What each of us does with the information we’ve discussed here, is up to us. It can definitely change us… if we allow it. For myself, change has been unavoidable. Realizing that I’m simultaneously separated and connected in complementary ways has really changed how I think about the world and interact with others. It’s set me apart, but it’s also invested me more intimately in parts of my daily life that I used to take for granted. The persistent visual memory of the synaptic cleft has changed how I think about success and failure, and how I approach challenges at work and at home. It’s even changed how I talk to other people. Whether it’s mowing the lawn, dialing into a conference call at work, or scheduling my busy day, I’m constantly reminded of the fact that my system isn’t going to transfer all the available data to me, some things are going to get lost along the way, and I’ll need to figure things out, as I go along – hopefully with a little help from my friends.

You may or may not choose to join me. You may or may not think anything I’ve said is worth considering – or remembering. But if you’ve gotten this far, I suspect that you have a genuine investment in looking beneath the surface, digging deeper into what most people don’t think much about, and getting creative about some new ideas for how we can bring our world from the state of perpetual involuntary fragmentation to a process of intentional, continuous connection.

This much clear: We have within us an amazing ability to connect across distances, bridge gaps and find meaningful experiences in the midst of that flurry of electrical and chemical signals. That’s some pretty powerful stuff. Not everybody has the pressing need to take this information and run with it, but if you’re one of the few who chooses to, I thank you.

You and I are distinct individuals, divided by almost immeasurable distance of many kinds.

But because of that separation, we are never really alone.