Heroes Not Zombies

One thing I’ve been so aware of throughout my years of practicing Medicine is the need that every human being has for both separateness and belonging.

Each of us is unique and needs a certain amount of autonomy and a good sense of self. We seek to make our own choices, to express ourselves and to construct our unique narratives.

But none of us exist in isolation. We are all inextricably embedded in multiple networks of relationships and in physical, social and cultural environments.

You can’t know a person if you try to see them in complete isolation. Good diagnoses arise from the uncovering of the contexts and stories of an individual life. They also arise through the consideration of what makes this person different from all the others who are experiencing “the same disease”.

Similarly we need healthy boundaries. We feel safe within them and need to have them respected by others. Yet at the same time a solitary life is impossible.

We all become who we are through our relationships and experiences with others. “Ubuntu” – I am because you are. That’s one perspective on it. In fact, I think the “self” is multiple. We are multi-faceted, woven of countless different threads.

This is where the apparent paradox of separateness and belonging come together….our uniqueness emerges from the flow of all our connections, past, present and future.