Science & Art

I’ve worked as a physician assistant (PA) for 11 years. Medicine is fascinating because it’s not only a science but also an art, where human connection plays a key role. As a clinician, if you’re only focused on the hard science — the pathophysiology and pharmacologic treatment options — you’ll miss out.

You’ll miss out on the unique person in front of you, who has a unique story to tell. You’ll miss key details from their story that lead to correct diagnoses and much more. You’ll miss opportunities for healing. You’ll miss valuable life lessons. You’ll miss out on the humanity of the work and the sense of meaning and purpose this brings.

Similar art forms exist in almost any profession. There’s the task you focus on, and then there’s the art of how you might positively impact another person’s life in that role.

As Seth Godin put it in his excellent book Linchpin:

“The job is what you do when you are told what to do. The job is showing up at the factory, following instructions, meeting spec, and being managed. Someone can always do your job a little better or faster or cheaper than you can.

The job might be difficult, it might require skill, but it's a job.

Your art is what you do when no one can tell you exactly how to do it. Your art is the act of taking personal responsibility, challenging the status quo, and changing people.”

In my experience, honing your art skills can be a potent antidote to burnout. But burnout is another topic, for another post.

So let’s talk about art.

In the healthcare world, I admire professionals who are not only good at the science, but who also excel in the art of medicine:

• The stuff left out of evidence-based treatment algorithms.

• The stuff that electronic medical records and health apps can’t organize into neat little check-boxes.

• The stuff that requires a human being communicating with another human being.

• The stuff that’s best learned through conversations, stories, and experience.

Dr. Vivek Murthy, former US Surgeon General, is someone I have great respect for. He’s clearly a smart guy. Yet through his words, you can tell how much he loves the art of his profession and the humanity of his work.

Dr. Murthy was featured on the Tim Ferriss Show podcast in late March, just as COVID-19 precautions were ramping up. The episode is two hours long and packed with great insight, with topics ranging from COVID-19 to the importance of human connection. I listened to it while taking a couple long walks, getting some much-needed fresh air and physical activity. I enjoyed the interview and recommend that you check it out.

In this post I want to share a couple points that really resonated with me and helped me to crystallize some valuable lessons. In the interview, Dr. Murthy eloquently describes:

• The foundation on which we build everything else.

• Our greatest source of strength.

(Note: Below are my own transcribed notes, limited to less than 500 words, to help me retain these insights. Areas in bold font are points of emphasis in my own mind.)

The Foundation on Which We Build Everything Else

In a discussion about COVID-19 (59:42 in the interview), Dr. Murthy says:

“This could be a wake up call. This could be an opportunity for people to come together… The real question though, Tim, is will they stay together?

If you look back at 911 and at many of the tragedies we’ve experienced as a country, we do come together. And we see in those moments, I think, the actual, authentic, intrinsic human spirit, which is:

• A spirit of togetherness.

• A spirit of interdependence.

• A spirit of compassion, generosity, and joy.

But that gets quickly eroded as we settle back into our day-to-day lives. And there are many reasons why we settle back. And there are forces, I think, in the messaging we see in media and from work and in the larger culture which keep pulling us back… away from a focus on relationships.

… I think what gives us the deepest joy and fulfillment in our life is actually our relationships. And when I think back on the people that I had the privilege of caring for in the hospital at the end of their life, I think a lot about what they talked about in those final days.

What they talked about was not the promotions they received or how big their bonuses were. They didn’t talk about how many followers they had on Instagram or how many friends they had in the world.

What they talked about, really, was the quality of their relationships. They talked about the people they loved, about the relationships they wish they had spent more time with. They talked about the joy that the people in their life brought them.

… What I have found over the last few years… is that it is our relationships that are the foundation on which we build everything else — good health, fulfillment, and a good life.”

Our Greatest Source of Strength

Later in the interview (1:41:55), on the topic of emotions, Dr. Murthy explains:

“Our emotions are our greatest source of strength…

[As a country] we have to redefine strength as:

• Vulnerability

• Human connection

• Belonging

• and Emotion.

… It seems there are two primary forces that drive us in our life and that drive the decisions that we make. Those forces are love and fear.

Fear shows up in a bunch of different ways. It shows up as insecurity or jealousy or rage or anxiety.

And love also shows up in different ways — as compassion, as kindness, as generosity, as warmth.

… [I ask myself] “Am I making this decision because of love or fear? Am I making this decision because I’m scared of something, or because I’m being inspired by compassion or by generosity or by kindness?”

I find almost always, if not always, when I make decisions that are driven by fear, they rarely make me feel good. They often lead to poor outcomes.

But when I make decisions that are driven by love, even if they’re risky, even if the outcomes are unexpected, I almost always feel better, and I almost always grow in some way as a result of those.”

A Compass

Wow. Those are some wise words. In this time of uncertainty, I think this insight can serve as a compass, helping us to stay on the right path.

As we make sense of things and decide how we want to proceed in our new reality, we can ask ourselves:

• Am I building a foundation based on strong relationships?

• Am I using love as my greatest source of strength?

Diving Deeper

If you want to dive deeper into this topic, be sure to check out the interview. It’s full of a lot more great insight, from both Dr. Murthy and Tim Ferris.

Also, Dr. Murthy has a new book that will be released on April 28. I can’t wait to check it out! You can learn more about it and order a copy here:

How about you?

When your decisions are based on love and not fear, and when strong relationships are your focus, do you notice that you feel better and do better? I certainly do. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Please leave me a comment below!

This post was originally published on April 14, 2020.

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