Interconnection between Inner and Outer Realities

Eastern philosophies and religions advise us to look inward, and not outward, for the reality in which we choose to participate.

There are many things, good and bad, occurring in the universe we physically perceive. Those can pull us up the great heights of expectation, anticipation, and joy. They can also pull us down into disappointment, despair, anger, and illness.

Like everyone else, I struggle — with great difficulty often — to maintain an inner focus and an inner peace. It is not easy because I, like so many others, have become fascinated with the idea of an “I-ness.”

The East teaches us there really is no individual. There is no separation between one thing and the next. There is only continuity. My thought touches your thought, and my actions reach you. Independence is a lie. A total wholeness is the only reality.

It is hard to perceive that total wholeness when we see a world in which our highly evolved (perhaps) brains tell us everything is separate. So in order to see it as it truly is — all connected — we must half-close our eyes to remember that what we see is not the whole story. It is only a very small part of the total reality.

We dim our vision in order to see things as they are.

We go within ourselves to find the peaceful connectedness we so desperately need, that which tells us there is no such thing as a future or a past. There is no such thing as death or life. There is no such thing as here or there. There is only one moment, right here, right now. That is always the only reality.

Quantum Physics of Beliefs - Subconscious Intentions

"There is only what we create through our engagement with others and with events... We inhabit a world that is always subjective and shaped by our interactions with it." ~ Margaret Wheatley, President of The Berkana Institute, a global charitable leadership foundation

A growing body of scientific evidence in the fields of physics, systems theory, chaos theory, biology, and psychology explains how and why vision directly influences both the physical world and our perception of it.

Science has not definitively identified how vision works, nor has it found the formula for summoning human desire into existence. However, much scientific evidence supports the fact that vision influences both the physical world and our perception of it - even if it doesn't explain exactly how and why vision works.

There are several scientific theories that support and describe the mechanics of vision. These theories provide evidence that we are direct participants in creating reality at a most fundamental level.

1.    Quantum physics supports the notion that reality is not fixed or determined, but operates based upon potentials and relationships that we can influence.

2.    Sensitivity to initial conditions, a concept within the Chaos theory, supports the idea that a small change to a system, like your vision, can make remarkable and significant changes over time.

3.    Systems theory points out the interconnection that exists between you and everything that surrounds you. Your vision is a tool to make you aware of the connections that are most important to bring you what you desire.

This section is not a scholarly compilation of scientific ideas, but every attempt has been made to present the views accurately. The ideas presented here may challenge your worldview of "how things work." Some of these ideas may be difficult to understand or seem far out, but I hope you will take away from these articles an increased understanding of how and why vision works. This will give you greater confidence to use vision in your life.

Subconscious Intention

Cybernetics is a branch of science that studies communication and control in machines and humans. The study of cybernetics in humans focuses on the functional relationship between the conscious and the subconscious mind to accomplish goals. A theory within the field of cybernetics is that the subconscious mind is primarily responsible for guiding us toward our goals.

Cybernetics suggests that for the subconscious to work in our favor, we must first consciously program the subconscious with our desire - our positive vision of a preferred future.

The subconscious mind will then function as a goal-striving mechanism, automatically taking care of the details that are necessary to bring us what we desire.

Our subconscious has an important impact on our vision. Once we consciously intend something, the subconscious mind operates to bring us what we desire.

The subconscious works the same whether we program it with a positive or negative vision. If we think that we are a failure, we will become aware of obstacles that will help us fail. If we tell ourselves that we are successful, we will notice opportunities to make us successful. The principle is that simple, but it takes faith to try it.

I "lose the faith" myself from time to time. I envision things that I do not really want. It is strange that after all that I have studied and experienced about the positive results of vision, I still forget to focus on what I want instead of what I don't want. I find myself focusing on the negative because routines are hard to break. It is sometimes easier to expect that I will not get what I want than to believe that if I commit to what I want, I will get it.

Our Influence on Reality

There are different opinions about whether material reality is a subjective or objective experience. Material reality is what we experience as solid around us. A chair, a tree, an apple, a shoe, and a person are all elements of our material reality.

One view of material reality states that it is objective and independent of our minds. This view suggests that material reality exists independently of us, and we are passive players in a game. Another view is that material reality is an extension of our own minds. This suggests that we are active participants who influence how material reality is presented around us.

A physics experiment done by Thomas Young, an English scientist in the nineteenth century, helped reveal the relationship that exists between material reality and us. The experiment was designed to examine how subatomic particles of matter, like photons, can be both particles and waves at the same time. The difference between a particle and a wave is significant. A particle is a small ball of matter like a marble that makes a concentrated dot when it hits something. A wave consists of a crest and a trough like a wave of water that spreads out when it hits something.

The following twentieth-century version of Young's famous double-slit experiment demonstrated that the experimenter's observation in the experiment influenced the result in material reality.

The materials in the experiment consisted of a light source that produced one photon at a time, a barrier with two slits, and a photon-sensitive plate. The experiment had three phases. In the first phase, photons were fired one at a time toward the barrier, which had one slit open and the other shut. With only one slit open, what appeared on the photon-sensitive plate was a single band of light. This phase of the experiment demonstrated that a photon is a particle.

