Signals

We spend all our time trying to connect; not with people, but with data.  We need data more than a pulse; as long as I can get data, I’ll live.  Being disconnected is worse than having you’re oxygen line clipped 20 fathoms beneath the surface. “Oh my God, Snapchat was down yesterday for an hour; I thought all 3,221 of my friends hated my latest selfie.”  I want to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, email, or text constantly, but God forbid I actually have to talk to someone.  With all of this data life’s mysteries should be clear.  Far from it, data is distracting us from signals sent from more important sources

Patient expectations are so data specific they live or die on any bad number, not the information.  A typical lab panel will have +20 entries each with a range of potential outcomes.  The report flags highs, lows, and history; but it’s just a health snapshot.   What’s missing is the doctor’s judgement.  In 1987 after I finished radiation treatment, I bought a medical text book on treating Hodgkin’s Disease and asked my oncologist where I fit in the data.  He said, “you shouldn’t be reading this; it’s about the disease not you, you’ll drive yourself crazy trying to figure out where you fall on the bell curve.”  He closed the book and said I’d be good for for about 20 years and then have cardiac disease. He was right on both counts almost to the day.

We are missing signals because they’re images and not numbers.  Why does a cardinal show up in the backyard whenever I’m doubtful?  Why did three crows perch in the trees at my Mom’s burial service? Years later I asked Devin to drop her driver’s license off at the Cliffs of Moher because she never made it to Ireland.  Why did he get overwhelmed by her favorite perfume scent checking out at the gift shop? I’m not sure, but they’re strong messages received outside the internet that can’t be ignored.  With all the mountains of data caving in on us we need to heed subtle signals pulling us forward and filter data holding us back.  At the current pace of signals, however, I definitely need a bigger jar to store all the coins that keep appearing out of nowhere.  I guess I need to put more in the collection basket and less into the bars.  Nah, it’s probably something else.   Slainte.