Why Independence is Essential to Human Experience

by Jason A. Wolf, Ph.D, CPXP

July holds two of the many key moments in world history that highlight the desire for and power of independence to our humanity overall. From the July 4th holiday in the United States celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the nation, to Quatorze Juillet in France that marks the fall of the monarchy and the rise of a republic grounded in liberté, égalité, fraternité, they reflect the desire of all humankind to seek freedom.

Nations around the world have celebrated these moments where they found their voices of freedom. Not only nations, but people around the world also stood up for their own independence. And in almost every instance this stand comes down to a powerful and central set of ideas: that people have independent rights, that we are created equal, that we stand for liberty, that in the end we all seek peace and happiness. I see these four ideas – the core ideas at the heart of independence – as essential to human experience as well.

In a world of healthcare where we are human beings caring for human beings, we have an opportunity – particularly in healthcare – to create processes and structures to honor these four ideas in action. I offer some thoughts on how we can do that with intention in our commitment to transform the human experience in healthcare and beyond.

• We must honor peoples’ RIGHTS. As defined, this is the power or privilege to which people are entitled. We have long built healthcare on a foundation of rights, paired with clear responsibilities. It is in our commitment to ensure people understand and can act on their rights that allows us to best care for people in healthcare. This happens as we give our teams the room to act and patients and families the comfort to know they are not objects of, but rather partners in every care encounter. What are you putting in place to honor those rights?
• We must ensure EQUALITY. As is often noted equality and equity are not the same concept. Equality is to treat people the same, while equity is about the fairness and justice in how people are treated, which means the same treatment is not truly equal at all. In saying we must ensure equality here, I mean we must act on the balance we need to honor that ALL people are human beings, but that no two human beings are truly the same. It is in our commitment to understanding the unique needs, expectations, vulnerabilities, and hopes of the human in front of us that we ensure the best in human experience. How are you working to ensure equality?
• We must stand for LIBERTY. It is here where freedom stands strong. In standing for liberty, we provide people the space to openly make the choices they need, ask the questions they have, ultimately move the directions they wish. Our job in healthcare is to help people understand the best paths they have so they can make informed choices in their best interest. It means there may be times that people chose alternative paths to follow. But if we are to elevate the human experience people must have that space to make choices – both as patients and care partners, and as members of the healthcare workforce who can act with intention, purpose AND independence in caring for those we serve. What steps are you taking to stand for liberty?
• We must work to foster PEACE. Peace in the lens of human experience is about finding moments where vulnerabilities and fears are understood and addressed, where suffering is alleviated, for all who show up on the healthcare environment every day. I do not think we would ever call the healthcare environment calm. It is a busy, often chaotic and dynamic setting that lives on high energy and critical action. At the same time, we can strive to sustain it as a peaceful place. One that even though the churn, we can create calm, we can seek to explain things to people, we can simply hold their hand and breathe. Fostering peace is a critical element of transforming the human experience we create in every moment. How are you working to foster peace?

While these four ideas alone do not fully encompass the broad power of independence, they do frame the critical concepts at its core. They also highlight how we in healthcare can lead every day, in every role, to a more just, human, and hopeful healthcare environment. When we work with intention to ensure these truths are self-evident – that we honor rights, ensure we engage the humans we serve and serve with, with equity, that we stand for freedom and choice, and that we foster peace, then we have truly set four cornerstones on which human experience can flourish.

As human beings we do not take our independence lightly, we seek to hold it at high value as citizens of countries around the world. We too seek to nurture its characteristics in our children and families as they grow into our world. And in a world of healthcare where we hold humanity in its most vulnerable moments, our commitment to these ideas is not simply about celebrating what we aspire to be one day, it is all we can and must be for those who turn to healthcare every day, right now.

This truth is self-evident, independence is essential to human experience. And human experience is essential to a positive, vibrant, and sustained healthcare system for all who deserve it. That is a stand we must all be willing to take in every moment. We will all be the better for it.