In the next phase of the experiment, both slits were open. After many photons were fired, a series of light and dark bands developed on the photon-sensitive plate. This pattern indicated that the photon was functioning as a wave. In this experiment, there appears to be a paradox: the photon demonstrates properties of both a particle and a wave. This may not make sense to you, but it has been replicated many times in a laboratory under strict scientific protocols. What is most important about this experiment is what happened next.

The third phase of the experiment provided evidence about how we influence material reality. It was carried out exactly as in phase two with one difference. The photon device fires one photon at a time with both slits open. However, in this phase of the experiment, a detector was placed at the entrance to each of the two slits, observing each photon to determine which slit the photon went through.

What showed up on the screen behind the two slits were two distinct bands of light. This is characteristic of a particle pattern. This was contrary to what should happen. In the preceding experiment, when the experimenter didn't observe the photon as it was fired at the two-slit barrier, a wave pattern was detected on the photon screen behind the slits. The experimenter seemingly changed reality by the act of observing a photon during the experiment versus looking at the result of the photons hitting the screen. This phase of the experiment demonstrated that when the experimenter intended the experiment to be about observing photons as individual particles, the photons acted as particles.

This is an example of the concept that, in any given moment, multiple possibilities exist. If our intention is to see a photon as a particle rather than as a wave, the wave-particle function collapses in favor of our intention. Once we decide what we want, we collapse all of the other potentials into a single reality; other potential realities become unlikely, and when we take action, they vanish. By having intention and making choices, we become active participants in influencing our reality.

Physicists who have studied the double-slit experiment don't know how human intervention changes the action of subatomic particles. They can see the results of the scientists' influence, but they do not know why quantum particles react differently under the influence of intention. The fact is that observers become participants in the reality they are observing. There is interdependence between the observer and material reality.

We have more or less influence on reality, depending on what we are observing. The larger the mass of the object, the less influence we have on being able to physically change the object. For example, we can't intend for a horse to become a rabbit or a car to become a boat. However, quantum physics does suggest that to some extent we influence reality with our thoughts. We accomplish this by deciding between the many options that are possible in any moment.

When you focus your intention on a particular outcome, you influence material reality. Your vision has the potential to influence reality. Your vision can create real change that may not seem possible or logical. Being focused and committed to your vision organizes reality according to your desired outcome. Trust that your vision will create your desired future, even though you may not have a rational explanation for why it works.

Vision - Desired Future Results

"Non-locality" is a principle in quantum physics that describes how particles of matter influence each other without being in physical proximity; that is, without physical connection. At the subatomic level, matter does not always act according to our conventional experience. Vision has the same attribute, making "non-local" interconnections that break our paradigm of how reality works. Being an Everyday Visionary is a way to tap into the non-local phenomenon.

We live in a non-local universe characterized by superluminal [faster-than-light] connections between apparently 'separate parts'. This is a reference to John Bell's 1964 theorem, a mathematical proof that describes the strange connection between seemingly unrelated quantum phenomena. Bell's theorem suggests that, at a fundamental level, seemingly separate objects or events are closely and immediately connected. This connection between things is happening so quickly that we cannot always know or understand the connection. We don't have to think of or know all of the things that need to happen to make something go from point A to point B. While these non-local connections are often subtle and difficult to identify, they exist without us knowing how.

In the 1930s, Albert Einstein and other prominent physicists of the twentieth century believed strongly in the principle of locality. They thought that a quantum entity, such as an electron, in one location could not influence another quantum particle in a separate location without an exchange of force or energy. However, experiments by physicists of the time began to reveal exceptions, in which spatially separated parts in a quantum system influenced each other instantaneously. Einstein referred to this idea as "spooky at a distance," and it became known as non-locality.

The following is one of those experiments that demonstrates non-locality. A property of an electron is that if two electrons are paired, and one is observed to spin clockwise, the other will spin in the opposite direction - counterclockwise. Also, the spin of each particle is not determined until an experimenter measures it. In the experiment, the particles are separated. When one of the particles is observed as spinning one way the other particle will spin instantly in the opposite direction. The particle pairs appear to communicate their spin intention, even when they are separated by great distance (one particle in New York and the other in Los Angeles). A connection exists between these particles by non-observable causes over distance. This experiment demonstrates that spatially separated parts in a quantum system can influence each other instantaneously.

The quantum physics phenomenon of non-locality provides evidence for the interconnected nature of reality. When you create a vision, you become aligned with this instantaneous, non-local connection between where you are and where you want to go.

Life and Fate

For thousands of years, science, philosophy, and religion have considered the question, "Do the events in our lives happen because of fate?" Up until the beginning of the twentieth century, most thinkers believed that reality was predictable and deterministic.

This deterministic view was based upon the mathematical theory of Sir Isaac Newton, the philosophy of Rene Descartes, and the scientific method advocated by Francis Bacon. Their contributions, along with the general conception of reality during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, created the framework for classical physics.

Isaac Newton postulated that every particle in the universe reacts and interacts according to the same basic laws. Despite the complexity of how reality appears, he asserted that matter was reducible to fundamental building blocks and that reality operated as a clockwork universe. This view still influences how people today think about their ability to affect the future.

Newton's classical physics offered a way to break the physical world down into parts. Classical physics provided the basis for organizing the physical world into meaningful patterns that provide practical applications for science. It was simple, and it seemed to work.

