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Nursing's global covenant with humanity – Unitary caring science as sacred activism

2018; Wiley; Volume: 76; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/jan.13934

1365-2648

Jean Watson,

Nursing Education, Practice, and Leadership

Nursing has a global covenant with humanity, to sustain human caring, healing, health, and wholeness for humanity; in instances where human caring is threatened, be it biological or otherwise (Watson) The challenge of our time posits moving beyond conventional familiar Western worldview thinking and invites forms of inquiry and embodied action which has been framed as sacred activism—informed moral action to help address moral-social-sacred violations/injustices; the proliferation of non-caring in the world, honouring nursing's focus on whole person-environment-universe as one (Watson, 2008, 2018a). Lather (2017) notes that the future is making an 'ontological turn' in what counts as valid, and what counts as knowledge, committed to critiquing the status quo and building a more socially just (or morally just society, seeking an emancipatory (unitary caring) science; 'evoking "post–post validity" that is immanent - moving (away) from canonical (rules), towards validity that is yet to be developed –moving towards transcendental empiricism' (Lather, p. 12 author's parenthesis). This thinking perhaps moves nursing to embodied actions in the world to fulfil our covenant with humanity, across time and space. The public's need for sacred activism is being awakened in the midst of proliferation of non-caring around the globe, with human-planetary-spirit decline. This is evident in the USA, with accelerating violence, bullying, hate crimes and gun deaths, among other atrocities worldwide. Daily, at any place on the Planet, we witness, almost moment-by-moment, uncaring, unhealthy, non-healing unimaginably cruel actions in our local and global news reports. How do we address issues of our life as a universal sacred gift in oneness with Divine Source? As nursing steps into unitary caring science, it steps into a higher deeper consciousness; it steps into soul care and seeks to find its way forward across the globe to fulfil its purpose and address issues facing humanity, that honour multiple realities and multi-levels of experience. This reality upon us invites new worldviews of science, of truth, of evidence, of method, of validity, of what evidence is valid. This post–post era has been noted as 'the decline of the absolutes' (Lather, 2017, p. 14). Acknowledging that the dominant paradigm of absolutes, that the values-fact dichotomy split has been hidden, ignored or driven underground, highlighting that facts are never theory-independent, or as Einstein noted … all facts are theory laden. Conventional worldviews do not leave space for metaphysical, mystical concepts like non-local consciousness, energy, soul, altered consciousness, mystical-psychic phenomena, supernatural, angelic presence, non-rational, spirit guides, and so on. New thinking includes promoting the evolution of human consciousness to a higher deeper connection with Spirit, Divine Source of life, helping shed light on all the darkness. Many of the problems and vicissitudes of life are so complex they 'need to be rethought by each age in the light of deep ethical and (spiritual – sacred) experiences and values' (Watson, 2018a, p. 9). Harvey (2009) coined the phrase 'sacred activism' from his passionate, metaphysical, mystic global humanitarian work with the United Nations. This is sacred inquiry that transcends conventional, well-known approaches, such as interpretive inquiry, phenomenological, social action, cooperative experiential inquiry, and collaborative research. It posits addressing the human spirit, soul and sacred stories of Being and Becoming more caring, more loving, more compassionate, more humane—inquiry and action which invite a shared human-to-human caring—cosmic relation with Universal Source. It encompasses authentic presence and soul connections; it seeks to discover deep inner-subjective processes of what it means to be more fully spirit-filled, more loving, caring, conscious and intentional about living more fully from Source, Spirit—from the heart of our shared humanity. According to Harvey, he describes sacred activism as '"a transforming force of compassion-in-action" that is born of a fusion of deep spiritual knowledge, courage, love, and passion with wise radical action in the world. The large-scale practice of sacred activism can become an essential force for preserving and healing the planet and its inhabitants' (https://andrewharvey.net/sacred-activism/). To step into the concept and inquiry of sacred activism is to unveil the mysterious, miraculous, metaphysical human experiences; these include inner healing, miracles, unexplained phenomena, allowing for emergence of the human spirit; grasping humanity's longings for Source, for the Holy, for the Divine. Harvey (2009) interviewed the Dalai Lama when receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. He was asked about the marriage of mystical and scientific truth—as a sacred marriage between scientific endeavour and mystical wisdom, introduced by 20th century physicists. Can we merge the mysterious, paradoxical universe with Western science and Western science's devotion to empirical