Here are a few shells we found on a beach recently.
One of the ways we see the world is by looking for similarities. See how these different shells have certain similarities – if you wanted to, you could classify them according to one or two of their characteristics.
We do that with people too.
In fact, I think there’s way too much of that approach in the world today. We look for some similarity, label it, classify it, and then stop seeing the individual. You could look at that photo and say, oh yes, shells. And move on. Or you could cluster together the ones which have similar shapes, and move on.
Iain McGilchrist, in his “Divided Brain”, shows us how we use our left cerebral hemisphere to do that. It’s a fantastic tool for spotting similarities, and for classifying things according to what is already familiar. Fortunately we have another cerebral hemisphere, the right, which seems to have a completely different set of priorities. It notices uniqueness, sees the connections and contexts of whatever we are looking at, and prioritises a more holistic appreciation of what makes something different.
I reckon this is particularly important when it comes to people.
You are unique.
You have certain similarities with others but there is not another person alive who is exactly the same as you. Nobody has the same story that you do. Nobody has the same particular connections to others, to places and to events, that you do.
And you know what’s even more amazing? There has never been another person in the whole history of this planet who is exactly the same as you. There never will be.
I was very lucky to do the work I did. Every patient I met was unique. Every person had a different story to tell. Nobody was the same as anyone else. I think that reinforced the importance of the right hemisphere approach for me.
What are you going to do with your uniqueness? What are you going to notice, how are you going to respond, what choices are going to make, what story are you going to tell?
Heroes Not Zombies 
I am no brain expert but I am a philosopher/analyst and I find in working with a large number of people in a corporate setting that most people cannot employ both of these skills together. For me it is a constant inter-weaving that I am very conscious of doing in and task.
You’re right. One of Iain McGlichrist’s main points is that the left hemisphere approach has become extremely dominant in our contemporary society. I think there are a number of reasons for this, including the fact that the neurologists tell us that “what fires together wires together” – that is, our habits and tendencies become hard-wired into our brains making it tough to change them. Another reason is the “stickiness” of the left hemisphere – that very focused attention can become a kind of tunnel vision.
I love your phrase “inter-weaving”. Weaving together very different threads can produce something magical and doesn’t involve all the threads having to become the same colour. Nor does it involve the threads competing against each as other as if they are opponents.
Another way of seeing this is “integration”, defined as “the creation of mutually beneficial bonds between highly differentiated parts” (just like we see in the human body where all the different cells work together for the benefit of the overall organism)
I also like your reference to being “conscious of doing….” That’s what this blog is about really, moving from autopilot/zombie mode to conscious/hero mode!
Well then I’m a follower count me in!