The quantum physics revolution in the 1920s introduced a different way of understanding reality. Quantum physics asserts that certain things about reality are not determined. Aspects of reality are dynamic and operate organically.

Some facets of reality - including most of the visible world - are best described as having probable outcomes. Quantum physics opened the door to subjectivity, or human influence, on fundamental parts of reality. Quantum physicists have many well-documented scientific experiments demonstrating that we can influence reality at the level of subatomic particles.

A classical physicist might explain reality this way: If you do this ‘thing’, then that ‘thing’ will happen. It's absolute. A classical physicist would try to take anything complex and reduce it to its parts. At the macro (large) level of reality, this is helpful. For example, we can use classical physics to build bridges, cars, or buildings, and go to the moon. Classical physics suggests that at the macro level you can create anything if you can break down the parts that go into it.

On the other hand, a quantum physicist might explain reality this way: "If this ‘thing’ happens, then it is highly probable that that ‘thing’ will happen." At the micro (very small; subatomic) level, reality is more organic and relative. Quantum physics states that not everything is predetermined by its preceding action as Newton suggested. Quantum mechanics views reality as an organic system that is constantly reorganizing itself based upon new input into the system. According to this view, reality is not pre-determined, and you can influence it. Your vision has the power to influence and organize reality into the future that you most desire.

Intentions and the Physical World

"The stream of knowledge is heading towards a non-mechanical reality; the universe begins to look more like a great thought than like a machine. Mind no longer appears to be an accidental intruder into the realm of matter ... we ought to rather hail it as the creator and governor of the realm of matter." ~ Sir James Hopwood Jeans

      

Since the 1960s, researchers have conducted many experiments to determine whether a person's unspoken intentions can influence the physical world. These experiments provide scientific data that supports the idea that a person's intention can influence simple random events in a laboratory setting.

Let's examine how our intentions interact directly with the physical world.

An experiment that tests for the influence of intention on the physical world uses a Random Event Generator (REG). This computer, in essence, generates an electronic flip of the coin, producing zeros and ones at random. The REG is a way to do a large number of trials efficiently and objectively. If this binary event generator is used over many control trials, it will produce 50 percent zeros and 50 percent ones.

One standard REG experiment is to ask subjects to press a button on the REG that will produce a significant number of information bits - zeros or ones in this case. Before they press the button, the subjects are asked to intend for the machine to produce either more zeros or more ones.

The accumulated results of these experiments done over time suggest that the machine is influenced by the subject's intention: for example, if a subject intends for the machine to generate more ones, that is what the machine will do. If the person intends the machine to produce more zeros, the machine will turn out more zeros. The increased number of ones or zeros that a subject can intend the REG to produce is small, but significant and not due to chance.

The REG experiments offer compelling scientific evidence that you can influence the physical world with your thoughts. Being visionary is a way to focus your thoughts to influence reality toward what you desire.

Back to Vision

Chaos theory is an area of science that explains the underlying order in seemingly disordered and random systems. "Sensitivity to initial conditions" is a concept within chaos theory that provides support for how and why our vision influences what may seem like a randomly operating reality.

Until the twentieth century, Newton's philosophy of determinism influenced Western thought: If you knew the cause, you would know the effect, and vice versa. At the beginning of the twentieth century, scientists began to challenge this deterministic view.

A physicist named Henri Poincare was interested in mathematical equations that described the motion of the planets around the Sun. He found that even the smallest change in the initial formula caused significant changes in the results. The extreme "sensitivity to initial conditions" that Poincare discovered in the systems he was studying became known as "dynamic instability," which led to the term "chaos."

Chaos theory evolved further in the 1960s when a meteorologist named Edward Lorenz found a discrepancy in the results of a software program he wrote for a weather forecasting model. He found that microscopic changes in the initial software formula caused significantly different results in his weather forecasts. This principle became known as the "butterfly effect."

The butterfly effect is another way to represent the concept of sensitivity to initial conditions. This principle suggests that the flap of a butterfly's wings in one part of the world can influence whether or not a storm arises at a later time in another part of the world. The flap of a butterfly's wings causes a small change in the initial conditions of a system that leads to a chain of events, significantly divergent from what the system would have done had that small change not happened.

There are many different systems: the weather, the body of government, the human body, and the whole reality that surrounds us. Chaos theory asserts that small changes introduced into a system can cause dramatic effects in the system.

Imagine getting into your car after a shopping trip. You realize that you have lost your key. Not having the key for the ignition is a small change with a large impact. The car system will not work. You wait for an hour in the rain for a bus, but it never arrives. Later, you find out that the bus ran over a nail and got a flat tire. That small nail made a big difference in the bus schedule. When you finally arrive home, dripping wet and three hours late, you flip on a light switch - and the light does not work. A bolt of lightning hit a pole by your house and knocked out the power. A bolt of lightning is a random event that, in the right place, can wreak havoc with the electrical system. All of these small changes had a dramatic effect on what would normally be certain and predictable results.

These concepts are powerful because they suggest you can influence a seemingly complex system by introducing a small change to the system. One small change can make remarkable and significant changes over time.