rigorous exact discoveries of science? What he was asking for was an openness to mystical reality to be as open to the laws of human evolution, to the power of awakened consciousness, as to an openness enshrined by all the authentic mystical traditions. The Dalai Lama goes on to note that a major step for humankind it to develop a precise awareness of outer laws of reality just as the ancient mystical traditions offer a comparable awareness of its inner laws (Harvey, 2009). He indicated that if we can marry the marriage of the two: the outer and inner laws of reality, with the practices of the two, 'the entire future of the human race can be transformed'. He goes on to say, 'Scientists everywhere are now searching for a unified field theory, that can unite and fuse the outer and inner' (p. 26). Jeremy and Karen Hayward, in their work Sacred World (Hayward, 1998) identified several American scholars who acknowledged 'There's another realm that is not in the purview of science', for example Huston Smith, the American historian, theological and scholar identified several levels of reality and experience. These were identified as 'realms', 'spaces', or 'dimensions'. Others such as Aldous Huxley, author of The Perennial Philosophy and Ken Wilber likewise pointed towards multidimensionality of experiences (p. 181). Ken Wilber is considered a contemporary visionary philosopher for more than three decades, brought out the facts that the world's greatest yogis, saints, sages were trans-rational—that is, all contemplative traditions aim at going in and beyond reason per se (Wilber, 2000, 271 in Watson, 2018a, p. 62). 'These claims are consistent with unitary caring science and human caring healing experiences. This form of "unknowing/non-knowing exists in higher domains of awareness of evolution and directly embraces experiences such as love, compassion, beauty, self-truth from within. This is referred to as experimental introspection and communal verification" (Wilber, 2000, 273 in Watson, 2018a, pp. 61, 62). This communal verification can e identified as inter-subjective confirmability. Inner communal truth rings' true. Truth affirmed from within (Watson, 1976; Watson, 2018a). Gadamer's (2004) Truth and Method made a case for arts and poetry to go beyond dogmatic application of conventional methods and empirical objective, detached data presentation. Likewise, in Unitary Caring Science, ontological and philosophical integrity of sacred caring inquiry, calls for language, words, form, movement, art, poetry, film, and expressive options to capture and seek truth that offers inner meaning beyond data and numbers. There is a shift from ontology and epistemology of numbers to narrative, story, text, inter-subjective inter-universe meaning. For example, there is a desire in sacred activism to find creative ways to articulate sensuous, soulful resonance, emotional spaciousness, metaphoric, mystic, and expansive openness inviting a higher consciousness, which touches the heart, not just the head, revealing 'a truth', on the face of it. Heidegger recommended a need to create an authenticity, whereby (soulful) experiences speak for themselves. In this sacred activism inquiry, the researchers are transformed by their participation and mutuality of all participants (Watson, 2005; Watson, 2012; Watson, 2018a). Lather (2007) in her book, Getting Lost, made a case for an inquiry from real world practice—Asking the question: What would practices of research look like, that were a response to the call of the holy other? I might add; What would unitary caring science praxis inquiry look like, that was a call to explore our human-planet-universe divine/ sacred connection? Our sacred connections/Oneness with Source/ Spirit? Universal Love? What would happen if we honoured and included in our science, our inner knowing, our miracles, our ineffable nursing experiences which include miracles and mystical, mystery of human experiences that we witness daily in our life world of human caring or healing. These are holy other sacred inner knowing questions that touch the heart and soul of our humanity and our survival in harmony with mystery, miracles, unknowns, Spirit, in communion with our Mother Earth. As Emerson reminded us, Nature is Spirit—the changing invisible, impermanence of all. The mystical aspect of nature surrounds us; the rising up and falling away of all, seasons and living organisms. Sacred activism inquiry for nursing arises from a search for philosophical, ethical, and methodological congruence to capture the inner, unknowns of spirit filled–soul experiences. This method embraces 'transpersonal caring moments' (Watson, 2008, 2012), whereby a new field between two humans unfolds and flows as a sacred moment, connecting with infinite field of universal, cosmic Love—Opening to explore unexplained phenomena of Universal love for healing, for miracles. In nursing, this form of unitary caring science sacred inquiry is informed by an accelerated unitary, quantum universe worldview. Sacred activism is consistent with the evolved paradigmatic context for nursing's disciplinary phenomena, including all the vicissitudes of human existence-immanence and transcendence, allowing for a Holy alliance: human-to-human; and human-to-Divine (Watson, Porter-O'Grady, Horton-Deutsch, & Malloch, 2018). Before we can enter the deeper nature of sacred activism, we