In the 1990s, I was tasked with pinpointing the elements of human connection that could be effectively integrated into an innovative online collaboration platform known as Lotus Notes, as well as identifying those that could not.

​​

I classified the forms of connection into two categories: measurable and immeasurable. The measurable connections are for agreeing on a sum of parts and allocating these parts for people to play. These were moved online. The immeasurable connections could only be done face-to-face and involved creating something greater than the sum of the parts, a phenomenon known as *Gestalt*.

​​​

As the Internet and Google began to rise, I shifted to using my connection skills to assist struggling technology projects on the verge of failure. By emphasizing the connections between all parts, I ensured that every project was completed on schedule. 

​​​​

After that, I focused on home-educating my children. My eldest was hyperactive, unable to concentrate on a single thing at a time, or remain still for very long. I discovered that this was due to his deep immersion in the connections surrounding him, known as Gestalt, which left him with a limited sense of self. By playing basketball together, we created a connection between us that led to him developing his sense of self amidst his Gestalt immersion. While I learned how to immerse myself in a Gestalt, my second son had withdrawn into gaming, so I reversed what I did for my eldest and drew my youngest into Gestalt.

​​​​​​

During the lockdown, I began a six-year exploration into how "thinking about how to put parts together" influences brain function. The brain utilises two distinct approaches to engage with our surroundings. One involves selecting and assembling parts, while the other involves seeing the connections between all the parts to anticipate what is about to happen. Trying hard to put parts together takes away the ability to anticipate. We are often surprised when events fragment our assembled parts, and we don’t know why performance falls below the sum of the parts.

​​​