You might feel that your life is on a certain and predictable path. This leads you to believe that you can't change this path and create a different life. However, by creating a vision and consciously making it a part of your reality, you make a change to the systems of which you are a part. Your vision is the small change that begins a cascade of effects. You can use your vision to influence the system you are in - your current reality - in your preferred direction.

Back to How do we Influence our Reality?

"Everything in the universe is interconnected. It is like a spider web. If you touch one part of the web, the entire web shimmers. We live in one integrated ecosystem." ~ Matthew Flickstein

      

You are a part of many systems, such as work, family, and your community. Several ideas will be presented here that will help you to be happier and more successful within the systems in which you live.

The term "holistic" has emerged in the vocabulary of many areas of science. In the scientific view, systems consist of elements that are in mutual interaction. Systems theory provides a framework to understand the concept of "wholeness" and the interrelated quality of reality.

Everything is in relationship to everything else - events in the social and physical realms that seem unrelated are in fact connected. As human beings, we are not separate but subtly connected to each other and everything in the world. Vision taps into this web of reality to create the life we want. A vision acts similar to the connection between magnetic north and the magnetized needle in a compass. Vision (like magnetic north) possesses extraordinary attraction to draw energy and resources (the magnetized needle) toward it.

Your vision organizes the complex connections necessary to bring about your desire. A vision increases awareness of the connection between individual parts that you can link together into your desired future. Moreover, a vision does this without your managing or even understanding the complexity that brings about what you desire.

From the systems point of view, we influence and are influenced by reality through a concept referred to as "feedback loops." Creating a vision and referring to it regularly is a feedback loop. When you create a vision that inspires you to take action, your actions have results that give you feedback. You can use this feedback to engage new actions.

We typically refer to feedback as either "negative" or "positive," but positive and negative are labels rather than facts about the feedback itself. If you are not making the progress you want toward your desired vision, evaluate your current situation instead of focusing on feedback as either positive or negative. Become an observer rather than a participant of past and present events. This requires you to step back from the situation and look objectively and freshly at the information that surrounds you. Later, you can input this feedback into your actions by making choices.

It can also be helpful to become an observer when things are working well. This positive feedback gives you information about what actions work. Positive feedback provides encouragement and motivation to continue toward the vision.

The smallest change builds upon itself, moving you closer to the results you want. This is described as: "Whatever movement occurs is amplified, producing more movement in the same direction. A small action snowballs, with more and more and still more of the same, resembling compounding interest." In a reinforcing feedback loop, it is important that you keep in mind your desired future reality so that your efforts continue to compound in the direction of your vision.

While there is movement within a feedback system, there are also delays. A delay is an interruption between actions and results. This is why continually referring to your vision is so important. Your vision is a guiding statement that can keep you on track during the delay between the current and future reality. The vision helps temper you, focusing your thoughts on the long-term, so that you don't over-react or under-react to daily events.

By referring regularly to your vision as a guiding statement, you focus and refocus your efforts toward your priorities. When you remind yourself of your vision, it energizes your efforts. You reaffirm why you started the journey in the first place.

Step back from time to time, and observe your journey. As the observer, you can notice feedback that you can input into your journey toward your vision. Referring to the vision, becoming the observer, and using feedback are ways to maintain your momentum toward your desired outcome.

Feedback Loop

A feedback loop is a cycle of cause and effect relationships. Cause leads to effect, and effect leads to another cause, and so on. Your vision is the starting point of a feedback loop.

There are many examples of feedback loops in our lives. Take the example of a teacher's expectation for students' academic achievement. At the beginning of a term, a teacher may have the expectation (vision) that some students are high achievers and will advance to a greater academic degree than other students. This is the beginning of a feedback loop for those students' academic performance.

Throughout the term, the teacher will consciously or unconsciously refer back to the expectation, "this is a high achiever," when interacting with students. The teacher will initiate actions that may cause students to think and act in ways that reinforce the teacher's original expectation. This will result in more actions by the teacher, causing a feedback loop in the direction of the original expectation. By the end of the term, it is likely that the students who were expected to be high achievers will in fact be more advanced academically than the students whom the teacher did not envision as high achievers.

This example illustrates how an expectation can positively influence the flow of cause and effect events in a feedback loop. Vision sets the flow of actions-results-actions in motion.

Let me narrate a scenario that illustrates the practical uses of feedback loops in overcoming obstacles. Let’s say, we (five friends) are on a backcountry ski trip in the Rocky Mountain National Park. The five of us set out on our adventure, intending to climb a mountain and ski down through fresh, untracked Colorado powder. We also have other, short-term visions for the day: not getting injured or buried in an avalanche, having fun, exercising, and enjoying each other's company in the outdoors.

Our destination is a 10K+ foot mountain that would fulfill our desire for great skiing. We start our journey on a designated trail that meanders through the woods. After about a mile, we consult our map and head off the trail toward the mountain that would provide our downhill turns. After forty minutes of slogging up through the trees, we are not where we wanted to be. We gather to discuss our situation.

When orienteering in the mountains, feedback comes in many forms. We use a map, a compass, an altimeter and our most recent addition, a handheld GPS receiver. These tools give us feedback about our position in the environment. We also share our own feedback from the environment, such as the weather conditions and topography that we experience along the way, as well as our own physical conditions. Combining all this is important to the process of moving toward our desired destination (vision) when traveling in the backcountry.