need to go more deeply into understanding the worldview and ethic of Unitary Caring Science. Unitary Caring Science is an evolved view of science which is located in a unitary world view of Oneness of all; it is the quantum reality of today; a human–universe awakening that everything in the universe is connected—thus Human life and Planet Earth/Mother Earth, all reside in an evolved unitary infinite field of human–planet oneness. This worldview is consistent with what the Dalai Lama was suggesting as the scientist's search for a unified field theory. Unitary Caring Science can serve as the scientific underpinning of sacred action because the sacredness of life-Mother Earth as One, informs the process. While Lather noted the 'ontological turn' that is happening, Unitary Caring Science acknowledges an 'ethical turn', grounded in perennial indigenous wisdom traditions towards the philosophy and 'Ethic of Belonging' as the first principle of science. (Levinas, 1996; Watson, 2005, 2008). That is, we all 'Belong to the infinite field of Universal Cosmic Love' and the ethic of our belonging comes before the ontology of separation. Unitary Caring Science goes beyond the ontology of objective, outer-world, physicality of being, which can include the inner, non-physical, spiritual, metaphysical, subjective, inner life world of experiencing person/s belonging to Mother Earth as a living organism. Cowling posed the rhetorical, perennial question for nursing science: Can nursing create a science that makes room for the senses and the soul? (Cowling, 1999, p. 132). When we more clearly step in a consciousness of unitary caring science 'we can embrace and invite non-physical/metaphysical phenomena, such non-local consciousness, unknowing and transcendence; we open to wonder, awe, mystery, miracles, mysticism, spirit and sacred unknowns, the holy'. (2018aWatson, Smith, & Cowling, 2018, p. 31). 'These non-physical phenomena have been affirmed by physicists/philosophers, such a Bohm, highlighting the implicate and explicate order of universe. The "implicate" is the patterned energy not normally seen, felt, heard through our five senses. This order precipitates the "explicate" order, which is accessible to us' (2018aWatson, Smith, et al., 2018, p. 25). This framework is congruent with Wilber, Dalai Lama, Huston Smith, and others. Unitary Caring Science Sacred Activism purposively shifts from clinical objectivity to authentic subjectivity/intra/inter-subjectivity and beyond, from outer to inner; to mutual relational ethical engagement with human-to-human/ spirit-to-spirit transpersonal connection. Space is created for a shared human-spirit Oneness. When one steps into a unitary caring science field for understanding nursing's global sacred action role, we are called to critique the status quo. This critique opens space for a search for different possibilities of making sense of sacred life experiences, for other ways of knowing and being, which can therefore do justice to sacred inquiry as a form of embodied activism as a form of unitary caring science praxis. As part of the critique, a new story of unity and human–universe caring is emerging. Indeed, it is a time in which we need a new story for humanity, one that honours the ancient, indigenous wisdom, and inner knowledge to come into our human consciousness. Berry's (1988) 'New Story' is a call to honour and embrace the universe itself as the basic value; the most profound primary sacred community on the planet. Indeed, he proclaimed that 'All human activities, all professions, all programs and institutions must henceforth be judged primarily by the extent they inhabit, ignore or foster a mutually enhancing human-earth relation as one'. (https://isiria.wordpress.com/2009/06/19/quotations-from-thomas-berry/)" (Adapted from Watson, 2018a, pp. 6, 7). Whether in the past, present, or future, we now awaken to a quantum universe. Here in this space, we no longer can deny that we are all connected; that everything in the universe is connected. One person's level of humanity is reflected onto other. Whereby, with unitary consciousness of our oneness with all, we now have to grasp that we step into sacred space, to mystery, unknowns related to life and death itself—entering into the sacred circle of birth/life/death/rebirth. In positing sacred activism in a unitary caring science field, it shifts the paradigm towards what Harman (1991) referred to as an 'Upper Causation model of Science', in contrast to a 'Lower Causation model of Science'. He suggested we turn the scientific paradigm upside down. For example, in conventional world of western science we have 'the downward causation' model of science; whereby if you invert it, you can consider an 'upward causation model of science'. That is, "rather, than focusing on smaller and smaller separate parts, we can move upwards to more complex, non-physical, non-local, explanatory models that accommodate more information and higher level abstraction, including spirit and spiritual science; science of consciousness" (Watson, 2018a, p. 7). This inverted paradigm shift requires an evolved higher level of consciousness for the nurse researcher; for the practitioner, administrator, leader. A sacred science approach to sacred action "brings to awareness the contradictions, hidden or distorted in conventional approaches" (Lather, 2017, p. 14). Sacred