CHAPTER 25Build a Shared Consciousness
What makes humans stand out is our capacity to be aware of our connections. True connectedness is based on shared consciousness – a belief that we need one another to excel, and are stronger together than apart.
We all have a yearning for belonging. Being part of a community makes us feel good. We are simply happier and more productive when we are part of a group. So, we must rely on each other to be conscious.
Here's the dilemma. In today's fast-paced, digitally connected world, we are struggling emotionally in a crisis of disconnection. Polarization, partisanship, and loneliness are commonplace. Brené Brown, in Braving the Wilderness, believes we are cutting ourselves off from real connection with other people. This is due to fear – fear of vulnerability, fear of hurt and pain, and fear of criticism and conflict. Says Brown, “We want to be part of something yet we are standing alone in the wilderness.”2
Sitting in the shadow of Silicon Valley, Stanford Healthcare is as high-tech as you would expect. Grissel Hernandez, a nursing professional development specialist at Stanford, noticed that this access to cutting-edge technology brought with it both a blessing and a curse. “One of the challenges that nurses face is to balance the need to save someone's life with all ...
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