In this case, our orienteering feedback tools indicate that we are off-course. We are encountering interruptions and delays as we move toward our vision. We express our disappointment and are concerned about putting in extra energy and fear we might even be lost.

We then exchange feedback with each other. We decide to change our route but continue toward our original destination. We recommit to our vision of reaching the top of the mountain and skiing down it. We continue to get feedback from our new route and remain on course. This feedback reinforces our confidence in our orienteering skills and use of equipment, and motivates us to keep moving toward our vision.

By revisiting the original vision and taking in feedback from the environment and ourselves, we neither under-react nor over-react to such obstacles as getting off course. We are able to adjust our route, refocus our energies, and take action toward our desired outcome.

We reach the summit of the mountain sooner than we have anticipated. We feel exuberant to have overcome obstacles along the way and to have reached our goal. Had we not revisited our vision and used the feedback from the environment and ourselves along the way, we might have really gotten lost and put ourselves in danger - and we might not have reached our exhilarating goal.

As an Everyday Visionary, you will always encounter obstacles and delays as you move toward your short or long-term vision. Observing feedback, inputting new information into your actions and connecting to your vision will help you flow with setbacks, instead of feeling stuck or frustrated, as you move toward your desired outcome. These are important tools that will help bring your dreams to life.

Ways to overcome obstacles on your journey:

·        Quantum physics supports the notion that reality is not fixed or determined, but operates based upon potentials and relationships that we can influence.

·        Sensitivity to initial conditions, a concept within the Chaos theory, supports the idea that a small change to a system, like your vision, can make remarkable and significant changes over time.

·        Systems theory points out the interconnection that exists between you and everything that surrounds you. Your vision is a tool to make you aware of the connections that are most important to bring you what you desire.

Conclusions

This is the last article of series but, I cannot say for sure that I am not going to add more articles as there is always a possibility that something could turn up in my research in future.

It’s been an incredible journey these past few months while putting these articles together. The reader’s response is overwhelming which provided the much needed impetus to successfully completing the project. I had originally intended to write about 14 or 15 articles with the research material that I had gathered but, the interactions with colleagues and audiences resulted in expanding the scope of the topic and eventually ended up with 22 articles so far.

I would like to extend my gratitude to numerous friends and interesting suggestions from a number of readers that has helped me not only in maintaining my desire to complete the project but also producing a scholarly work that business leaders may want to practice the concepts presented in here.

As part of concluding this series, I would like to share an ancient Chinese story about a rainmaker who was hired to bring rain to a parched part of China. The rainmaker came in a covered cart, a small, wizened, old man who sniffed the air with obvious disgust as he got out of his cart, and asked to be left alone in a cottage outside the village; even his meals were to be left outside the door.

Nothing was heard from him for three days, then it not only rained, but there was also a big downfall of snow, unknown at that time of the year. Very much impressed, the villagers sought him out and asked him how he could make it rain, and even snow. The rainmaker replied, “I have not made the rain or the snow; I am not responsible for it.” The villagers insisted that they had been in the midst of a terrible drought until he came, and then after three days, they even had quantities of snow.

“Oh, I can explain that. You see, the rain and snow were always here. But as soon as I got here, I saw that your minds were out of order and that you had forgotten how to see. So I remained here until you could once again see what was always there right before your eyes.”

It is my hope that the ideas and strategies presented in these articles will show you how to look for different ways to think about your problems. When you do that, you will rethink the way you see things and, you, like the Chinese villagers, will see what is right before your eyes.

Enjoy your connections!

Namaste!

Quantum Physics of Belief - Inter-connectedness

For the past few months, I was writing about quantum physics and business research to explore the correlation between the science of consciousness and patterns in the business world, to suggest innovative ways of using this wisdom to lead and succeed in a business environment that is constantly evolving at a rapid pace. I am discovering that in some way we all share a fundamental connection. There is evidence that our brains share a connection and we are even drawing from the same memory/source.

What is it that makes our lives worth living? What brings us joy and fulfillment? What gets us up in the morning? No, it’s not the amount of “stuff” we have. I believe it is the connections we make in our lives that give us a zest for living. Connections with family (love), connections with friends (community), connections with ideas (lifelong learning), connections with meaning (spirituality), connections with work (ideas and new skills), connections through service (volunteerism), connections with nature (interdependence) — these are some of the ways connections serve us.

Connections represent the interfaces between us and the rest of the world. Connections take us outside of ourselves, help us to learn and to grow, and ultimately help us to see the meaning and purpose of our lives. The alternative to nurturing the connections in our lives is to be isolated and self-absorbed, conditions that may lead to loneliness, depression, suffering and premature death.

Can you imagine a world without human connections? Humans are some of the most social animals there are on earth. Very few of us could live happily without our human connections.  Think of the worst punishment that prison inmates typically suffer—solitary confinement. Only a few days of solitary confinement can be very disturbing. Consider a monk in an extended silent retreat. Most of us can’t imagine participating in such a retreat ourselves, and correctly attribute great mental discipline to the monk. And yet, some of us, especially as we grow older, allow ourselves to live in increasing isolation as our friends and families either move away or die. To prevent this isolation, we may need consciously to seek to maintain our connections with family members, even if they live at a distance. Further, it will enhance our lives if we continue to make new friends, including persons who are younger than we.

