of symbiosis, I know that this cannot be taken for granted. In my view, the act of becoming a good Samaritan is the most essential facet of our existence. In trying and giving you my best, I give myself the best chance of receiving yours in return.

This book is my effort at such understanding and fellowship. Then it is some more.