When your eyes are open, you tend to find wonderful and extraordinary people around you. My dentist, Dr. Rajiv Arya, is one of those people. Every time I go to get my teeth checked, we end up having a very in-depth conversation, and I always marvel at what Dr. Arya is involved with. Not only a practicing dentist and practicing lawyer, Dr. Arya has volunteered his time and experience in places like India, Malawi, Zambia and, of course, Canada. He is one of the most versatile people I know. Without further ado, here it is: Dr. Arya:

1. Please tell us a little about your personal and educational background.

I am married and I have a little daughter of 22 months. It has been a truly profound experience having her. I discovered that just when you thought marriage was the best thing in and for your life, having a child is even better. My life in general is relatively calm. The good thing is that I have a family that supports me on both sides. I consider myself very lucky.

2. He is active as a dental surgeon and as a lawyer. Why did you decide to do that and what is your general philosophy related to the work?

In fact, I get asked that question a lot. Why did I get into dentistry and law? I guess it was self-preservation. I felt that I needed another profession that would give me the complete or greater satisfaction in my working life that I was looking for. It was definitely not up for the challenge, as both professions are very challenging. What one profession would not offer the other could and vice versa. It was a bit of a risk to make this choice. But it was never about making more money or being specially qualified. I’m not as goal oriented as people would think. This choice was more about personal fulfillment and I don’t regret it for a second. The bottom line is that yes, I have a busy week; but more importantly, I am usually smiling and content throughout the entire process.

What made me enter these fields carries over to the rest of my left. I try to see life in a broader and more holistic way. In dentistry I am interested in the patient, not only in the clinical procedure that is presented to me. If there’s one thing I can take credit for, it’s that I have an uncanny ability to remember details about my patients and clients for a long time. At check-ins, I often discuss earlier things they told me and follow up on details of their lives that they’ve shared with me. Sometimes I surprise myself, even more than the patients, how much I remember about them personally.

I take an interest in my patients that goes beyond treatment, I look at my patients more from a holistic wellness approach. Similarly, in law, I look at the client from a broader perspective. What are we really trying to achieve here? That way, all parties involved will appreciate what you are trying to do for them.

I’d like to think I take a casual approach to both jobs, as I’m not a big fan of pretense or acting like I know everything. I don’t appreciate smoke and mirrors. I also try not to take myself too seriously. In both professions you come across experiences that you just don’t know the answer to right now. This can present as a very challenging situation. I am the first to say that we need to look at a situation from more angles and maybe bring a different experience to it. Clients and patients appreciate that candor and I find that in return they speak to me on a different level, a more sincere level. I am always surprised and pleased when my patients and clients ask questions and remember things about my life outside of work. It gives me a certain feeling that they care too. What you see is what you get. I’m not a flashy lawyer or a dentist, no Armani suits here.

3. How do you manage to balance a busy practice of law with your work as a dental surgeon?

I find that achieving balance is not as difficult to manage as one might assume. You have to know your limitations and priorities. My priorities have always been clear: I wanted to have a very strong family life and an equally satisfying professional life. In law I am lucky that I practically only take on the cases that interest me. In dentistry it is something similar: if something is beyond my capabilities or outside my area of ​​interest, I refer it to other specialists. Similarly, I spend a lot of time with my little one. At this time, he usually gets up around 5:30 am and is in a good mood right away. Since I have the morning shift with her, I have to quickly buckle up and start smiling at her. These hours are precious and most of the time, it seems like I always learn a little bit from her every day.

I essentially cut out the superfluous stuff from the day and somehow it all falls into place. I also have to say that I have a very supportive wife who is very organized and keeps things under control. My philosophy is “Just do it.” If you like what you do, if you like your life, and want to maximize the finite time we all have on Earth, then do what’s important to you. Even when I was in law school, I was practicing 20-25 hours of dentistry a week, missing out on going to the pub every Thursday night. I also didn’t just stay and drink coffee during the day waiting for the next class to start. I tried to maximize.

In general, if people really need to do something, they will do it. It’s the same with friendships: you make time for the people who are really important to you.

4. Tell us a little about your overall travel experience.

Someone I know and respect recently said: “Life is made of experiences. If I have to measure the quality of my life, I look for experiences that I can remember, that have moved me.” Traveling is one of those things. Traveling is one of those pillars in life, like marriage, births, deaths or other important events, that has the ability to move humans.

Often but not always of course I choose places off the beaten path as I enjoy seeing alternative places. Traveling for me has to have a certain level of depth in general. It has to be something that is moving. It is the closest thing that we as adults can do to return to childhood. When you travel, you look at life almost with the curiosity of a small child, you look at the street signs, the light poles, the way people act. There is a freshness in traveling, it is childish. When I look at my little girl, I notice that she is very curious and playful. Traveling takes us to that level of openness. It is very refreshing, liberating and revitalizing.

5. You have also volunteered in countries like Canada, India, Malawi and Zambia. Tell us more about these experiences.

I have practiced volunteer dentistry in hospitals in India. I have also helped with tasks as remote as applying insect repellent to trees in Zambia, visited hospitals in Zambia and Malawi, and even performed dental work in Canada for troubled youth.

Volunteering in general is something where you always get more than you put in. It is a fact. A few years ago I went to India, and it was not the happiest moment of my life. However, I feel that just when you have nothing left in your life, when you are empty, and then at that moment when you decide to give more, you begin to fill up. This is a very valuable lesson about volunteering in general. It is good for the soul. More than you know!

6. She has also been involved in racial equity and leadership initiatives in South Africa, Poland, and Germany. Tell us more about these experiences.

These initiatives were actually started by my wife. She is a strong advocate for racial equity on the Toronto School Board, where she is now an assistant principal. She always had an inherent notion of fairness, even before she became politically correct. She always seemed to be on the cutting edge.

I would always bring home articles written by educators or other commentators on racial equity. This gave me a little twist on how to see things. A few years ago she had the opportunity to go to South Africa with a Catholic education organization. Since she is a great friend of animals, and elephants in particular, she said that this is a good reason to go. She only wanted to go for a few weeks. Once I started reading the outline, I decided I would come too. Like it or not!

30 of us went and got to talk to community leaders, went to leadership meetings, talked to interesting people who helped South Africa out of apartheid. We visited many areas and it was an eye opening adventure. The experience was very moving, especially since the free elections were in 1993.

The leader of the group that took us to South Africa was already thinking of studying the Holocaust in Poland and Germany. He had been to Israel before and since the tour was organized at a very high level, he wanted to go. I was drawn into this by people I respect and admire. That’s how it all started.

As the saying goes, ‘if you ride with eagles, you’ll fly, but if you ride with turkeys…’

7. A few years ago, he went on a very interesting trip that took him to Holocaust sites. Tell us more about that trip.

I recently heard a commenter talk about the Holocaust and the people who visit the sites. He said that there is absolutely nothing to learn from the Holocaust and that we should not study it because it is so horrible that there is nothing to learn. While I appreciate his sentiment, I feel, with all due respect of course, that I disagree with his comment.

What you see on the sites is so horrifying and touching that words cannot explain it. Everyone needs to see what happened. And not only here, but also in other places, like Rwanda, etc. However, there has been physical preservation in places like Poland and Germany. There are many concentration camps and extermination camps preserved. It is an experience that shakes you to the core. This goes back to one of the larger reasons for traveling. Go and try to experience something because reading, video or other media can’t excite you in the same way.

It was a very sad journey, but at the same time I tried to make it more academic, more erudite, to try to understand what happened. I had the luxury of doing this. I didn’t have to experience it directly. But I ended up with more questions than answers.