It’s not always easy to make new friends, especially for those of us who tend to be shy. Often, creating friendships around shared interests is a way to facilitate this. Community associations, dance groups, hiking groups, book clubs, bridge groups, tennis or golf associations, volunteer work and political action are only a few of the possibilities for meaningful interactions that can lead to friendship.

Some of the most important connections we make are with our four-legged friends. Dogs and cats (and many other furry, feathered and finned friends) can be invaluable sources of love, joy and companionship, especially if we do not or cannot access human friends. Specially-trained dogs create much joy for persons in nursing homes and hospitals, and research has shown that we who have pets live longer (and happier) than those without.

Connections may not only affect our outer lives, but may be important parts of our inner lives as well. For many of us, our sense of connection with a higher power brings feelings of hope, meaning, love and comfort. This feeling of connection with a higher power may be based on a knowing; on prayer; on study; or on some other practice or activity that brings us regularly into contact with that higher power. Some of us may make connections in a dream, a meditative state or other altered state of consciousness with a wisdom figure. This might be a shaman, a priestess, a crone, an energy field, a bear, an eagle, or some other entity. These wisdom figures can sometimes help us to gain insight into perplexing issues.

It is clear that our human race must live in the future if we are to survive—by sharing energy and leadership between man and woman, and by using a partnership of the best characteristics of each to lead us forward.

Not all connections are with people or other sentient beings. What about our connections with ideas? Not long ago, it was believed that we largely lost our ability to learn later in life, and that our mental capabilities inevitably went downhill as we aged. However, it is now understood that, in the absence of medical conditions such as stroke or Alzheimer’s, we can be life-long learners. We thrive on new ideas and new learning.

Learning becomes, if anything, even more exciting as we grow older and gain in wisdom. So the connections we make through reading, through viewing documentaries, through discussions, and through taking (or giving) classes and workshops can provide excitement and new understanding throughout our lives. I find this time of my life the most exciting yet. This is true to a considerable degree because I am enjoying so much the learning, the teaching and the creation of learning environments I am doing now.

Of course, for a good share of our lives, our careers provide important connections for us—connections with others we work with and connections with the ideas and skills that relate to our work. Here, I include homemaking and parenting in the category of career. Many of us spend more hours at our career than at any other activity in our lives. For this reason, leaving the work world or facing an empty nest can be traumatic, as we leave many of our connections behind. It is thus important not to leave our primary career without having established some other interests that are exciting to us. I left my career as a scientist nearly 15 years ago, because I was ready for a new challenge and for new learning opportunities. That was the right decision and the right time for me, but each person must weigh his/her own situation before making this decision.

Yet another form of connection is found through serving others. Volunteer opportunities of all kinds are available, and the volunteer work done by elders is indispensable to countless organizations. Being a volunteer can bring a great sense of fulfillment if you feel that your work has impact. You create connections with causes as well as with people, both those served and those with whom you work.

Another connection that impacts many people is that with nature. We humans are as much a part of nature as any other animal, and our connections with the earth and its myriad inhabitants are profound. We see the beauty and glory of the world and the natural order of things and we feel joy and give thanks. For many of us, this is an important spiritual connection. Then as we look at the major destructive impact that our human activities are having on this world, we may feel sadness and perhaps guilt. This may lead us to work to heal some of the wounds to our world, through social change and social activism, another form of connection with a cause.

Our beliefs can manipulate our response to the environment, and our response to the environment is one of the most important factors of our well-being. We are all interconnected to everything and everyone and can thus influence and be influenced, perhaps in ways we have not yet grasped scientifically. A living body is just a manifestation of energy in a particular form, but is not necessarily the seat of consciousness or soul itself. At the heart of quantum mechanics and cellular biology, some people see incontrovertible evidence of God and some form of life after death.

These connections give us an opportunity to reach out beyond ourselves, and to invite new experiences, new learning and new understanding. Connections will give us joy and a reason for living. They will help to keep us engaged, vital and alive.

When we realize the extent of the myriad interconnections which link us to all other life, we realize that our existence only becomes meaningful through interaction with, and in relation to, others. On a deeper level, we are connected and related not just to those physically close to us, but to every living being. If we can realize this, feelings of loneliness and isolation, which cause so much suffering, begin to vanish, as we realize that we are part of a dynamic, mutually interconnected whole.

I can’t articulate how this works, and believe me when I say I have scoured the scientific publications for a viable theory. I can only report that this unexplained connectivity does exist because I have seen the evidence from so many credible sources.

This research leads me to conclude that in some way, at some level, we are all one. Consider the following experiments, which were performed using strict scientific method and documented in credible publications.

This first experiment demonstrates unexplained connectivity between human brains. Two people meet and interact for about 30 to 40 minutes, until they feel a rapport. They then each enter separate Faraday cages, which are metallic enclosures that block all electromagnetic signals. Each person is connected to an electroencephalograph (EEG), which records the electrical activity in the brain. They are directed to concentrate on their bond with the other person. One of the people is then shown a flickering light signal that evokes an electrophysiological response measured by the EEG. The person not being shown the light is not aware that the other person is being shown the light.