activism is sacred in that it seeks to capture the inner life shared spirit-filled, meaningful soul experiences of person/s—the life force or inner authentic soul-story of those participating in harmony as active holy passionate participants in humanitarian-planet healing. Nursing has a global covenant with humanity, to sustain human caring, healing, health, and wholeness for humanity; in instances where human caring is threatened, be it biological or otherwise (Watson) It seems timely that as nursing evolves into this next phase of human evolution, we can be reminded of this historic, timeless mission in service to humankind. Such a timeless focus of nursing's mission and purpose, once made explicit, has a direct effect on nursing-in-the-world and larger universe, with specific implications for global nursing as sacred practice. Global sacred activism nursing shows up in various ways and manifestations addressing needs of humankind across the sacred circle of life/death/rebirth. Nurses and midwifes represent the largest and oldest health care profession in the world (20.6 million). Unitary Caring Science and sacred activism can be posited as an evolved form of sacred unitary nursing is in service to global nursing and our world. The denial of human-spirit connection, beyond physical care world, can lead unintentionally to a disregard by nurses for the fullest and richest expression of the human experience, when providing care. However, even without the deepest metaphysical and philosophical understandings, we see many nurses embracing and validating spirit with the people for whom they provide care, relying on the credibility of their senses (Watson, Smith, et al., 2018, p. 31). When nurses awaken to the sacred nature of their practice; they are situated in the unitary caring science field, then nursing realizes it is already engaged in sacred activism in small and grand ways, locally and globally. From offering comforting presence and words in midst of human suffering, loss, grief, and life challenges and injustices. Two exemplars of sacred activism can be found in global nursing. …anyone who has been involved in the conflicts there, know by now that a purely political solution, a shifting of boundaries or an exchange of money or power has only a very small chance of success. In such extreme situations, only extreme solutions born from another dimension of truth and compassion have any real chance of being effective (p. 17) This view is foundational to sacred activism, which includes human-to-humans being together, learning together, humbling connections, becoming friends, sharing common goals transcending borders, boundaries, differences, customs, religion. The global nursing example is the 'Middle East Nurses Uniting in Human Caring' sponsored by Watson Caring Science Institute (WCSI) and supported by Healing HealthCare Systems. (HHCS) (www.watsoncaringscience.org; www.healinghealth.com). This program is now into its 7th year and includes a sponsored conference every Winter, held in Aqaba, Jordan. Jordan provides safe passage for Palestinians to travel to a safe place where they can be in the presence of neighbour Israeli nurses and even speak to each other. One of the Deans of a Palestinian University confided that she did not know one nurse in Israel, because of the wall but also because they are threated to lose their jobs. The Middle East Nurses project began with a small group of Palestinian and Israeli nurses, meeting somewhat secretly in safe space with the author, at the Peres Peace Foundation in Jaffa, Israel. The meeting was an opportunity to meet each other, explore how they could work across all the conflict between them, and share what united them in human caring for patients. Their difficulty included not being allowed to talk with each other, without losing their job, unless it was in the context of an international professional meeting, sponsored by an organization other than Israel. At that first meeting, they were not allowed to have their photos taken. As an outcome of that first gathering, however, they all were eager to find a way to meet safely for future learning opportunities. Thus, the 'Middle East Nurses Uniting in Human Caring' was co-created with WCSI. Since 2013 there has been an annual sponsored conference held in Aqaba, Jordan. It now has grown to over 200 participants, as Palestinians and Israeli nurses attending each year; also nurses from Iran, Saudi Arabia Jordan, Pakistan, and other countries, including USA. During the conferences all participants meet human-to-human; they share their professional concerns, obstacles, fears as well as scholarly projects, research, and common problems, seeking creative solutions. The program creates space for open dialogue, including prayer time, honouring all practices and customs. Each year, the conference participants gather for round table policy positions, bring to awareness shared attempts to support violations that congruent with United Nation Sustainable Development Goals. These policy papers have been published in International Journal of Human Caring in past couple of years. This gathering is the only opportunity for Palestinian and Israeli Nurses to meet in safe space. This forum provides the only professional development educational opportunities for Palestinian Nurses to be in the presence of Israeli Nurses. We were 30,000 women from Israel and Palestine with some men and many kids first walking in the desert then marching through Jerusalem-demanding our governments to bring peace. It is a non-partisan movement (i.e. religious and secular, left center and right). Our group of Middle-East Nurses marched under a banner of 'Peace is Healthy'. It was incredible. Miriam Hirschfeld This is truly a living example of nurses engaging in sacred activism, transcending borders, boundaries, culture, religion and customs. 