As long as the two people are still maintaining their focus on their bond, the brain of the person not being shown the light also registers an electromagnetic signal via the EEG. The electromagnetic signal is similar in shape and intensity to the signal registered by the person shown the light. The person not being shown the light is not consciously aware of seeing a light or of any other sensation, which means that the connectivity is not occurring consciously. Control subjects do not register a signal.

In another experiment, a researcher connects a common house plant to a polygraph, or lie detector machine. In normal circumstances the plant registers no activity on the machine. But when the researcher has the thought… I repeat thought… that he is going to burn one of the leaves; the plant displays what would be considered an enormous, panicked reaction on the polygraph. The plant is aware of his threatening thoughts!

Several experiments provide compelling evidence that we are all drawing upon and contributing to the same memory bank. These experiments show that once a large group of people have learned something, it’s then easier for other people to learn that same thing. For example, experimenters found that when they showed a set of Hebrew-like words, some real and some made to look like Hebrew, to people who didn’t know any Hebrew, they were able to pick out the words that were real at a rate of two to one. This suggests that the people who didn’t know Hebrew had some connection to the memory of those that did and therefore were able to identify the real words.

In another experiment, a psychologist performed a similar test with Morse code. He constructed a new version of Morse code by assigning different dots and dashes to each letter of the alphabet. He assembled a group of participants that didn’t know any Morse code, and tested their ability to learn the made-up Morse code as compared to their ability to learn the real Morse code. The participants were able to learn the real Morse code significantly more accurately, showing that the participants were drawing upon the memory of those who know Morse code.

Further evidence is provided by trending the results of IQ tests. Average IQ test scores in over twenty countries have been rising over the decades during which time the tests have been given to millions of people. This trend has not been noticed because IQ test results are typically compared only to others who have taken the test at the same time and at the same age, as the average IQ test score is always set to 100% by definition. Researchers only noticed this trend when they compared base test scores over time.

Researchers have tried to determine the reason that IQ test scores would be getting better, but they cannot attribute it to any other reason such as better education or practice taking the tests. They have concluded that the tests are getting easier to do because the millions of people who have already done them are contributing that experience to a connected human memory.

These experiments corroborate what I have felt about my connection to others: what I do for other people ends up happening to me. For example, I have noticed that when I give money away, I end up making more money. These types of things have happened so often that the correlation has felt too strong to just write off as a coincidence, so I began to do some research. I am concluding that in some way, we are one, and in a very real sense, what we do for others we do for ourselves. I know many of us have heard this in Sunday school, but now scientific experimentation is telling us it’s true. I don’t know about you, but I am finding it more difficult to dismiss.

Quantum physics tells us that even without touching each other, everything is interconnected - every cell and every atom is all just waving energy of the same nothingness, and the waves all interact with each other to varying degrees. What happens in one part of your body can affect another part in unexpected ways, and what happens to you can affect someone else, and so on. We all are essentially part of the same energy, and our energy is not confined to our bodies. If a person can influence that energy, (s)he can influence his/her biology.

From a spiritual point of view (and even quantum physics confirms this); everything is part of the divine energy; connected to the unseen by simply identifying what is behind the result or action of the form. The drama or recurrent theme signifies to us what needs to shift in the energetic world. Living these human experiences we connect to what our ancestors had passed on generations and their legacy of lifetimes. Our DNA is our link to what our heritage is and bringing this into the present moment we create the transition of this human evolution of consciousness reconnecting ourselves to the divinity and integrating our energetic fields to all that is and aligning every space to anchor this into our mother earth. We connect to this inter-dimensional communication and intelligence of this vast universe every time that we are aware and awake to our source. Our expressive souls long to connect to our world within and become conscious soul with focused intention of peace and love.

Quantum Physics of Belief - Empathy

For the past few months, I was writing about quantum physics and business research to explore innovative ways of using the latest research and wisdom to lead and succeed in a global business environment that is constantly evolving at a rapid pace. As leaders, we need to know what’s going on with our teams and employees. Are they facing major obstacles? Is their rational thinking overridden with fear? They are not always willing to say they need help, as they may perceive it as a sign of weakness or they may believe there will be negative repercussions.

Two weeks ago, in an earlier article on emotions, I have described how science is now showing us ways to read the emotions of other people, so we can proactively offer help. I am certainly aware of the unease or self-conscious discomfort that many people feel when a term such as "empathy" is introduced in a business environment. However, in this article, let me show how to take empathy to the next level.

Empathy is the act of recognizing and sharing the feelings (such as jubilation or fear) that are being experienced by another person. New scientific discovery is giving us confidence to expand on this traditional definition by including the ability to pick up on the feelings, bodily sensations of another person. Indeed, empathy is valued currency. It allows us to create bonds of trust, it gives us insights into what others may be feeling or thinking; it helps us understand how or why others are reacting to situations, it sharpens our "people acumen" and informs our decisions. As leaders, this helps us know if an employee needs our help to clear an obstacle or needs to receive some encouragement.

A large number of experiments using functional MRI have shown that certain brain regions are active when people experience a certain emotion and the same regions are active when they see another person experiencing the same emotion. The practice of “feeling into” another person is reportedly used in psychotherapy, and now we can use it in other areas of our lives, including the more mundane business world.

There are numerous studies that link empathy to business results. They include studies that correlate empathy with increased sales, with the performance of the best managers of product development teams and with enhanced performance in an increasingly diverse workforce.

Yes, increasingly, the topic of empathy is encroaching on the business world. We are now even seeing terms such as "empathy marketing" and "empathy selling". Not long ago, I came across the term "user empathy", referring to user interface.

Empathy; which is the ability to imagine yourself in someone else's position, to imagine what they are feeling, to understand what makes people tick, to create relationships and to be caring of others; is very difficult to outsource or automate, and yet is increasingly important to businesses in a global economic environment.

The modern management guru, Dr. Daniel Goleman wrote, "Leaders with empathy, do more than sympathize with people around them: they use their knowledge to improve their companies in subtle, but important ways." This doesn't mean that they agree with everyone's view or try to please everybody. Rather, they "thoughtfully consider employees' feelings – along with other factors – in the process of making intelligent decisions."

Empathy, then, is an ability that is well-worth cultivating. It's a soft, sometimes abstract tool in a leader's toolkit that can lead to hard, tangible results. But where does empathy come from? Is it a process of thinking or of emotion? From a scientific perspective as explained above, I believe that it is both: We need to use our reasoning ability to understand another person's thoughts, feelings, reactions, concerns, motives; This means truly making an effort to stop and think for a moment about the other person's perspective in order to begin to understand where they are coming from: And then we need the emotional capacity to care for that person's concern; Caring does not mean that we would always agree with the person, that we would change our position, but it does mean that we would be in tune with what that person is going through, so that we can respond in a manner that acknowledges their thoughts, feelings or concerns.

When candor is communicated with empathy and caring and not the prideful arrogance of an over inflated ego good things begin to happen. Empathetic communicators display a level of authenticity and transparency that is not present with those who choose to communicate behind the carefully crafted facade propped-up by a very fragile ego. Understanding this communication principle is what helps turn anger into respect and doubt into trust.

So this leads me to a question that I am sometimes asked: "Can you teach someone to be empathetic?" We all know some people who are naturally and consistently empathetic – these are the people who can easily forge positive connections with others. They are people who use empathy to engender trust and build bonds; they are catalysts who are able to create positive communities for the greater good. But even if empathy does not come naturally to some of us, I firmly believe that we can develop this capacity.

Here are a few practical tips you might consider to help you do this:

Smile at people.

Use people's name. Also remember the names of people's spouse and children so that you can refer to them by name.

Take a personal interest in people. Show people that you care, and genuine curiosity about their lives. Ask questions about their hobbies, their challenges, their families, their aspirations.

Listen – truly listen to people. Listen with your ears, eyes and heart. Pay attention to others' body language, to their tone of voice, to the hidden emotions behind what they are saying to you, and to the context.

Don't interrupt people. Don't dismiss their concerns offhand. Don't rush to give advice. Don't change the subject. Allow people their moment.

Be fully present when you are with people. Don't check your email, look at your watch or take phone calls when a direct report drops into your office to talk to you. Put yourself in their shoes. How would you feel if your boss did that to you?

Tune in to non-verbal communication. This is the way that people often communicate what they think or feel, even when their verbal communication says something quite different.

Practice the "93% rule". When communicating about feelings and attitudes,  words – the things we say – account for only 7% of the total message that people receive. The other 93% of the message that we communicate when we speak is contained in our tone of voice and body language. It's important, then, to spend some time to understand how we come across when we communicate with others about our feelings and attitudes.

Encourage people, particularly the quiet ones, when they speak up in meetings. A simple thing like an attentive nod can boost people's confidence.

Give genuine recognition and praise. Pay attention to what people are doing and catch them doing the right things. When you give praise, spend a little effort to make your genuine words memorable: "You are an asset to this team because... "; "This was pure genius"; "I would have missed this if you hadn't picked it up."

Empathy is an emotional and thinking muscle that becomes stronger the more we use it. Try some of these suggestions and watch the reactions of those you work with. I believe you will notice some positive results.

Years ago, I had come across a saying that went something like this: the measure of a man [or woman], is how they treat someone who is of absolutely no use to them. Empathy should not be selective: It should be a daily habit. If I were to create a bumper sticker, I would say: Empathy: Don't Leave Home Without It!

When you “feel into” another person, you are using a part of your brain not typically used in business. There are three levels of your brain and each perceives differently. The lower level reptile brain, which is seldom used in business today, perceives thru subtle, instinctive vibes. To feel into another person, project your awareness to the other person, envision moving down in your brain toward your instinctive senses, and notice the way your body feels.

This is where knowledge of how your own emotions feel in your body really pays off, because you will feel the other people’s emotions the same way you feel your own. When the other person is feeling empowered and confident, you may feel energy rising in your body, perhaps warmness around your chest. If, on the other hand, you feel your energy drop or tighten, the other person is likely tense, worried, feeling overwhelmed, or holding something back. You can feel the steady waves of harmonious people and the adrenaline of people who are afraid or operating from their ego.

This technique works in person, by phone or even email, as long as you feel a connection to the other person and can project your awareness to them. While you are learning this technique it’s important to keep in mind to always verify with the person that you have accurately detected what they are feeling.