'Peace is Healthy'! By working together, challenging the political oppression, transcending obstacles to sustain shared humanity, in the unitary caring ethic of Belonging. The focus for 2019 Conference is Social Activism as Sacred Activism; there are plans to draft the Aqaba Middle East Nurses Declaration for Sustaining Human Caring for Humanity. https://www.watsoncaringscience.org/events/middle-eastern-nurses-partners-uniting-in-human-caring-2019-aqaba-jordan/ Another global nursing example is the International Society of Caring and Peace, Tokyo, Japan which was developed as a follow-up of the first International Caritas Consortium on Caring and Peace, held in 2012 in Hiroshima, Japan. This Society continues to help nurses make the connection between human caring and peace. That is, when nurses realize that practicing caring is practicing peace. The Society holds bi-annual conferences which integrate embodied actions of caring and peace in educational classrooms, in curriculum development, in clinical practice leadership and policy. This awakening becomes a form of sacred activism in the field. This example intersects with Middle East Nurses Human Caring actions. Just as Middle East Nurses are proclaiming Peace is Health. The International Japanese Society is proclaiming Caring is Peace. Nurse sacred activism projects: Reclaiming humanity for all. These are only two personal examples of sacred activism, but if we acknowledged and brought to light for all to see, the human caring/healing/health actions of the 20.6 million nurses and midwifes around the world, we would be blinded by our sacred acts for sustaining humanity in midst of totalizing actions in the outer world. The public's need for sacred activism is being awakened in the midst of current proliferation of non-caring around the globe, with special decline of human-planetary decline. This is evident in the United States, with accelerating violence, hate crimes and gun deaths, among other atrocities worldwide. Daily, at any place on the Planet, we witness, almost moment-by-moment, uncaring, unhealthy, non-healing actions in our local and global news reports. How do we address issues of our life as a universal sacred gift in oneness with Divine Source? Unitary Caring Science with sacred activism as a form of inquiry takes science to values, ethics, as all part of the single whole unitary field of human–earth-universe. Sacred activism inquiry invites new questions about value as a starting point. What is of worth? for example, truth, beauty, aesthetics, truth, dignity, honesty, integrity, love, caring, belonging, sustaining humanity-planet-universe? (Watson, 2018a). It moves the Caritas Processes® (Watson, 2008, 2012; Watson, 2018a) of the transpersonal theory of caring and Unitary Caring Science Praxis to embrace core values: for example Veritas, the Latin word for truth, beauty, love, goodness, restoring the moral component in the full meaning of Praxis, whereby praxis and sacred activism inquiry combine as one. Caritas and Veritas combine in unitary caring science, returning nursing to its underlying purity and purpose of basic goodness—Eupraxis—practice of goodness (Watson, 2018a). These underlying values are needed today to offer a new inner story of science, methods, inquiry, and actions that can help sustain our humanity and planet earth. As Harvey noted, part of our responsivity to sustaining humanity, we need to renew the energy of people who are burnt out and apathetic in institutions and corporations. If we point nurses and the public to an inner compass that renews their passion, there is hope for real solutions and inspired creativity. Sacred activism offers this inspiration-invitation to transcend our dominant scientific limitations of conformity and step into the unitary infinite field of Universal Source. Unitary Sacred Activism inquiry affirms that if the nature of the phenomena is deeply unitary, humane, metaphysical and soulful, then the methodology, the forms of inquiry and presentation of findings should be captured with the soul-filled energetic vibration that speaks to, and shapes, the human heart and soul. A unitary caring science sacred action inquiry is paradigm transcending. This paradigm-transcending form of inquiry is consistent with World Future survival challenges; a return to values and informed moral action. It invites a new horizon for an expanded worldview—an awakening of human caring/eco-caring as essential for preserving and sustaining human survival and Mother Earth. This work is sacred work and invites a form of activism as sacred action to reveal, uncover, express, and disseminate a new story of unitary sacred caring science inquiry for informed moral praxis. Sacred activism provides humanity with a system of thought and traditional wisdom practices to help support the kind of transformative change that is necessary for the world to be preserved.